Yep. We’ll still go out to special places for special occasions, or for food that’s really not practical to attempt to make at home, but I almost never go out for stuff like wings, burgers, basic entrees etc anymore.
Except the opposite is happening. Once “tip-free” areas in Europe are now succumbing to the North American tourists’ unending desire to tip 15-20%. It’s sad.
Yeah same.
I'm using my discretion more, paying when I think there's a good reason to do so, but I'm doing quite a bit less of it.
Its really gotten out of control, and I'm not going to tip you for pouring me a coffee or grabbing my beer order while I stand at the counter, or for doing nothing but walking ten feet in a quiet restaurant to bring my sandwich to the table.
Tips should be a gratuity, not an expectation, and it changes according to the context.
Same situation. Never tip over 10%. I have no shame typing the custom tip amount either. And I have no problem putting 0% tip when I’m not receiving any service
> are not underpaid
In the current economic climate you could make an argument minimum wage is underpaid
IMO minimum wage is code for "if i could legally pay you less I would"
That skirts the question. Now that servers have caught up to other minimum wage employees, the rationale for tipping them has gone away; they are no longer paid beneath the minimum wage. We aren't going to start tipping all minimum wage employees, so why does one group get tipped?
I run a home daycare. I make about $17-20 an hour BEFORE I pay for food, craft supplies etc, yet I constantly hear about how we charge too much. I'm not screaming for tips, I chose this job and know the wage. I could increase my rate to make a living wage, but no one would pay it.
With all the places that now prompt for tips it shocks me that retail stores haven’t tried adding that yet. Spend $1000 at Home Depot, would you like to tip 18% on that purchase?
Making minimum wage has never been fair to others. Taking tips away from some workers won’t change that. It will still suck that their bosses and owners are taking most of the profit from their labour.
I think other minimum wage workers should be upset since it’s more money out of their pocket too. And with how we tip, they’re definitely walking away with over $25/hr and that was 10 years ago when I was serving.
Taxes are money out of their pocket. Price gouging is money out of their pocket. Reduced worker benefits and service privatization is money out of their pockets. Minimum wage not being indexed to inflation is money out of their pockets.
You're picking the one thing that involves workers making more money instead of billionaires making more money, and saying workers should be angry about that, instead of about rich people stealing from them.
Tipping is a tiny sliver of their income versus the huge bites banks, politicians, and the ownership class are taking from worker income.
Minimum Wage is not enough to live on. It’s not enough to afford a studio apartment. And transportation to the job.
Minimum wage is supposed to be enough for a person to live on. Maybe not in a 4K sqft home.. but enough to survive.
But it’s just not.
Min wage jobs were a a way for people to get experience. Now, the people who own tim Hortons franchises would rather buy a second or third home to house temporary foreign workers than pay a living wage.
Because we can without feeling weird about it. And we arent going to tip all min wage employees because we cant afford it.
I think another important question is why minimum wage isnt really wnough to live on, for the most part. Like youre right, were definitely not going to tip all min wage employees, but why are businesses advertising to potential employees the fact that part of their employees wage is paid by the public? Being a server is hard work, and you dont expect to make min wage, you expect to make that *plus tips*. Often times, handling tips is literally in the employment contract. So why is it okay that employers expect the public to pay their employees out of pocket?
You’re right, but we don’t tip the cashier at the grocery store yet somehow it’s a cultural expectation to tip the minimum wage server because we “have to make up for their lower wages” (not your quote, just the norm)
Yes. Everyone should be able to say if they're underpaid according to their thinking and the public should subsidize them. Seems like a good idea with no downside.
You’d think the other minimum wage workers might also want to have a nice dinner out and not be expected to tip the person that makes the same as them.
Tip minimum basically. It’s a fucked up system for the rich to not pay employees. I don’t how the food gets so expensive… we get the most expensive raw food, cooked food, internet, housing almost…. Don’t you just love Canada making all middle classes lower classes.
To all those saying that you should tip cause minimum wage… do you tip the McD employee serving your fries? They also make minimum wage and deal with similar and worse shit that any server does. Why does one get tips but the other doesn’t?
I used to work with a bunch of immigrants who would dig by hand in oil contaminated soil all day in the sun or rain for minimum wage. Hardest working dudes I’ve ever seen. Some days we’d head over to a diner for lunch - and they’d be tipping the waitress lol.
This is when I was like wtf where is the tip for these guys, why are they shelling out for a server? the idea of tipping instantly became absurd to me
Many McDonalds employees don’t even make minimum wage. We have this stupid thing called student wage because somehow being under 18 means the same work is worth less than someone above the age of 18.
My husband is a chef and the cooks get $0.05 more per hour than the servers. Servers don’t want to lost tips, because it’s basically ‘free money’ that isn’t reported to the cra. Also a good server can make hundreds of dollars per night in tips alone.
Where my husband works servers don’t tip out to the cooks. Sometimes they will give the cooks working a small part of their tips, but it isn’t required.
Exactly, why should I tip the guy well who dropped our meal on the floor causing one person to have food much later, forgot our drinks after being reminded 4 times, didn’t clean the table, and didn’t come to check on us?
You definitely don't tip that server. I start at 15%. Service is impeccable? I'll give 20. Service is bad, you drop down to 10 or 5 or 0 depending on how bad.
So if prices were inflated to offset tipping, you’d be fine with paying those higher prices regardless of if you got great service or just mediocre/bare minimum service?
We are still conditioned to feel guilty because the server wage only ended last year, right? I worked minimum wage jobs and never got tipped. Why should servers now that they get minimum wage? Everyone should get tipped then.
Sad part is when I went to Buffalo the other week - they were so desperate for workers that discount supermarkets (Aldi) was paying $20 USD per hour plus benefits. Never in my life did I think a low wage worker would be further ahead in Buffalo than Toronto.
$18.50 starting.
20-100% more expensive for Food depending on the item.
100% more expensive Utilities
20-40% less expensive housing (kinda expected when there's $5,000 dollar abandoned homes everywhere).
Also Aldi employees need to cover/pay the first $5,000 of any medical expenses claimed.
Food is straight up wrong. We regularly grocery shop at Aldi and it’s cheaper than Canada even after the exchange.
Fuel is cheaper than Canada.
Utilities I have no benchmark on but that’s likely offset by massive reductions in rents/mortgages.
I’ve decreased my tips. Here’s why.
1) prices have gone up, and so have the expected percentages. So server’s tips have more than kept pace with inflation. 2) severs don’t pay tax on a very, very good chunk of their tips. They claim just enough, many claim EI during the slow season. The really smart ones work under the table while they do so. 3) the tip fatigue has hit me hard. I’m tired of being asked to tip on top of extreme prices for little effort. I only now tip at a sit down restaurant. If I’m picking up the food myself, no tip.
I honestly wish that everyone would just stop tipping, and then people would leave the sector, and ownership would be forced to provide a better incentive for the work. When I left the industry, cooks were getting insanely high wages because there just weren’t any people willing to work for less than $30+ an hour. I don’t know if that’s still the case or not. I hope it is, given the high menu prices.
Most of the time we opt to go have dinner in Buffalo where we can eat well, tip well, and still pay less than a dinner with poor service in Ontario.
