A food fan has divided opinion after revealing they once generously tipped restaurant staff, often paying up to 100% of the original bill in tips – but now they refuse to pay a penny extra unless absolutely necessary
A foodie has caused a fierce debate after revealing they refuse to tip restaurant staff.
The diner, who said they used to tip “excessively” to make staff happy, says they now feel pressured to pay extra on top of their bill before they have even started their meal. They revaled tipping culture had created so much pressure to leave a hefty amount for service, they had decided to opt out altogether.
“I used to be a very generous tipper, I liked to tip excessively, like 100% of the bill or more, cause I enjoyed how happy it made service workers. I’ve also been in the service industry so I can relate,” the original poster wrote.
“But these days now that I’m pressured to tip constantly by everything including before even receiving any service, I just don’t care anymore. If I do leave a tip it’s usually the minimum and at a sit down restaurant. But I’m Hitting that 0% button every time. Also I don’t get food delivered it’s cheaper just to get it myself, so not skimping those guys.”
Perhaps surprisingly, people were quick to agree with the user. One wrote: “If I owned a restaurant, I would have a sign ‘Do not tip! We actually pay our employees,'” to which someone else responded: “I’m Irish, tipping is rare and only for exceptional service, someone in the US once told me ‘if you can’t afford to leave a good tip you can’t afford to eat out’ and I thought surely it should be ‘if you can’t afford to pay your employees a living wage, you can afford employees.'”
However, not everyone was a fan of the original poster’s stance. One person wrote: “General rule: if I order over the phone or order standing up at a counter, I will tip $1-2, or 0. Full svc [service] restaurant or bar, 15-25% depending on the service.”
Meanwhile another person wrote: “While I get the sentiment regarding tipping culture and how it shifts responsibility from employers to customers, I believe there’s a middle ground to be found. It’s essential to show appreciation for exceptional service and reward the hard work of those serving us. In an ideal world, yes, workers would be paid a living wage without depending on tips, but we don’t live in that world yet.”
