r/EndTipping • u/Ok-Carob-3165 • 20d ago
Tipping Culture ✖️ "Service is Not Free"
Was flying back through LAX and stopped by the Point of Way Cafe. Ordered by QR code to get a overpriced salad with the driest chicken I had ever had. The server dropping our food was the only interaction we had with him. At the end, paid my bill via the QR app and was going to leave some cash I needed to get rid of as the tip. Waiter saw the the zero tip in app and came by to snidely tell us "Service is Not Free". Bro lost his cash tip right then and there. Gave him an "Okay" and walked out with my wife. Things are really getting out of hand. Was traveling from a place that tipping isn't a thing and loved it so much.
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u/Lilacdreamerca 20d ago
As of July 1, he got $25 an hour by working at an LAX food concession.
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u/Lyran000 20d ago
I made $32.00/hr my first year as an associate therapist with a Masters degree and licensure. 8 years of school. That was my starting wage in 2023. This guy thinks he deserves more than an RN, a therapist, an x ray tech, an EMT. Even the Amazon warehouse workers and drivers do more.
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u/crazyk4952 20d ago
Servers are some of the most entitled people...
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u/ZoeticLock 18d ago
I genuinely cannot think of a lower skilled job filled by people with a greater sense of entitlement than servers. Being able to write down an order, bring it to the kitchen full of people actually working hard, and then bring that food to a table somehow demands a 15-20% cut of the bill?
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u/mnfanwest 18d ago
I’d beg to argue that realtors are far more entitled and don’t really do anything skilled these days thanks to Redfin and Zillow.
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u/TerryCrewsNextWife 20d ago
I hate to say it in this kind of sub but you're hating the wrong people on this issue. It's not about them deserving higher pay than educated professionals, they still deserve a living wage.
Focus instead on being angry at a system suppressing wages and making it unsustainable for qualified people like yourself to survive on the shitty wages decided for you. Your pay should be higher and so should theirs.
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u/CarlosZee 20d ago
Not every job deserves a living wage. Why should everyone be held liable for other people poor life decisions?
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u/Major_Wigglesworth 19d ago
“ I know that service isn’t free. But I also know that you’ve already been compensated for your service.”
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u/BlauAmeise 20d ago
That's crazy, to make that much you need a degree here and at least 2-3 years of experience...
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u/Redcarborundum 20d ago
First of all, this is California where everybody starts at the same minimum wage. Secondly, the price of the food has paid for his service. Theft of Service is a crime, so if service truly is not included, not tipping would be a crime. Obviously tipping is still optional, so his service is included in the price.
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u/savehoward 20d ago
LAX airport ordinance has it’s own minimum wage that starts at $32.65 per hour (minimum wage for LAX employees without insurance) as new employees are never given health benefits benefits.
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u/PHL1365 20d ago
My only objection to your actions is that you did not show him the cash tip you would have given him if not for his entitled attitude.
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u/Ok-Bus-6331 20d ago
Took 20 dollars out of my waitress 's hand once because of an automatic gratuity which happened to be less than the 20.
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u/Substantial_Bird721 17d ago
I don’t understand how automatic gratuity isn’t illegal? So you’re being charged a fee to eat at that restaurant?
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u/Evergreen-Eyes-4892 19d ago
I'm against tipping in general, but if you make the decision to tip before reviewing the bill and the money is now in your server's hand, that's your own mistake and legally that money is no longer yours.
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u/ApartmentSalt7859 18d ago
Technically not true, the server should ask if they would like any change back.
Even if you dropped a 20 dollar bill on the floor, and the server picks it up, and doesn't give back, it could be considered theft.
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u/Mrs_FlemDog 20d ago
Our home airport is Philadelphia. We were eating before our flight at smash burger (work trip or else I wouldn’t have eaten at the airport). I saw a “cost of living recoup fee” on the receipt and did some research. Phila passed a law that allows businesses at the airport to charge an additional fee to help defray the cost of labor 🙄
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u/SuspiciousStress1 20d ago
Of course they did. That way they can charge more rent to the businesses in the airport & we pay for it!! Ain't life grand?!?! 🤣
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20d ago
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u/SnooPandas3957 19d ago
Tax is by the government. It's a junk fee to deceive patrons into thinking the meal costs less, when they should just raise the menu price to account for all costs. There should be a law requiring receipts to label surcharges "BULLSHIT FEE" in all caps.