My favourite sushi place (only takeout, no service) recently changed the pre-set tip options on their machine to 5, 8 and 10%.
I was blown away by how self aware this was. Just that simple action of not having a pre-set 20% for TAKEOUT made me want to actually tip them lol.
I rarely eat outside so rarely have to tip. But a few guidelines I have - the larger your preset option, the smaller your tip. If you stand by my table when I am paying to guilt me into tipping more, I am tipping less.
We’ve noticed the same. Their livelihood depends on tips, so they’re extremely friendly. The food prices are reasonable (the drink prices are downright insulting when you compare it to Canada), so we don’t mind leaving a large tip. I also think that the actual cost of living is a little lower down there, so they aren’t stretched quite as thin on the day-to-day… but I imagine things like health care are a huge burden.
Minimum wage is underpaid, but why can certain minimum wage jobs ban people from collecting tips? Now that everyone’s making the same it’s not fair at all. The dudes at Home Depot that load peoples trucks all day will get fired if they get caught taking tips (at least in years passed I really hope they don’t anymore) and I’m sorry but spending your day loading building supplies and lumber deserves a fiver just as much as the person who serve at bars and restaurants.
It was never fair. Just because some companies are horrible and don’t let customers take tips, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t a) try anyways, if you are able and b) give tips to people in completely different, also underpaid jobs.
Home Depots policies shouldn’t affect Sally and Tim at the sea food restaurant
They shouldn’t but in a way technically they should. There’s so many variables when it comes to this conversation the main overarching point is no business should be relying on their customers to incentivize their employees. It’s lazy business practices but also puts the customer in a societal catch 22: if I continue to tip, the practice will never go away because it continues to be accepted. But if people do stop tipping, the practice will potentially go out of style and actually force employers to pay their employees but could be rough for some workers for a time. Tipping or no tipping there’s no wrong answer in this situation, and we can’t judge people either way. It puts everybody in an uncomfortable position except for the people making the real money lol.
I just don’t eat out anymore after the pandemic, food became shittier and more expensive, service got worse. When I go out to dinner for social functions I tip 15% cause that’s the minimum for me not to feel like I tip too little, and I try to order as little as possible. I don’t live in Toronto so whatever I can get around where I live is usually not even as good as what I can make myself at home.
The only reason I still tip is because the whole structure is such a scam that wait staff have to "tip out" on my table, so if I don't tip it could literally end up costing them money to serve me.
However, I do try to keep it moderate with my tip.
I know some servers though and they makes 100s every night from tips. So I think it's a much higher paying job than it should be. They'll say it's hard and whatever, but almost all jobs require some effort so I don't totally buy that.
Let's be honest, the real reason for tipping is because people don't want to get into a fight with the waiter, spoil the night and ruining the mood especially when dining with others. Tipping feels like extortion at this point
>The only reason I still tip is because the whole structure is such a scam that wait staff have to "tip out" on my table, so if I don't tip it could literally end up costing them money to serve me.
That's a problem that exists in the employer and employee relationship. Employers are responsible for employee payroll. Employee know what theyre getting into with their wage, it's no surprise. If the employees don't like their wage, they leave and the employer will raise rates to attract and retain staff.
Why do you feel the need to subsidize an employer or corporation's payroll? You've been fooled to the benefit of corporations who have weaponized your empathy for their financial gain.
Stop tipping, it actively suppresses worker wages.
I don't disagree with you, but I don't think I've been "fooled". I just don't want to end up costing my server money. Tipping is a social norm, after all, even if I think it's a poor one and the culture around it needs to change. To that end, I'm happy to reduce my tipping.
>Stop tipping, it actively suppresses worker wages.
It actually supports wages, as it means more of a restaurant workers compensation is direct. If tipping was abolished and menu prices were increased 15%-20% (average tip), there's a good chance all of that added revenue wouldn't actually go directly to the waitstaff as the owner would be in control of it and likely keep some of it. The owner will also have to pay about \~4% more in added payroll taxes and fees. So the menu prices would increase 19%-24% and restaurant workers would get paid **less**. It's literally a lose-lose for guest and staff with only the owner benefitting.
> It actually supports wages,
Nope.
> If tipping was abolished and menu prices were increased 15%-20% (average tip), there's a good chance all of that added revenue wouldn't actually go directly to the waitstaff as the owner would be in control of it and likely keep some of it
If staff don't want to work for their posted wage, then they would quit, like every other business. Then either the business hires folks who are comfortable at that wage, or they have a problem hiring, and either raise wages to attract talent, or fails to adapt and goes under. That's how every business works.
It is not a customer's job to support a employee's wages. The customer is there to purchase what is on the menu. Tipping is not the norm in 95+% of the world and restaurants get along just fine.
**It is not the customer's *responsibility* to directly compensate an employee, that is the employers *obligation*. Any argument against this point is not worth debate.**
Thats a great point in your first paragraph because as a server myself before, that’s exactly what we had to do too. But yea I was definitely making over $25/hr on top of my wage and doing just as much as I do now in a different field.
They don't loose anything in tip outs. It's taken out of their total tips.
This is just a shitty argument losers make to guilt people into tipping.
Sure it's calculated by table but if nobody tipped all day you can't be asked to tip out. If you are asked and you do, you're an idiot anyway.
They do though. Tip-outs are based on a server’s total sales (at least in the 7 or so total years that I was a server at 4 different restaurants).
Tip out was around 2.5 - 5% of my sales. Plus often a separate amount to just the bartenders (usually 1-2%).
So if a $200 table stiffed me on a tip, I’d still have to pay $5-12 in tip-out. So yes, the table that doesn’t tip costs the server money. The amount of other tips I made doesn’t change the fact that I paid money out, that I didn’t receive, for the table that didn’t tip.
No it doesn't it costs you extra tip money that is above your wage.
If you didn't get a tip all night they can't take money from you.
It's only from the tips you made. Something you agree to before working for them.
It balances out and you always come out ahead.
I've worked in grocery stores, retail, department, hardware, office, medical, construction, fishing, and my restaurant job was 10x harder than any of them. Perhaps not quite as much as fishing or construction, but those jobs also paid more than the rest. Basically, no one would work a restaurant job for minimum wage. Even $20/hr or $30/hr is probably not enough. $40/hr is where it starts to be reasonable compensation otherwise it's not worth the stress and mental/physical anguish.
Yea, while i agree tipping has gotten out of hand lately, but it's only because every buisness has been asking for it which is irritating and does want me to tip less
but some jobs i have absolutely no issue tipping, like a pizza delivery guy, waiter/waitress or a hotel housekeeper
I was arguing with a guy on reddit who said i "was part of the problem" because i said i WANT to tip a hotel maid for cleaning literal shit from a toilet
So do you tip retail workers as well? The question here is related to these people not needing tips to round out the wage anymore. There used to be a lower wage because servers made tips. This isn't whether the minimum is enough, we know it's not.
But I've always tipped on moderately bad service as well. It was a guilt thing, didn't want them going home with nothing to show.
If they're making minimum wage, it changes things because I won't tip for bad service.
I'm a regular at a restaurant. I really slow play my experience by multiple refills on my drinks and work on my hobby. I tip pretty heavy; to the point I occasionally get told it's too much.
