Is Tip Culture Killing the Joy of Dining Out?

AUTHOR: Ben Rice

American culture has always been a generous tipping culture, but has it now gone too far? A video recently surfaced in which a Doordash driver throws shade at a client for tipping 25% on a $20 pizza. Furthermore, a recent online poster describes their dread when eating out. Is tipping culture reaching a tipping point?

Table of Contents

1. Learn To Cook
2. Self-Service Gratuity?
3. Fast Food Screens
4. Nowhere Is Exempt
5. Sandwich Karens
6. Trickle-Down Economics?
7. Driving People Away
8. Be Thick-Skinned
9. Wage Equality
10. Just Too Much
10 Foods We Can't Resist If They're On A Restaurant Menu
12 Products That Were Once Great But Aren't Anymore
10 Strangest Things People Have Asked For at Restaurants According to Servers
10 Foods You Need to Eat if You Want to Lose Weight Fast
15 Foods Americans Used To Love But Are Now Leaving Behind

1. Learn To Cook

Woman cooking in kitchen — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"Nowadays, I can only afford the cost of a meal plus a little tip — but not a great tip — yet the looks I get when giving a 10-15% tip are horrible," shares the original poster. "Guess I gotta learn to cook." I have had this experience before even getting served — once servers hear my British accent, they assume I won't tip them and give me poor service. This is quite the paradox!

2. Self-Service Gratuity?

Woman using drinks vending machine — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"I once got asked to tip a self-service drinks vending machine you paid for using an app," recalls a bemused customer. "Poor, underpaid, hard-working vending machine didn't get a tip." How dare they not consider that poor automated teller's feelings? Others also see the funny side of this argument. "You're the reason no one wants a job as a vending machine anymore," jokes someone.

3. Fast Food Screens

A girl orders food and lunch at a fast food restaurant using a self-service kiosk or a terminal with a screen. Modern commerce equipment — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Someone complains about a fast-food vendor that does the same, but not a single human is part of the process. "They cook your food, and someone calls a number, and you go up and get your order," explains the commenter. "Why would I tip for this? I don't tip at any other fast food place, and they actually press the buttons for me to take my order."

4. Nowhere Is Exempt

Man shrugging saying what — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The next observer tells how the tipping beast bolted the food service or hospitality gate years ago and now is seeping into everyday services, such as doggy daycare. "Next, the vet will expect a tip," says the bemused pet owner. "I'm tired of tipping people for doing the bare minimum: their job!"

5. Sandwich Karens

Annoyed Angry Man — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"The girl at my local sandwich shop audibly scoffed when I dropped a dollar in the tip bin," reveals the next citizen. "I'm still, like, mad about it." So they should be. Tips should be considered a kind gesture, supplementing the normal pay rate. The fact that people become so entitled about it can only lead to disharmony.

6. Trickle-Down Economics?

Annoyed frowning Asian woman — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

It seems businesses look for any chance they can to extract maximum gratuities. One father says he is at the point where eating out has become stressful. "COVID recovery fee (didn't my taxes already cover that?), staff health care fee (that's the employer's responsibility), cost of living fee (sir, my sandwich already costs 25 percent more)," says the beleaguered dad.

7. Driving People Away

Angry annoyed young Man — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

A Pacific Northwest-based contributor speaks of a prominent burger chain boasting about being in a union. They use this as their justification for directly asking at the paying window for personal tips, which makes their expensive product even harder to buy. "We just go down the street to a pub place with excellent food for less than the drive-through — even with the tip at the pub!"

8. Be Thick-Skinned

Woman annoyed — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Some people just don't stand for the charade, citing their local coffee roaster as the perfect example of when to stand your ground. "I think there's a difference between being asked to tip for a service and software just including it in checkout," adds the commenter. "I don't feel any guilt about or pressure to tip. It's not difficult."

9. Wage Equality

How could you. Annoyed indignant young woman spreads palms smirks face looks angrily at camera quarrels with someone feels puzzled wears spectacles and sweater isolated over yellow background — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

When I lived in New Mexico, locals shared that waiting staff could make as little as $2.50 an hour, relying on tips to break even. This scenario makes tipping almost compulsory, so many restaurants call for a higher minimum wage so that all the staff have equity.

However, this may come with a cost: "Many sit-down restaurants have just gotten rid of their entire wait staff so they could cut labor costs and pay their back of house much better," says an observer.

10. Just Too Much

Angry young woman showing fists — Image Credit: Shutterstock.

"I went to order something online the other day, and it asked me to tip," says an angry consumer. "I don't even know who the heck I'm tipping. The person throwing something in a box?" Nobody will begrudge a hard worker their fair gratuity, but an online order? This is just too much.

Source: Reddit.