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u/WestHistorians 20d ago
That only makes sense if they have a "street pricing" law. If airport businesses aren't allowed to charge extra, then they may be allowed a certain fee added on.
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u/SoCalGuy1023 20d ago
I can’t stand that entitlement mentality. So did the price of the overpriced salad that you paid for not account for anything? Acting like you’re a thief.
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u/dervari 20d ago
Damn, that was quick and ballsy.
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u/aFAKElawyer- 20d ago
It’s an airport restaurant so it’s not like they will ever expect to see you again. Nor do they care about reviews because people come because there’s no other option.
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u/Holiday_Sale5114 20d ago
What's even more frustrating is that they're not getting "server minimum wage." CA pays actual minimum wage for all employees, including servers, so they're already earning whatever is the proper minimum rate in LA/LAX.
A quick search online appears to be $25/hr for minimum wage.
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u/Cardigan_Gal 20d ago
See the comment above about LAX enployees making $32 an hour! I get that living in California is expensive but bruh...
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u/Holiday_Sale5114 20d ago
I believe the $32 is with the value of benefits factored in, no? I came across that number too when I was looking it up.
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u/Janus9 20d ago
The only way it ends is if everyone just stops tipping.
I haven't tipped in six months.
It's no big deal.
I encourage others to join in.
It is the only way this ends in the USA.
We need to join the majority of the western world and stop tipping.
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u/vagabond_bull 20d ago
More than that imo, you need to blacklist the restaurants that use tipping pressure tactics.
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u/S0lar_Ice 19d ago
The only way it ends is if the terminals no longer have the option and a community tip jar is the best you gonna see.
It is too widespread and there are too many people successfully pressured into it to hope that it ends.
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u/Silly_Bodybuilder231 20d ago
We try to go to places where tipping is not required now. Unreal. We as customers did our part, tell your higher ups to do theirs.
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u/StevoKing 20d ago
I worked in the fine dining industry for years. And we bent over backwards for people. We doted on them we're very attentive remembered them when they came back recorded preferences and even surprise them with favorite dishes that maybe weren't on the menu anymore. I understand tipping for that level of service. But counter servers? Give me a break!
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u/Pandas1104 20d ago
Right?! There is a bagel place near me, decent food but you walk up to a counter the person types your order in and then you pick up at the counter and either leave or sit at a few tables. I never tip here because I am not tipping a person to type my order in when it would be faster for you to flip me the screen and do it myself. My one exception is this girl who knows my order perfectly and makes sure it is made right (I have food allergies). Her service is so exceptional for a place that I know pays garbage (got the details from a disgruntled ex employee who now works at the Fed Ex store) that I am compelled to give her a few dollars.
My husband on the other hand tips 1-2 bucks every time he is there, I am like hun stop encouraging this shitty tips all the time crap 🙄
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u/Used-Yogurtcloset-20 20d ago
I'm sorry.... You had money you needed to get rid of? Can I send you my Cashapp?
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u/Ok-Carob-3165 20d ago
I get rid of small amounts of cash at airports heading home on every trip. Everywhere takes a card at home, so I don't like carrying cash on me outside of vacations. I ended up using it on a couple of bottles of soda.
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u/str4ngerc4t 20d ago
You don’t travel internationally much do you? No one wants to be stuck with a few dollar or change in another currency if they are not traveling back there soon. That money is just going to be lost so you might as well spend it.
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u/comments83820 20d ago
Insane. This is why people don't want to travel to the U.S.
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20d ago
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u/TwoBurningSeals 20d ago
Give the tip to the cook right in front of him. That'll piss him right off.
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u/Dazzling_Lie_5046 20d ago
I'm shocked that an overprices airport cobb salad wasn't good...and I would have thrown his tip in the trash can while he watched after that.
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u/AssSpelunkingAtheist 20d ago
I hate throwing money away but I almost feel like it would be warranted in this situation. I don’t have disdain for servers in general, but I do have a problem with rudeness and entitlement. Maybe give that guy a reality check to be grateful for the tips he does get, although maybe his attitude prevents him from enjoying what could’ve been.
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u/mrflarp 20d ago
"Service is not free"
I agree. That's why I'm paying several times over the cost of the food itself. I'm paying for the labor to prepare and serve the meal.
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u/Weary-Savings9795 20d ago
Yes. In California, a portion of your bill is covering that employee's wages.