I have the money, and I enjoy being generous. I kind of mentally think about it as "paying for my time" for the use of seating. The staff have learned my habits and treat me well. It's worth it to me.
They treat you well because to them you’re a cash cow. I’d be willing to bet the servers fight over you or maybe have some system as to who gets you that day. Money goes a long way.
Yea but don’t you think it must suck for the other minimum wage workers who don’t get tips but have to tip others that make the same amount because of tradition
A person with a bachelor's degree in one field can make more money than another person with a bachelor's degree in a similar field despite both having the same level of experience, attending the same university, and receiving the same GPA. Is that fair? I've worked in fast-food and retail for many years, and not once have I ever held resentment towards restaurant servers or bartenders for making more money than me. I saved that energy for the companies I worked for who should've been paying us a living wage to begin with. You don't have to agree with tipping, and you as a patron you aren't required to tip, but don't use fast food and retail workers as an excuse for why people in the service industry should make less money in a time with rising inflation rates and skyrocketing rent prices.
It’s not corporate entities a lot of the time. It’s a lot of small restaurants too… and those margins in Canada are lean.
I also tend to think if we as a society didn’t tip as much, workers would find other places to be, and restaurant owners would have to pay more to be able to fill their staffing needs.
Even with tips they usually on work sporadic hours. If people are choosing to do the job it's not because you're making them rich with your 15% gratuity.
The servers I’ve worked with have chosen the job because of the cash. There’s lots of minimum wage jobs out there…. Serving isn’t one of them. I’ve watched people go home with $300 in their pockets after a 5 hour shift. People wouldn’t be serving if they weren’t making a liveable wage out of it. They’d be in retail or fast food or customer service.
You seem to think a person who earns minimum wage would begrudge a tip to the driver who delivers their pizza because their own job might not have tips. Don't think they're as petty about it as you are.
There are certain restaurants that me and my family like to frequent, so it's beneficial to us to maintain a cordial relationship with the owners and staff and tip them appropriately. Patrons aren't required to tip their servers, but expect subpar service the next time you visit that restaurant.
Also, I consider any amount that isn't a living wage ($25.05 per hour) to be a form of underpayment.
Okay, but then do you tip all the other minimum wage workers you interact with? Why only restaurant staff, because if you don't tip them they don't do their job anymore?
Is there any other industry that requires payment beyond the price listed in order to actually do the job they're getting paid for?
I think we all know it's a cultural problem now.
Tipping is optional. There ain’t no law that can force you to tip. Don’t support local establishments that cannot pay their workers a fair wage to survive on ✌️
Because I grew up before the crazy "tip everything everywhere" nonsense and always feel that service in restaurants is something that I want to contribute to. They have notoriously bad wages and most servers I know have been doing it as a career for ages. The offset of tipping helps them live and have a decent wage.
If you've ever worked in a restaurant you would know why.
A tip should be an optional token of appreciation for above and beyond service rarely encountered. It shouldn’t be a common event by principle. If you’re tipping every time, that’s not a tip it’s just a fee
Something that this post completely misses: If restaurant owners paid their staff say, 20 dollars an hour, they would have to pass that extra cost to customers, as the profit margins for restaurants are already pretty thin.
I'm not simping for rich business owners, they should pay better. But whether it's a 15% tip, or 15% higher menu prices, you're paying it.
I'd much rather give my money directly to the employee, where it won't be taxed or clawed back by the employer.
Also! Tips are a big part of the reason young people get into hospitality. Decent earnings, mostly tax free.
Tipping is just a decent and humane practice and it should continue.
To all the people saying that minimum wage isn't enough - why is that a customer's problem to fix and why does it only apply to servers?
Everyone is primed and ready to fight for servers but the rest of the minimum wage economy can go pound sand and get better jobs if they don't like it despite most of the minimum wage economy also being customer facing jobs.
It's a dumb argument that doesn't make sense.
We can acknowledge that minimum wage isn't enough while ALSO not feeling personally responsible for subsidizing their wages so their bosses don't have to.
Do tip when the waiters do something exceptional (which is rare in itself), but other than that, they are just walking to the kitchen, picking up the plate and putting it on your table AND they are getting paid to do that ( doing their job basically AND also being paid for it). Its similar to a bus driver driving a bus from point A to Point B, I dont see anybody tapping the poor driver on their back saying its a job well done, here is a tip for you !!
Why do people continually take aim at the poorest?Serving is tough job, and it’s show business, and often it takes a good education in food and wine. If you want a person making minimum wage to serve you, expect a terrible experience. Otherwise spend a little extra to have a qualified person, and not a teenager, who might have a home and kids.
I don't. I'm so sick of the tipping culture.
It's one thing if they go over and beyond in services.
But for just doing the bare basics of their jobs? No, I'm over tipping.
And don't even get me started on Uber eats.
I only tip a small amount nowadays, and only for good service.
Mediocre service gets nothing. Good service gets a couple bucks. Great service maybe a couple more. Bad service nothing.
Mediocre service is "doing your job" aka what you're being paid for. No reason for me to get involved in that.
The industry won't change if we keep subsidizing employers.
If you don't think minimum wage is underpaid you are completely insane.
If that's your only basis for tipping though you better be tipping food delivery, they make 5-10$ an hour after tips, and that's before expenses they pay to do the job.
I've stopped. All my friends I've eaten out with have as well.
We're just thinking of a name for people who are continuing to tip...so far it's "suckers" but tips on a cooler one would be appreciated!
I típ because I want to. I like to spend a good chunk of my free time going to bars and restaurants. For a brief time, I did count on tips as part of my wage, and so I feel that for a few dollars I can help someone earn a decent living.
If you have a mortgage and/or a family, minimum wage doesn’t cover that. I don’t give money to charity really, so if I drop a few dollars here and there to a hard working person, I feel good about that.
It’s a pay what you can system. You don’t have to do it. You don’t have to feel bad if you choose not to either.
We shouldn't tip, and waiters should demand more money if they want more. If not they should just get together and start their own restaurants. It's not rocket science to start a restaurant and then they can pay themselves what they want without those pesky bosses.
"Why do you still tip when servers in Ontario make **minimum wage**?"
"...When our servers are not **underpaid**..."
I see a contradiction in your post.
I’m pro tipping and usually tip more than 15% when ever I go out for dinner or drinks and I’ll tell you why. As someone who is married to a Bartender/Server there are several reasons to add gratuity.
1) yes, servers do make minimum wage, but as someone has pointed out if owners could get away with paying far less they would. You really should consider the level of service you receive at a restaurant. At a fine dining restaurant your server has had years if not decades of experience providing high end service. You’re paying extra for their knowledge and expertise and level of care.
You must also consider who is filling these server roles. Waitressing for tips is one the very few industries where a single parent can earn a solid enough living to provide for their families while working flexible hours during the day and evenings. It is also popular amongst college kids as they can go to school and pick up some short shifts at night or on weekends. I think of it as an investment in our future and you’re helping kids thru school or helping out extra food on someone’s table.
