An Open Letter to Montana on Tipping
Let's do away with tipping Montana! Get rid of it. Nobody likes tipping. The employees don't like tipping. The employers don't like dealing with it. The patrons don't like tipping. It is an antiquated system that needs to just go away. I have worked in the restaurant industry and tipping makes no sense.
Lies
Tipping is based on lies. The wait staff have to be nice, polite and fast in order to get higher tips. It doesn't matter if that person is having a bad day, they can't let that get in the way of the tips. It doesn't matter if the cooks are having a bad day in the back of the restaurant and they take it out on the waitstaff, they still have to put on the "happy face" to the customers just to get tips, you are not getting any kind of real interaction.
Customers Hate it too
Customers hate tipping too, just ask them. For some people it gives them too much power over a person who is just trying to do their job. Some people view the tip as if they are doing a "favor" for the wait person. Some, cruelly, withhold tips for whatever reason they want, maybe a political or social statement. Holding money back from someone who is trying to do their job to the best of their ability just because you have some agenda that they have no part in, is not only mean, but it makes no sense. They still are the ones bringing you the food. On the other hand people are expecting a tip for doing very little, like online orders that are picked up. Tipping the cook makes sense, but tipping the person that just hands you the food?
Math
Most of my friends hate doing the math on tips. When did 15% become the norm for tips? Why isn't it 20% or 25%? I have even seen some suggested tips now on websites, as well as the app that restaurants use as a cash register that have 22%. I like to think that I am a big tipper. I always appreciate when someone works to get me food. Even if it isn't the best experience, I don't withhold a tip. I may not go back, but I don't blame the waitperson and I don't punish them either. I appreciate the service industry and what they do, but I shouldn't have the power to control how much they get paid. The service industry should be compensated fairly for their jobs and I shouldn't have to do math.
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Gallery Credit: Ashley Warren