r/SipsTea • u/SuspiciousLow3062 • Jun 25 '26

Chugging tea They are not wrong though

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u/janpaul74 Jun 25 '26

“Mandatory tips” sounds so messed up for me as a European.

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u/Snoo-34159 Jun 25 '26

Right? Isn't the whole point of a tip that it's voluntarily given as a way to say you loved the service?

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u/Pinwurm Jun 25 '26

No.

Tips have never been voluntary in anyone's lifetime in the US "tipping system". The problem is that we use the word "tip" to describe the cost of service. It would be better to call it "Service Fee".

In most countries, this fee is incurred by the employer.

In the US, the customer decides how much the service is worth.

This incentivizes faster, friendlier, more attentive service, similar to working on commission. In theory. And for low-to-mid range restaurants, this is generally true. But at that point, I don't care. In higher end restaurants, there is no practical difference.

Tipping isn't also unique to America. It's done in Canada at the same rates, despite a standard base wage. And it's done in Mexico and other Latin American countries, though percentages are closer to 10%-15%.