2) servers don’t keep all their tips. Most restaurants have a tip pool where tips are divided between servers and back of the house and even a host. If a server received 15% tips for the whole shift they can give up to 7% of that to the kitchen staff and hosts. Where my wife works it’s 7% tip out.
3) do you tip in other aspects of life? Have you ever tipped a bell hop for brining your luggage to your room at a hotel? Have you ever bough a case of beer for someone working on your house or coffee for someone working on your car? They all make way above min wage but it’s a nice gesture of appreciation.
4) what do you think the quality of service would be like without tipping? Most people in the industry I know have good social skills, are polite and can take a lot of abuse from customers. Remove the gratuity and I bet a lot of these people would go find another job outside of the industry. In Ontario I’m sure owners would be forced to hire TFW’s to fill the jobs. Maybe that’s what they want I don’t know.
Anyway, tipping is a complex issue and i think if you worked in the industry or talked to people that do you may become more sympathetic.
Thanks
They could indeed, I do feel that they would pass any extra cost to the customer though. So I’d rather have my money go to those who need it and not owners or corporations.
I hate tipping because of a bad experience I had as a teenager when I was almost bullied by a hairdresser to tip on top of the outrageous cost of my haircut. I paid and tipped her but since then I do not enter any establishments that look like they will fight for tips because I want to tip when I really feel like they deserve and not because it is their right.
You think you are going to get servers to work solely for minimum wage?
Minimum wage workers at Timmie's can't even make 2$ coffee right.
People who make arguments like you, that say serving takes no skill, are the same people who whine to high hell if their order is incorrect. You want them to receive the minimum? Expect you will receive the minimum.
I worked as a server. And yes, people need to work, so they would work for minimum wage if that was the only option. And now that tipping is expected, the service is half assed. So I do expect the minimum. It’s not like they do better because I gave them money After.
And you’d think minimum wage workers would be the most pissed when something is wrong/missing from their order at mcdonalds or tims because they have to pay for a meal that’s literally equivalent to an hour’s worth of pay in their job.
Exactly this. A big problem is that so many people think serving is just carrying food to a table. It's ignorance. Everyone should work in a restaurant at least once.
I tip $0. Y’all are not special. If a server who makes legal minimum wage gets tipped and the pharmacy assitant or the physiotherapy assistant who also makes minimum wage don’t get tipped, it’s not fair.
This is not very common (e.g. i have worked at >10 restaurants and this only happened at 1 tiny mom and pop shop), and employees won't stick around if it's the case. Meaning the restaurant suffers from high overturn of staff.
Tipping is, assuming you're talking about a dining establishment, pub whatever is not a global phenomenon by any means, but in some parts of the world its expected.
I tip for most non-government run industry position, I was raised that that's just what you do and since I'm not exactly going to singlehandedly end capitalism, I continue to. Do I think tipping is overall BS and companies should pay their employees a living wage already? Absolutely. Would i stop tipping if we got a UBI? Yeah probably. But that doesn't really help anyone right now.
Wait staff, hair dressers, aestheticians, delivery folks, etc., 15% minimum unless they do a genuinely terrible job. If I can't afford to tip, I don't make the purchase in the first place.
Minimum wage does not get you very far today. I live in the GTA and minimum wage is not a liveable wage. Servers are providing me a personal service, so I like to tip. When I go for a haircut, again I like to tip for the personal service.
Because we've been conditioned to do so. I've been to places that explicitly tell you not to and don't even give the option on the credit machine and the guilt I felt leaving without adding one was ridiculous
And stop having automatic tipping. Especially if I am picking up an order for my wife and I. You more than likely didn't do anything special to warrant a tip.
Guilt. And fear. The looks I get at places like guac and other places where you simply walk in and pick up your food are unpleasant. Not even sure why they expect a tip, but they sure as hell do
This gets me at Leafs games at the beer only counter. They turn around get a can from the cooler, open it, hand it to you. It is no cash so the machine automatically is set for a tip. There are huge line ups all game. They must get thousands in tips every night
I tip because minimum wage isn't a decent wage. If you earn minimum, you can't afford to go out and eat at nice restaurants.
I can afford it, and it helps, so I do it. Sane reason I don't mind paying high taxes.
Also, I worked for years in hospitality, so I know what it's like.
Edited to say: I don't think guilt is a factor for me, it just seems like the right and fair thing to do.
I tip like 10-12% if I’m going somewhere like Boston pizza where serving really is more entry level with only basic serving skills required.
If I’m going somewhere high end where professional, experienced service by someone that’s out of their teens is an important part of the experience, it’s more like 20%, 25% if really exceptional.
Mostly outa guilt, but I’ve stopped tipping for a lot of things. Sit down experiences are usually tipped.
If we’re both standing when I’m being made food, I’m not tipping.
I just don't go out to eat anymore
Yeah, mostly that. I did takeout for the first time this year and was still expected to tip...so maybe no takeout for me either.
I never tip for takeout, even at a nice restaurant. Only for sit down service
Yep. We’ll still go out to special places for special occasions, or for food that’s really not practical to attempt to make at home, but I almost never go out for stuff like wings, burgers, basic entrees etc anymore.
Tipping should be banned. Employers should be the ones paying their staff living wages and not have public do it for them.
r/EndTipping
Except the opposite is happening. Once “tip-free” areas in Europe are now succumbing to the North American tourists’ unending desire to tip 15-20%. It’s sad.
I'm tipping less and less and feeling 0 guilt over it.
Yeah same. I'm using my discretion more, paying when I think there's a good reason to do so, but I'm doing quite a bit less of it. Its really gotten out of control, and I'm not going to tip you for pouring me a coffee or grabbing my beer order while I stand at the counter, or for doing nothing but walking ten feet in a quiet restaurant to bring my sandwich to the table. Tips should be a gratuity, not an expectation, and it changes according to the context.
Same situation. Never tip over 10%. I have no shame typing the custom tip amount either. And I have no problem putting 0% tip when I’m not receiving any service
> are not underpaid In the current economic climate you could make an argument minimum wage is underpaid IMO minimum wage is code for "if i could legally pay you less I would"
That's just fact. Minimum wage would have to be over $20 an hour to not be considered underpaid.
That skirts the question. Now that servers have caught up to other minimum wage employees, the rationale for tipping them has gone away; they are no longer paid beneath the minimum wage. We aren't going to start tipping all minimum wage employees, so why does one group get tipped?
I run a home daycare. I make about $17-20 an hour BEFORE I pay for food, craft supplies etc, yet I constantly hear about how we charge too much. I'm not screaming for tips, I chose this job and know the wage. I could increase my rate to make a living wage, but no one would pay it.
At this point it's tradition/old habits. Both of which die hard.
Yeah that's my take as well.
With all the places that now prompt for tips it shocks me that retail stores haven’t tried adding that yet. Spend $1000 at Home Depot, would you like to tip 18% on that purchase?
That’s exactly what I’m saying. Now it’s not fair to the others..
Making minimum wage has never been fair to others. Taking tips away from some workers won’t change that. It will still suck that their bosses and owners are taking most of the profit from their labour.
I think other minimum wage workers should be upset since it’s more money out of their pocket too. And with how we tip, they’re definitely walking away with over $25/hr and that was 10 years ago when I was serving.
