TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP? THAT IS THE QUESTION

TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP? … THAT IS THE QUESTION
Tipping, once a gesture of appreciation, has morphed into a monster.

I eat at a local restaurant on a very regular basis. It’s a burger joint where nobody even thinks of tipping the help … but I do. I tip people as a sign of appreciation and even gratitude for their friendly, fast, and efficient service. It makes me feel good and it brings a little happiness to the help. My bill is always $5.82 for a double cheeseburger, medium fries, and a medium drink. It’s a coupon special. Of course, I tip the window people $1. Because tips are almost unheard of and because a dollar is close to 20% I am satisfied. Besides, the kids who work there treat me really well, in many ways like family.

On occasion I ride in a taxi [God help me if I’m ever dumb enough to ride Uber or Lyft] and I always tip the driver, although the size of my tip is fluid. The fluidity of such a tip rests on the attitude and performance of my driver. I’m satisfied that I’m always fair in my tipping to drivers. I don’t adhere to any specific percentage but always end up tipping around that or higher usually. A bad driver, I mean a rotten driver, gets no tip and a complaint to the cab company.

When I eat at a local buffet I always tip, but again the size of my tip is fluid. Being a largely self-serve sort of restaurant my tip remains extremely always fluid but never exceeds 10% of the bill unless my waiter/waitress had just saved a life or something. Remember that in this environment, the help clears the tables and refills drinks so that limits the size of tip I’ll render. Again, I am always fair in tipping at the buffet.

I rarely go to full-service restaurants not because of the expense, but an emerging and disturbing tipping practice. If it’s “pay at the register” there’s almost always screen on which to choose my pay my tip. It reads from 15% to 30% and let me tell you, “predetermined tipping” is way out of line.

Once the “traditional tip” was 10%, and that survived for decades. But somehow, while I was out of the country, that went to 15%. I asked a waiter what that was all about and he delivered the stupidest reason or excuse one possibly could. He said, “Inflation. Things cost more so we need higher tips.” I said, “Inflation has also raised the price of my bill. By raising tips to 15% as food has also increased to about 15% that’s an automatic pay raise. If you’re after a pay raise, talk to your boss.”

I will not eat at any establishment that suggests or requires a tip. I will not eat anywhere that a tip is “shared” among the staff. Anytime you see “shared tips” it means the outstanding performers are surrendering part of their hard earned tips with the slugs. I’ll slip a couple bucks into my waiter or waitress’ pocket without getting attention. I don’t believe in “shared tips.”

I’ll do what I do and you’ll do what you do. It’s a matter of personal conscience, gullibility and responsibility. “To tip or not to tip? … that is the question.”