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Visiting the US soon - do I really have to tip? (feddit.de)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hey Folks!

I've been living abroad for over half my life in a country where tipping is not the norm. At most you would round up. 19€ bill? Here's a 20, keep this change.

Going to the US soon to visit family and the whole idea of tipping makes me nervous. It seems there's a lot of discussion about getting rid of tipping, but I don't know how much has changed in this regard.

The system seems ridiculously unfair, and that extra expense in a country where everything is already so expensive really makes a difference.

So will AITA if I don't tip? Is it really my personal responsibility to make sure my server is paid enough?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Restaurant owners want customers to pay their employees directly instead of providing them with a decent wage.

A lot of employees want this as well. Those who do well in well traveled restaurants or bars then to make WELL over the minimum wage. This is why the employees get mad at the patron/client rather than their employer when they don't get a tip. It works... it's what many of them want.

The sad part is that prices for things have already been going up considerably... So what was a $5 tip @ 10% years ago is now closer to $20 tip @ 20% today for the same meals/amount of food. It isn't a 2x increase at all... Since it's % based on subtotal and those costs have been going up... it's significantly more if you follow their "minimum" percent tips.

I follow something similar to Dandroid and refuse to change. I only tip for sit-down restaurants where an actual servers brings me my food. If I get shit service, you're not getting a tip. If it's basic service, you'll get 10%... 15% for "good"... 20% for outstanding. Although looking at the laws in my state, I'm debating on cutting it back considerably. Minimum wage in my state is not the $3.and change per hour for those positions. It's just about $11 and the normal minimum wage is $13 and change. So if I'm the only table in their whole section, and I tip 2$ per hour, they're making minimum wage. And people here still complain about the tipping... The only explanation is greed... and I can't stand that at all.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

~~As I recall, restaurants can get by with giving workers well below minimum wage because of tips.~~

EDIT: I just re-read your post

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped

This is a great resource when these discussions come up. Many states do NOT adhere to the $2.13 tipped wage.

In my state (AZ) it's $10.85. People here still complain about tips. The minimum wage here is $13.85. The $3 difference is nearly guaranteed as long as long as you have 1 table an hour. Forget that the normal where I live is probably closer to 3-4 every hour. [I recognize that other areas may not have such traffic. But I can only comment on what I observe]

If the average table is leaving ~$5 in tips... you could easily make $30 an hour in wages.

This is why I say what I say... It's absurd when I hear local news or something complaining. $30/hr is stupid "livable".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

My state is listed in the "required to pay full minimum wage" category. Good to know.