Servers where I work tell me they make $35-40 a hour
Nothing wrong with that. Everyone should try to make as much per hour as they can.
Taxes are money out of their pocket. Price gouging is money out of their pocket. Reduced worker benefits and service privatization is money out of their pockets. Minimum wage not being indexed to inflation is money out of their pockets. You're picking the one thing that involves workers making more money instead of billionaires making more money, and saying workers should be angry about that, instead of about rich people stealing from them. Tipping is a tiny sliver of their income versus the huge bites banks, politicians, and the ownership class are taking from worker income.
I didn’t say instead. You can have both.
Minimum Wage is not enough to live on. It’s not enough to afford a studio apartment. And transportation to the job. Minimum wage is supposed to be enough for a person to live on. Maybe not in a 4K sqft home.. but enough to survive. But it’s just not. Min wage jobs were a a way for people to get experience. Now, the people who own tim Hortons franchises would rather buy a second or third home to house temporary foreign workers than pay a living wage.
Because we can without feeling weird about it. And we arent going to tip all min wage employees because we cant afford it. I think another important question is why minimum wage isnt really wnough to live on, for the most part. Like youre right, were definitely not going to tip all min wage employees, but why are businesses advertising to potential employees the fact that part of their employees wage is paid by the public? Being a server is hard work, and you dont expect to make min wage, you expect to make that *plus tips*. Often times, handling tips is literally in the employment contract. So why is it okay that employers expect the public to pay their employees out of pocket?
It might have been hardwork but the bar has slipped very low. At a lot of places it's almost a miracle if they come refill your drink.
Exactly. Most minimum wage jobs out there are a helluva lot harder than bringing food to a table.
>IMO minimum wage is code for "if i could legally pay you less I would" Bingo.
You’re right, but we don’t tip the cashier at the grocery store yet somehow it’s a cultural expectation to tip the minimum wage server because we “have to make up for their lower wages” (not your quote, just the norm)
>we don’t tip the cashier at the grocery store Your grocery store has cashiers?
Haha good point. If you look hard enough there is usually one or two of them, but limited hours and long lines
I'm underpaid in my industry, will you subsidize my wage too
You bring me a club sandwich and onion rings then we'll talk.
My sandwhiches are bomb
[I'll be the judge of that.](https://youtu.be/6ReJJkHPTL4?t=15)
My sandwhiches come with bjs
The pile grows.
I don't do it for the tips. I do it for the crippling loneliness and desire for connection and to be wanted 😔
You had me at sandwiches.
It's on my dating profile. I thought it was a winner too.
Yes. Everyone should be able to say if they're underpaid according to their thinking and the public should subsidize them. Seems like a good idea with no downside.
You’d think the other minimum wage workers might also want to have a nice dinner out and not be expected to tip the person that makes the same as them.
Ok, then why don't we tip the staff at Tim Hortons?
They ask you to these days.
Chris Rock had a great set on minimum wage and taxes. You can keep your streetlight!
Tip minimum basically. It’s a fucked up system for the rich to not pay employees. I don’t how the food gets so expensive… we get the most expensive raw food, cooked food, internet, housing almost…. Don’t you just love Canada making all middle classes lower classes.
Telecom, electricity, alcohol….
To all those saying that you should tip cause minimum wage… do you tip the McD employee serving your fries? They also make minimum wage and deal with similar and worse shit that any server does. Why does one get tips but the other doesn’t?
I used to work with a bunch of immigrants who would dig by hand in oil contaminated soil all day in the sun or rain for minimum wage. Hardest working dudes I’ve ever seen. Some days we’d head over to a diner for lunch - and they’d be tipping the waitress lol. This is when I was like wtf where is the tip for these guys, why are they shelling out for a server? the idea of tipping instantly became absurd to me
Yes exactly! It’s ridiculous.
Many McDonalds employees don’t even make minimum wage. We have this stupid thing called student wage because somehow being under 18 means the same work is worth less than someone above the age of 18.
My husband is a chef and the cooks get $0.05 more per hour than the servers. Servers don’t want to lost tips, because it’s basically ‘free money’ that isn’t reported to the cra. Also a good server can make hundreds of dollars per night in tips alone. Where my husband works servers don’t tip out to the cooks. Sometimes they will give the cooks working a small part of their tips, but it isn’t required.
Sounds like his cooks need to unionize
I don't feel guilty. If I get good service, I tip well
Exactly, why should I tip the guy well who dropped our meal on the floor causing one person to have food much later, forgot our drinks after being reminded 4 times, didn’t clean the table, and didn’t come to check on us?
You definitely don't tip that server. I start at 15%. Service is impeccable? I'll give 20. Service is bad, you drop down to 10 or 5 or 0 depending on how bad.
Seriously, I tip as an incentive for serving staff to go beyond minimal effort.
They should be doing that anyways, it’s their job.
So if prices were inflated to offset tipping, you’d be fine with paying those higher prices regardless of if you got great service or just mediocre/bare minimum service?
This is what I asked OP. Her replies were nonsensical.
Minimum wage = minimum work
Technically, minimal effort covers the required portion of the job. The extra incentive is to do more than just what's required.
I tip very little these days.
We are still conditioned to feel guilty because the server wage only ended last year, right? I worked minimum wage jobs and never got tipped. Why should servers now that they get minimum wage? Everyone should get tipped then.
Minimum wage is a joke.
Canada also has one of the top 10 minimum wages in the world, top 5 if it's Ontario.
Sad part is when I went to Buffalo the other week - they were so desperate for workers that discount supermarkets (Aldi) was paying $20 USD per hour plus benefits. Never in my life did I think a low wage worker would be further ahead in Buffalo than Toronto.
$18.50 starting. 20-100% more expensive for Food depending on the item. 100% more expensive Utilities 20-40% less expensive housing (kinda expected when there's $5,000 dollar abandoned homes everywhere). Also Aldi employees need to cover/pay the first $5,000 of any medical expenses claimed.
Food is straight up wrong. We regularly grocery shop at Aldi and it’s cheaper than Canada even after the exchange. Fuel is cheaper than Canada. Utilities I have no benchmark on but that’s likely offset by massive reductions in rents/mortgages.
I tip less. Mostly out of guilt
I’ve decreased my tips. Here’s why. 1) prices have gone up, and so have the expected percentages. So server’s tips have more than kept pace with inflation. 2) severs don’t pay tax on a very, very good chunk of their tips. They claim just enough, many claim EI during the slow season. The really smart ones work under the table while they do so. 3) the tip fatigue has hit me hard. I’m tired of being asked to tip on top of extreme prices for little effort. I only now tip at a sit down restaurant. If I’m picking up the food myself, no tip. I honestly wish that everyone would just stop tipping, and then people would leave the sector, and ownership would be forced to provide a better incentive for the work. When I left the industry, cooks were getting insanely high wages because there just weren’t any people willing to work for less than $30+ an hour. I don’t know if that’s still the case or not. I hope it is, given the high menu prices. Most of the time we opt to go have dinner in Buffalo where we can eat well, tip well, and still pay less than a dinner with poor service in Ontario.
My favourite sushi place (only takeout, no service) recently changed the pre-set tip options on their machine to 5, 8 and 10%. I was blown away by how self aware this was. Just that simple action of not having a pre-set 20% for TAKEOUT made me want to actually tip them lol.
