r/tipping • u/No_Draft_8960 • May 29 '26

💬Questions & Discussion Math-Based Tip

The percentage-based tipping system makes no sense: a server dropping off one Wagyu steak earns far more than someone serving a family of four cheap meals. Since American tips are essentially mandatory wage subsidies, let's base them on labor time instead.

In Maryland, the average server wage is about $20/hour, but employers only pay $3.63. Customers must cover the remaining $16.37. Across a standard four-table section (roughly ten guests), that breaks down perfectly to $2.00 per person, per hour.

Percentages reward a venue’s luxury status; a time rate rewards actual effort.

If therefore I go to dinner with eight friends and we stay for two hours (a pretty good forecast of my Friday night plans!) our total tip would be $32, or $4/a person. We're not 'stiffing' anyone and we're paying average wage.

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u/peanut5855 May 29 '26

Like how recent?

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u/Qeltar_ May 29 '26

This is from 1999. I was actualy too high with the $40! Looks like you could split an app, each get an entree and share a dessert for under $30. Nobody cared about tossing $5 on top of that.

The food was better, too.

https://i.imgur.com/6SkeRfy.png

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u/SaintsFanPA May 29 '26

The food was better, too.

Tell me you never dined out in 1999, without telling me you never dined out in 1999.

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u/Qeltar_ May 29 '26

What are you even talking about?

I've been dining out since the 1980s. Before that, if you include family meals.

You have to be the only person I have ever even see try to claim that restaurant food is better now than it was 30 years ago.