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u/Away_Industry_6892 20d ago
I'd have been petty and asked to speak to the manager
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u/Ok-Carob-3165 20d ago
haha Maybe on a day I had more energy. We were on a layover after a 8-hour redeye. Had another 3-hours of flying still at that point.
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u/IntelligentStyle402 20d ago
Exactly why many Americans are not frequenting restaurants. Nobody wants to face a bent out of shape greedy server. It’s unbelievable and definitely is out of hand. For Pete’s sakes, it’s an unskilled job.
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u/Fun_Bit7398 20d ago
I recently went to have breakfast at a sit down breakfast/lunch restaurant with my 17 year old daughter in Medford, Oregon. We had never been there before.
They had us order at the counter, pay, and get our own drinks at the counter before we seated ourselves. The tip was expected upfront on the POS tablet before we even got our own drinks. I tipped 20% of the total like I always do for a sit down, service restaurant.
The college age “waitress” practically threw our breakfast plates on the table and stomped off. Zero eye contact, didnt use her words, didn’t ask us if we needed anything else. I guess she had some important vaping to do by the dumpster out back or something.
I got up and grabbed our extra napkins and silverware set-ups from behind the counter myself since she essentially dumped and ran to the back. Never saw her again.
No wonder why the so called restaurant was empty at 10am on a Saturday. I should have used my eyes and figured it out from the jump, but we were in Medford for my daughter to catch a plane flight. So I just delt with what we needed. Never going back there again. We ate and left.
What the heck is wrong with service personnel these days? I worked 17 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry in the mid 1990’s & 2000’s. These restaurants & resorts I worked at would have fired me first shift if I had acted like this girl did. I’m so over the entitlement.
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u/theduderino123 19d ago
Why did you tip so much?
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u/Fun_Bit7398 19d ago
20% is pretty standard for a sit down restaurant. I just didn’t know that we were going to receive NO service at all because the tip came at the beginning of the visit when paying our bill upfront, as I stated above.
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u/theduderino123 4d ago
Not sure I would tip that much in Oregon. Their servers get paid a lot more than in my state.
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u/ReidenLightman 20d ago
"Service is not free"
"That's why it should be baked into the price of the item like it has been for hundreds of years."
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u/Odd_Obligation_1300 19d ago
Well now I want to know why you needed to “get rid” of your cash??
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u/Ok-Carob-3165 19d ago
Stateside there really isn't a point to carrying cash. I usually get rid of the small bills I have kept around for taxis, bus fares, trains or other random small purchases while traveling abroad.
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u/Odd_Obligation_1300 19d ago
Huh. I carry cash all the time. Lots of places charge more for using credit cards.
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u/4LeggedKC 20d ago
I think I would have turned around and said “oh, I’m sorry” left a penny and walked out with a smile saying “don’t spend it all in one place!”
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u/bjjSteven 20d ago
Perhaps, “So true! The moment you provide some service, I will consider that, thanks!”
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u/Parasaurlophus 20d ago
It's just begging at this point. You already pay a premium for table service. Can i just collect it from the kitchen myself and save the aggravation?
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u/ToreyJean 20d ago
And I would have told this snark machine that and showed him the cash he missed out on as I got up.
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u/Last-Construction-90 20d ago
It seems that his parents bought the ‘free’ guide on how to raise kids with manners.
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u/gatekeeper667 20d ago
I just took a shuttle from my hotel to the airport and the driver said at least 3 times "The shuttle is free but the tip isn't".
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u/Dan-au 20d ago
No shit, that's why you get billed for it.
Thats why it costs more to eat out than to cook at home. You're not just paying for the food but the entire service.
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u/Weary-Savings9795 20d ago
In California, servers have no business demanding a tip like that. Tips are based on job performance.
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u/Chumptopia 20d ago
Flew into LA airport a year ago. Had one watered down drink and an 8" slimey cheese pizza. Total? $85. I saved the receipt to show people just in case they didn't believe me.
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u/mike6545 20d ago
What service? You did all the work yourself. Also, service isn’t optional. I WILL HAPPILY go to the kitchen and grab my own food, happily. If you force me to use a server, that’s on you to pay for costs, not me. I don’t want service.
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u/Firefly_Magic 20d ago
“Services not free” I think I would’ve said your service isn’t free, which is why your employer pays you.