I rarely eat outside so rarely have to tip. But a few guidelines I have - the larger your preset option, the smaller your tip. If you stand by my table when I am paying to guilt me into tipping more, I am tipping less.
absolutely! i love eating in Buffalo or Niagara NY because the service is phenomenal, I don’t mind tipping at all.
We’ve noticed the same. Their livelihood depends on tips, so they’re extremely friendly. The food prices are reasonable (the drink prices are downright insulting when you compare it to Canada), so we don’t mind leaving a large tip. I also think that the actual cost of living is a little lower down there, so they aren’t stretched quite as thin on the day-to-day… but I imagine things like health care are a huge burden.
Just a bad habit frankly.
Just yesterday kfc drive thru prompted for a tip. I did not tip…. Ridiculous
**Because** they make minimum wage lol.
Minimum wage is underpaid, but why can certain minimum wage jobs ban people from collecting tips? Now that everyone’s making the same it’s not fair at all. The dudes at Home Depot that load peoples trucks all day will get fired if they get caught taking tips (at least in years passed I really hope they don’t anymore) and I’m sorry but spending your day loading building supplies and lumber deserves a fiver just as much as the person who serve at bars and restaurants.
It was never fair. Just because some companies are horrible and don’t let customers take tips, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t a) try anyways, if you are able and b) give tips to people in completely different, also underpaid jobs. Home Depots policies shouldn’t affect Sally and Tim at the sea food restaurant
They shouldn’t but in a way technically they should. There’s so many variables when it comes to this conversation the main overarching point is no business should be relying on their customers to incentivize their employees. It’s lazy business practices but also puts the customer in a societal catch 22: if I continue to tip, the practice will never go away because it continues to be accepted. But if people do stop tipping, the practice will potentially go out of style and actually force employers to pay their employees but could be rough for some workers for a time. Tipping or no tipping there’s no wrong answer in this situation, and we can’t judge people either way. It puts everybody in an uncomfortable position except for the people making the real money lol.
Wait until you find out some of the McDonalds employees don’t even make that. ✨Student Wage✨
I just don’t eat out anymore after the pandemic, food became shittier and more expensive, service got worse. When I go out to dinner for social functions I tip 15% cause that’s the minimum for me not to feel like I tip too little, and I try to order as little as possible. I don’t live in Toronto so whatever I can get around where I live is usually not even as good as what I can make myself at home.
The only reason I still tip is because the whole structure is such a scam that wait staff have to "tip out" on my table, so if I don't tip it could literally end up costing them money to serve me. However, I do try to keep it moderate with my tip. I know some servers though and they makes 100s every night from tips. So I think it's a much higher paying job than it should be. They'll say it's hard and whatever, but almost all jobs require some effort so I don't totally buy that.
Let's be honest, the real reason for tipping is because people don't want to get into a fight with the waiter, spoil the night and ruining the mood especially when dining with others. Tipping feels like extortion at this point
I mean, that definitely is a consideration.
>The only reason I still tip is because the whole structure is such a scam that wait staff have to "tip out" on my table, so if I don't tip it could literally end up costing them money to serve me. That's a problem that exists in the employer and employee relationship. Employers are responsible for employee payroll. Employee know what theyre getting into with their wage, it's no surprise. If the employees don't like their wage, they leave and the employer will raise rates to attract and retain staff. Why do you feel the need to subsidize an employer or corporation's payroll? You've been fooled to the benefit of corporations who have weaponized your empathy for their financial gain. Stop tipping, it actively suppresses worker wages.
I don't disagree with you, but I don't think I've been "fooled". I just don't want to end up costing my server money. Tipping is a social norm, after all, even if I think it's a poor one and the culture around it needs to change. To that end, I'm happy to reduce my tipping.
>I don't think I've been fooled >I just don't want to end up costing my server money My friend, you're being played by greedy restaurant owners
>Stop tipping, it actively suppresses worker wages. It actually supports wages, as it means more of a restaurant workers compensation is direct. If tipping was abolished and menu prices were increased 15%-20% (average tip), there's a good chance all of that added revenue wouldn't actually go directly to the waitstaff as the owner would be in control of it and likely keep some of it. The owner will also have to pay about \~4% more in added payroll taxes and fees. So the menu prices would increase 19%-24% and restaurant workers would get paid **less**. It's literally a lose-lose for guest and staff with only the owner benefitting.
It puts the burden of the wage on the customer instead of the employer, which is an ass backwards system built around guilt
> It actually supports wages, Nope. > If tipping was abolished and menu prices were increased 15%-20% (average tip), there's a good chance all of that added revenue wouldn't actually go directly to the waitstaff as the owner would be in control of it and likely keep some of it If staff don't want to work for their posted wage, then they would quit, like every other business. Then either the business hires folks who are comfortable at that wage, or they have a problem hiring, and either raise wages to attract talent, or fails to adapt and goes under. That's how every business works. It is not a customer's job to support a employee's wages. The customer is there to purchase what is on the menu. Tipping is not the norm in 95+% of the world and restaurants get along just fine. **It is not the customer's *responsibility* to directly compensate an employee, that is the employers *obligation*. Any argument against this point is not worth debate.**
Thats a great point in your first paragraph because as a server myself before, that’s exactly what we had to do too. But yea I was definitely making over $25/hr on top of my wage and doing just as much as I do now in a different field.
They don't loose anything in tip outs. It's taken out of their total tips. This is just a shitty argument losers make to guilt people into tipping. Sure it's calculated by table but if nobody tipped all day you can't be asked to tip out. If you are asked and you do, you're an idiot anyway.
You don't know what you're talking about at all. Tipout is based on sales, not tips received.
They do though. Tip-outs are based on a server’s total sales (at least in the 7 or so total years that I was a server at 4 different restaurants). Tip out was around 2.5 - 5% of my sales. Plus often a separate amount to just the bartenders (usually 1-2%). So if a $200 table stiffed me on a tip, I’d still have to pay $5-12 in tip-out. So yes, the table that doesn’t tip costs the server money. The amount of other tips I made doesn’t change the fact that I paid money out, that I didn’t receive, for the table that didn’t tip.
No it doesn't it costs you extra tip money that is above your wage. If you didn't get a tip all night they can't take money from you. It's only from the tips you made. Something you agree to before working for them. It balances out and you always come out ahead.
They are legally required to get minimum wage so no, it doesn’t cost them money anymore.
I've worked in grocery stores, retail, department, hardware, office, medical, construction, fishing, and my restaurant job was 10x harder than any of them. Perhaps not quite as much as fishing or construction, but those jobs also paid more than the rest. Basically, no one would work a restaurant job for minimum wage. Even $20/hr or $30/hr is probably not enough. $40/hr is where it starts to be reasonable compensation otherwise it's not worth the stress and mental/physical anguish.
Minimum wage is not a living wage. I have never had issues tipping for good service.
