Yahoo Lifestyle People Who Absolutely Refuse To Tip 20% Explain Why, And The Comments Are Guaranteed To Get Heated
Tipping has been a hot topic of late, especially with more and more businesses getting in on the whole "turn around the touchscreen and ask for a tip" thing. It's pretty wild — people are being prompted to tip these days by retail stores, self-service gas stations, and even automated kiosks!
But we're not here today to talk about the touchscreen tip madness (although you're more than welcome to in the comments if it's really chapping your hide). No, today we are considering the question: Should tipping restaurant waitstaff 20% be the standard?
To kick off the conversation, we've got some folks from Quora who refuse to tip 20%—yes, refuse. They’re arguing that it’s outdated, unnecessary, or just plain too much. Their spicy takes are guaranteed to upset a lot of folks, but before you dive into the comments section, check out their passionate opinions and let us know...are they onto something? Or do they JUST. NOT. GET. IT.?
Alright, here’s what they had to say: 👇
1."A 15% tip is very good! 20% became the 'new norm' because of COVID-19 and now, entitled servers. Nobody ACTUALLY gets paid $2.13 an hour, so you don't have to tip, really. End tipping! Remember, a 10% tip NOW is BETTER than in the '90s because of food price inflation."
—Leslie N., Quora
2."Tipping based on a percentage of the menu cost is stupid. The person taking an order and bringing out a $50 lunch at an expense-account steakhouse doesn't have any skills or provide any more value to me than a different person taking an order and bringing out a $7 special at a local Mexican joint. I would feel cheap giving the latter person $1.50, but would feel like a sucker for shelling out $10 for the former, especially where they are serving eight tables of 4–8 people each over the course of a lunch shift. Do the math — they are making more than your physician or mechanic (people you trust with your health and well-being)."
Certain service jobs (bellman, skycap) are effectively part of a graft system and pay far beyond what the required skill, education level, or professional investment would dictate. Servers at expensive restaurants fall into this category.
So, the real question might be, 'Why do people think it's OK for a server to make $100+/hour doing the same job as another person making $10/hour just because the food is more expensive?'
I'm all for generosity where it's deserved — but the mindless adherence to a numerical rule for tipping and associated shaming or judgment when not done is just buying into a scam."
—JGM, Quora
3."I'm sorry, but I'm calling BS on the American tipping system! I'm an American, and virtually no other nation on earth tips their waitpeople 20% or more. If you really think that 20% is fair because you 'have bills to pay,' find another job — a real job that can pay your bills without robbing customers."
—Joe B., Quora
4."A tip is optional, regardless of whether you receive excellent service (I never have) or not. Expecting 20% just for doing the basic job is a laugh. Getting annoyed at getting 0% just for doing the basic job is a laugh. Basically, if I like the wait staff, and they serve me reasonably well, they'll get a tip. If I don't like the wait staff, even if they give me excellent service (see above), I will not guarantee a tip."
—Simon C., Quora
5."I once had a conversation with a waiter who felt I had shorted him on the tip the evening before. One of his first points was, 'I work for tips.' My counterpoint was, then you should work for your tips."
"He'd brought menus to the table and then — 45 minutes later --— returned with our drinks and to take our orders. The food was brought after another 45 minutes and was cold when it arrived. We sent it back and finally got our food a reasonable time later. Two hours after entering the restaurant, we began our meal. He did not return to ask if we needed anything else but brought me the check and bid me good evening. It was a large party and a larger check. I left a $5.00 bill meant to convey to him that I was dissatisfied with the service.
I had worked for tips myself, and later ran a business with employees who worked for tips. In my youth, a 10% tip was pretty much standard. Good service earned one good tips; poor service earned one poor tips.
What all this boils down to is: you get the tips your customer gives you. Satisfied customers tip far better than dissatisfied customers. Be attentive, make your customers happy, and you will receive better tips overall. If you work for tips, then work for tips."
—Daniel H., Quora
6."Frankly, I am going to be 59 next month. I was raised that 15% was an acceptable tip, and you go up or down according to the level of service. 15%, NOT 20%. Sorry, but I’ve been doing it this way for 40+ years. My question would be, why do people think that 20% is the starting point for a tip?"
—Mark R., Quora
7."Honestly, this part of American culture pisses me off quite a bit. Semi-mandatory tips are ridiculous. If there is something I need to pay, put it in the bill and then pay your employees with that. Social pressure towards doing something that is not required is backward thinking. Waiters come back for an explanation when they are under-tipped or shoot you looks of disdain. Basically, one cannot under-tip without hurting one's social status. Is that what tipping is supposed to be about? Protecting the opinion others have of you?"
"Where I come from, when somebody gives you money you aren't entitled to, you don't look at them sideways or complain because you think you deserved double that, and if you do, you are never getting tipped again, and rightly so."
—Federico P., Quora
8."Tipping is weird. We went out for a steak dinner on my wife’s birthday, and the bill was around $180.00. I usually just double the tax (8% here) and round it off, so I left a $29.00 tip (the tax was $14.40, so doubling that equals $28.80). For a brief moment, I wondered if our waiter was expecting a $36.00 (20%) tip and if it bothered them that they made a $29.00 tip for their hour of service. Then I decided I really didn’t care and went about my business. Does it make sense that the tip amount is determined by whether you order burgers or ribeye? Not really. We could have had burgers for $60 bucks and left a $12 tip. Tipping is weird."
—Eric O., Quora
9."20% is now bandied around as the 'minimum' tip people should give. Next, they will increase to 30% and so on. The servers would like more money. They have realized it's easier to try and bully customers into leaving bigger tips than to convince owners to pay more in wages. One of the results is that more and more places are trying to extract tips since they view it as 'free' money. If the place I get my car worked on added a tip page, I would have no problems hitting 'no tip.' But some people will think, 'It's there; I should be adding it.'"
—Dick54768, Quora
10."What on earth could possess a person to believe that any tip whatsoever is mandatory? Furthermore, how can a person set a minimum ideal percentage at nearly a fourth of the original cost? Do you think bringing me food entitles you to a fourth of the costs of eating? I don't think so. I'd rather get up and get my own food and bring it back to my table, pour my own water, and place my order via tablet. Anything is better than having to cough up an extra quarter for every dollar spent. You are not doing a fourth of anything! At best, a waiter (any gender) does a tenth of the work. This 20% BS makes no sense at all."
"And just because you think you deserve a tip (especially at nearly a fourth of the total bill!) shows me you are the last person who even deserves one.People who earned a "thank you" and a little extra are exceptional. They don't have attitudes. They don't expect anything. They don't argue or complain. And they are awesome."
—Mateo V., Quora
11."I usually tip around 15%. I always make a point of tipping 10% (which is what I was taught to tip). Why? I pay my church 10% tithing. If it’s good enough for God, it’s good enough for you."
—Timothy M., Quora
(Entries have been edited for length and clarity.)
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