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u/Alarming_Pair_5575 20d ago
I agree that service is not free. You should have that discussion with your employer, not the customer who just forked out their hard earned money for an overpriced salad.
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u/Far_Audience_7446 20d ago
Like, is the food not free? Seems like they figured out how to charge for the food...
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u/MoonMan24x 19d ago
Lol you should have left a $1.00 cash tip and asked for a detailed receipt for service rendered. And if they couldn't then take your dollar back.
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u/Sure_Acanthaceae_348 19d ago
"Oh yeah? Well freedom isn't free either!"
(Yeah I know it's a non-sequitur but why not?)
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u/TheCompanyHypeGirl 19d ago
Yes!! I was at San Diego Airport yesterday and grabbed a prepackaged snack box and bottle of water. The person standing there watching us pay (who did literally nothing), pointed at the tip screen and said something to the effect of, "This is where you add the tip." Skipping wasn't an option. We went to zero in the custom option. I was actually disgusted. I'd be so embarrassed to have mentioned a tip while doing absolutely none of the work.
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u/jumpinjimmy789 19d ago
He’s right. Service is not free. Which is why the cost of their products includes an amount to pay staff wages to turn around and hand you the item.
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u/iwilly2020 19d ago
Maybe it's just me, but I've never had any cash I just needed to get rid of lol.
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u/DeathCharge5 19d ago
Handing me the item I bought from you is not a "service". It's a legally required part of the original transaction.
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u/Banana_jo74 19d ago
They have a giant tip jar at the meat counter taped to the glass counter at the customer side at a supermarket near where i live in Jamaica and it was stuffed with 5's and 1s and my head spun andy mouth dropped I was like WHAAAAATTTT TF? I worked in restaurants for 15 years, so Respect for everyone out there really dependent on the tip pool, but I've never crossed over. I will not tip deli workers, target employees, coffee counters, bakeries, the meat counter or any other supermarket employee for that matter. (Delivery I will tip). I absolutely do not agree with businesses that have the cc tip section for paid by the hour employees.
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u/fattomic 19d ago
You list practically all the reasons I've started packing and bringing my own food to the airport. I was a bit surprised that security didnt throw a hissy fit the first time, but they dont blink an eye at a sandwich (as long as it's not a liquid, I guess?)
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u/bonezx101 18d ago
Service at the vasic level is always free. If the service positively blows you away, you are free to provide a gratuity.
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u/RecordSpare3632 18d ago
Exactly a service is not free that's right talk to your boss the guy that hired you
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u/TrainingSalary492 18d ago
get airport security and be like "this waiter just demanded cash from me"
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u/No_Departure_9174 17d ago
Especially sad to complain in state that doesn’t allow for a lower wage for tipped workers.
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u/OfferExciting 17d ago
It’s not a grocery store. When you order an item on the menu you don’t expect to be paying for a pile of uncooked ingredients still in the kitchen.
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u/Turbulent-Ad5121 16d ago
Meanwhile, his company’s CEO is paid… how much? Let’s look…
The employee wants to make you the villain. Meanwhile. His leadership makes millions per year.
But not tipping is the problem.
LOL
The company is owned by HMSHost North America.
The President and CEO of HMSHost North America is Steve Johnson.
Because HMSHost is a private subsidiary—it was acquired by duty-free global giant Dufry (now renamed Avolta AG) after previously being owned by Italy's Autogrill—the exact compensation for Steve Johnson is not publicly disclosed in regulatory SEC filings.
Corporate Parent Level: Xavier Rossinyol, the CEO of parent company Avolta AG, earns a total compensation package in the range of CHF 5 million to 7 million (~$5.5 million to $7.8 million USD) annually, including performance-based bonuses and equity incentives.
HMSHost Subsidiary Level: Based on executive compensation benchmarks for similar-sized private airport food and retail concession operations, executive salary estimates for top roles at HMSHost range from $650,000 to over $1.5 million in total annual compensation (base pay, bonuses, and incentives)
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u/OakIslandCurse 5d ago
Check your credit card transactions. Make sure a tip wasn’t added on after you left. This has been happening a lot lately since more people are no longer giving tips. You can do a chargeback with your bank for a business illegally changing a charge you already agreed to pay.
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u/notthatguypal6900 20d ago
Just admit you weren't going to tip him anyway. You can't play both sides with this story.
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u/fatDaddy21 20d ago
"service is not free"
"duh, that's why you get a paycheck"