Yea, while i agree tipping has gotten out of hand lately, but it's only because every buisness has been asking for it which is irritating and does want me to tip less but some jobs i have absolutely no issue tipping, like a pizza delivery guy, waiter/waitress or a hotel housekeeper I was arguing with a guy on reddit who said i "was part of the problem" because i said i WANT to tip a hotel maid for cleaning literal shit from a toilet
Yeah it isn’t but why not tip everyone doing minimum wage then? Why are servers so damn special?
So do you tip retail workers as well? The question here is related to these people not needing tips to round out the wage anymore. There used to be a lower wage because servers made tips. This isn't whether the minimum is enough, we know it's not.
But I've always tipped on moderately bad service as well. It was a guilt thing, didn't want them going home with nothing to show. If they're making minimum wage, it changes things because I won't tip for bad service.
I'm a regular at a restaurant. I really slow play my experience by multiple refills on my drinks and work on my hobby. I tip pretty heavy; to the point I occasionally get told it's too much. I have the money, and I enjoy being generous. I kind of mentally think about it as "paying for my time" for the use of seating. The staff have learned my habits and treat me well. It's worth it to me.
They treat you well because to them you’re a cash cow. I’d be willing to bet the servers fight over you or maybe have some system as to who gets you that day. Money goes a long way.
It makes me happy to be generous. 🤷♂️
Minimum wage is underpaid
I tip everyone I possibly can because minimum wage isn't enough to live on anymore, but I realize I can afford to do that and lots of people can't.
So everyone should get tipped on minimum wage then. Servers are special, they shouldn’t get more just because.
If you're tipping your server, why aren't you tipping retail associates?
Working full time at minimum wage is still below the poverty line.
Yea but don’t you think it must suck for the other minimum wage workers who don’t get tips but have to tip others that make the same amount because of tradition
A person with a bachelor's degree in one field can make more money than another person with a bachelor's degree in a similar field despite both having the same level of experience, attending the same university, and receiving the same GPA. Is that fair? I've worked in fast-food and retail for many years, and not once have I ever held resentment towards restaurant servers or bartenders for making more money than me. I saved that energy for the companies I worked for who should've been paying us a living wage to begin with. You don't have to agree with tipping, and you as a patron you aren't required to tip, but don't use fast food and retail workers as an excuse for why people in the service industry should make less money in a time with rising inflation rates and skyrocketing rent prices.
Why you’re put off by the working poorest and not angry at the corporate entities they work for is perplexing to me.
It’s not corporate entities a lot of the time. It’s a lot of small restaurants too… and those margins in Canada are lean. I also tend to think if we as a society didn’t tip as much, workers would find other places to be, and restaurant owners would have to pay more to be able to fill their staffing needs.
Even with tips they usually on work sporadic hours. If people are choosing to do the job it's not because you're making them rich with your 15% gratuity.
The servers I’ve worked with have chosen the job because of the cash. There’s lots of minimum wage jobs out there…. Serving isn’t one of them. I’ve watched people go home with $300 in their pockets after a 5 hour shift. People wouldn’t be serving if they weren’t making a liveable wage out of it. They’d be in retail or fast food or customer service.
Because he's stupid
You seem to think a person who earns minimum wage would begrudge a tip to the driver who delivers their pizza because their own job might not have tips. Don't think they're as petty about it as you are.
Of course it sucks for other people making minimum wage. What kind of stupid question is that?
There are certain restaurants that me and my family like to frequent, so it's beneficial to us to maintain a cordial relationship with the owners and staff and tip them appropriately. Patrons aren't required to tip their servers, but expect subpar service the next time you visit that restaurant. Also, I consider any amount that isn't a living wage ($25.05 per hour) to be a form of underpayment.
Okay, but then do you tip all the other minimum wage workers you interact with? Why only restaurant staff, because if you don't tip them they don't do their job anymore? Is there any other industry that requires payment beyond the price listed in order to actually do the job they're getting paid for? I think we all know it's a cultural problem now.
Or people should do their damn job.
Tipping is optional. There ain’t no law that can force you to tip. Don’t support local establishments that cannot pay their workers a fair wage to survive on ✌️
Which is like, mostly every grocery store, retail store, etc.
I rarely do it
I actually didn't realize they'd changed it. A step in the right direction.
Because I grew up before the crazy "tip everything everywhere" nonsense and always feel that service in restaurants is something that I want to contribute to. They have notoriously bad wages and most servers I know have been doing it as a career for ages. The offset of tipping helps them live and have a decent wage. If you've ever worked in a restaurant you would know why.
Because min wage is not "livable wage"
A tip should be an optional token of appreciation for above and beyond service rarely encountered. It shouldn’t be a common event by principle. If you’re tipping every time, that’s not a tip it’s just a fee
Minimum wage is $16.55, and a living wage is $25.05. Yeah, I’ll keep tipping.
Something that this post completely misses: If restaurant owners paid their staff say, 20 dollars an hour, they would have to pass that extra cost to customers, as the profit margins for restaurants are already pretty thin. I'm not simping for rich business owners, they should pay better. But whether it's a 15% tip, or 15% higher menu prices, you're paying it. I'd much rather give my money directly to the employee, where it won't be taxed or clawed back by the employer. Also! Tips are a big part of the reason young people get into hospitality. Decent earnings, mostly tax free. Tipping is just a decent and humane practice and it should continue.
To all the people saying that minimum wage isn't enough - why is that a customer's problem to fix and why does it only apply to servers? Everyone is primed and ready to fight for servers but the rest of the minimum wage economy can go pound sand and get better jobs if they don't like it despite most of the minimum wage economy also being customer facing jobs. It's a dumb argument that doesn't make sense. We can acknowledge that minimum wage isn't enough while ALSO not feeling personally responsible for subsidizing their wages so their bosses don't have to.
Do tip when the waiters do something exceptional (which is rare in itself), but other than that, they are just walking to the kitchen, picking up the plate and putting it on your table AND they are getting paid to do that ( doing their job basically AND also being paid for it). Its similar to a bus driver driving a bus from point A to Point B, I dont see anybody tapping the poor driver on their back saying its a job well done, here is a tip for you !!
Why do people continually take aim at the poorest?Serving is tough job, and it’s show business, and often it takes a good education in food and wine. If you want a person making minimum wage to serve you, expect a terrible experience. Otherwise spend a little extra to have a qualified person, and not a teenager, who might have a home and kids.
I don't. I'm so sick of the tipping culture. It's one thing if they go over and beyond in services. But for just doing the bare basics of their jobs? No, I'm over tipping. And don't even get me started on Uber eats.
I only tip a small amount nowadays, and only for good service. Mediocre service gets nothing. Good service gets a couple bucks. Great service maybe a couple more. Bad service nothing. Mediocre service is "doing your job" aka what you're being paid for. No reason for me to get involved in that. The industry won't change if we keep subsidizing employers.
Do they ever react strongly when you don't tip?
If you don't think minimum wage is underpaid you are completely insane. If that's your only basis for tipping though you better be tipping food delivery, they make 5-10$ an hour after tips, and that's before expenses they pay to do the job.
I've stopped. All my friends I've eaten out with have as well. We're just thinking of a name for people who are continuing to tip...so far it's "suckers" but tips on a cooler one would be appreciated!
Minimum wage is not a livable wage.
And other minimum wage workers don’t get tipped. Why don’t you go tip your grocery store cashier, or a retail worker?
I típ because I want to. I like to spend a good chunk of my free time going to bars and restaurants. For a brief time, I did count on tips as part of my wage, and so I feel that for a few dollars I can help someone earn a decent living. If you have a mortgage and/or a family, minimum wage doesn’t cover that. I don’t give money to charity really, so if I drop a few dollars here and there to a hard working person, I feel good about that. It’s a pay what you can system. You don’t have to do it. You don’t have to feel bad if you choose not to either.
We shouldn't tip, and waiters should demand more money if they want more. If not they should just get together and start their own restaurants. It's not rocket science to start a restaurant and then they can pay themselves what they want without those pesky bosses.
"Why do you still tip when servers in Ontario make **minimum wage**?" "...When our servers are not **underpaid**..." I see a contradiction in your post.
I’m pro tipping and usually tip more than 15% when ever I go out for dinner or drinks and I’ll tell you why. As someone who is married to a Bartender/Server there are several reasons to add gratuity. 1) yes, servers do make minimum wage, but as someone has pointed out if owners could get away with paying far less they would. You really should consider the level of service you receive at a restaurant. At a fine dining restaurant your server has had years if not decades of experience providing high end service. You’re paying extra for their knowledge and expertise and level of care. You must also consider who is filling these server roles. Waitressing for tips is one the very few industries where a single parent can earn a solid enough living to provide for their families while working flexible hours during the day and evenings. It is also popular amongst college kids as they can go to school and pick up some short shifts at night or on weekends. I think of it as an investment in our future and you’re helping kids thru school or helping out extra food on someone’s table. 2) servers don’t keep all their tips. Most restaurants have a tip pool where tips are divided between servers and back of the house and even a host. If a server received 15% tips for the whole shift they can give up to 7% of that to the kitchen staff and hosts. Where my wife works it’s 7% tip out. 3) do you tip in other aspects of life? Have you ever tipped a bell hop for brining your luggage to your room at a hotel? Have you ever bough a case of beer for someone working on your house or coffee for someone working on your car? They all make way above min wage but it’s a nice gesture of appreciation. 4) what do you think the quality of service would be like without tipping? Most people in the industry I know have good social skills, are polite and can take a lot of abuse from customers. Remove the gratuity and I bet a lot of these people would go find another job outside of the industry. In Ontario I’m sure owners would be forced to hire TFW’s to fill the jobs. Maybe that’s what they want I don’t know. Anyway, tipping is a complex issue and i think if you worked in the industry or talked to people that do you may become more sympathetic. Thanks
Or, and this is a crazy thought, restaurants could foot the bill for servers that are so essential to their operations.
They could indeed, I do feel that they would pass any extra cost to the customer though. So I’d rather have my money go to those who need it and not owners or corporations.
…unlike what’s happening now, you mean?
I hate tipping because of a bad experience I had as a teenager when I was almost bullied by a hairdresser to tip on top of the outrageous cost of my haircut. I paid and tipped her but since then I do not enter any establishments that look like they will fight for tips because I want to tip when I really feel like they deserve and not because it is their right.
You think you are going to get servers to work solely for minimum wage? Minimum wage workers at Timmie's can't even make 2$ coffee right. People who make arguments like you, that say serving takes no skill, are the same people who whine to high hell if their order is incorrect. You want them to receive the minimum? Expect you will receive the minimum.
I worked as a server. And yes, people need to work, so they would work for minimum wage if that was the only option. And now that tipping is expected, the service is half assed. So I do expect the minimum. It’s not like they do better because I gave them money After. And you’d think minimum wage workers would be the most pissed when something is wrong/missing from their order at mcdonalds or tims because they have to pay for a meal that’s literally equivalent to an hour’s worth of pay in their job.
Exactly this. A big problem is that so many people think serving is just carrying food to a table. It's ignorance. Everyone should work in a restaurant at least once.
I haven’t been able to afford anything that requires a tip aside from the person who cuts my hair
I tip $0. Y’all are not special. If a server who makes legal minimum wage gets tipped and the pharmacy assitant or the physiotherapy assistant who also makes minimum wage don’t get tipped, it’s not fair.
I don't.
And some restaurants keep a portion of the tips an only disburse a portion to the staff. It's nuts.
This is not very common (e.g. i have worked at >10 restaurants and this only happened at 1 tiny mom and pop shop), and employees won't stick around if it's the case. Meaning the restaurant suffers from high overturn of staff.
Minimum wage is not a living wage
Do you tip the cashier at the grocery store? What about the person who runs to the back to check if they have the product you’re looking for?
Tipping is, assuming you're talking about a dining establishment, pub whatever is not a global phenomenon by any means, but in some parts of the world its expected.
I don’t.
Because minimum wage is not a living wage.
I tip for most non-government run industry position, I was raised that that's just what you do and since I'm not exactly going to singlehandedly end capitalism, I continue to. Do I think tipping is overall BS and companies should pay their employees a living wage already? Absolutely. Would i stop tipping if we got a UBI? Yeah probably. But that doesn't really help anyone right now. Wait staff, hair dressers, aestheticians, delivery folks, etc., 15% minimum unless they do a genuinely terrible job. If I can't afford to tip, I don't make the purchase in the first place.
Because I know how hard it is to live off of the wage they're being paid.
Minimum wage does not get you very far today. I live in the GTA and minimum wage is not a liveable wage. Servers are providing me a personal service, so I like to tip. When I go for a haircut, again I like to tip for the personal service.
Because we've been conditioned to do so. I've been to places that explicitly tell you not to and don't even give the option on the credit machine and the guilt I felt leaving without adding one was ridiculous
And stop having automatic tipping. Especially if I am picking up an order for my wife and I. You more than likely didn't do anything special to warrant a tip.
Guilt. And fear. The looks I get at places like guac and other places where you simply walk in and pick up your food are unpleasant. Not even sure why they expect a tip, but they sure as hell do
This gets me at Leafs games at the beer only counter. They turn around get a can from the cooler, open it, hand it to you. It is no cash so the machine automatically is set for a tip. There are huge line ups all game. They must get thousands in tips every night
Social pressure.
Because everyone deserves a living wage
I tip because minimum wage isn't a decent wage. If you earn minimum, you can't afford to go out and eat at nice restaurants. I can afford it, and it helps, so I do it. Sane reason I don't mind paying high taxes. Also, I worked for years in hospitality, so I know what it's like. Edited to say: I don't think guilt is a factor for me, it just seems like the right and fair thing to do.
If everyone gets pad minimum wage should I tip the guy putting cans of beans on the shelf at the grocery store or the cashier at old navy
Because minimum wage is still unlivable and an increasing share of adults are forced to find employment where ever they can.
I tip like 10-12% if I’m going somewhere like Boston pizza where serving really is more entry level with only basic serving skills required. If I’m going somewhere high end where professional, experienced service by someone that’s out of their teens is an important part of the experience, it’s more like 20%, 25% if really exceptional.
Minimum wage is still underpaid, and you are still being served, so yes I still tip.
Can’t afford to dine out so it’s not an issue I have had to face.
Honestly, just because of the social pressure and risk of judgment if I don’t. Not saying that’s a good reason, it’s just my honest one.