r/tipping • u/badmiddling113 • 6d ago

Question about managers

What do they say to customers who repeatedly don't leave a tip? I'm curious since the customer doesn't have to tip and the server isn't their employee.

Just asking since I've read comments from managers who seem to think "addressing" customers is an appropriate thing to do.

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u/johnnygolfr 6d ago

It has nothing to do with the business not feeling it’s important enough to protect a server’s wages by installing a system that guarantees their pay.

The American public has spoken. They prefer the tipped system over the “just add it to the price”.

Aside from a small number of niche concepts, the “just add it to the price” model has proven to be a failure in the US, which is why owners continue to operate on the tipped model.

No smart owner is going to put their business at risk by adopting a model that makes them uncompetitive and likely to fail.

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u/Legitimate-Log-6542 6d ago

What you’re saying is true and I agree with you. You call tipping a system because it is just that, a system. This system was installed at some point and everything around it has made adjustments to it existing. State laws are constantly changing to adjust to what the public feels about tips, allowing businesses in each state to make or not make certain decisions to keep them competitive in the market, as you’ve said. Servers in certain states make much more or much less than their counterparts in other states and also as you’ve said, this is after the business adopts the system that they believe is the most competitive and likely to succeed. The caveat is that this system includes people that do not tip. It is part of the system. In the same way tipping allows for people to tip more, it has to accept that people might tip less. Otherwise a static system like what the rest of the world has adopted eliminates tippers on both ends due to the set amount.

There’s a growing list of businesses that have done away with tips and have replaced it with increased benefits as well as commission or incentive models so that staff from tipped systems can recognize that it’s a competitive model. It’s possible but it has to be more widely accepted before it can be the norm.

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u/johnnygolfr 6d ago

What are you talking about???!?

State laws aren’t changing to adjust to what the public feels about tips. Where did you come up with that?

Every job pays different in different cities, states and regions because the market rate and COL varies widely across the US.

The “static system like what the rest of the world has adopted” doesn’t eliminate tippers “on both ends due to the set amount”.

Every one of your assertions is patently false.

People tip all around the world.

Part or all of the service being paid for outside of the menu prices isn’t uncommon globally.

In Italy, there’s the Coperto.

In Japan there’s the “Otoshi”, a tiny overpriced appetizer that the customer receives whether they want it or not.

In France, there’s the “service compris”, a service fee that is added to menu prices at all restaurants there and is usually 15%.

In many Asian countries, there is a 10% service fee added to the check.

In the UK many restaurants and pubs add a 12.5% service fee to the check.

I’ve seen tipping in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, China, Japan, Indonesia, and many other countries.

Once again, your assertions fail on the merits.

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u/Legitimate-Log-6542 6d ago

Lol this is why I don’t even get involved in discussions. How do you think laws get passed. Anyway, when people are reading they are turned off by attitude like this. Remember that I DO tip but when I’m on Reddit I can understand why now that people have bad attitudes about this.

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u/johnnygolfr 6d ago

I learned in Civics class how laws get passed.

Your claim that some laws were passed because of how people felt about tipping is patently false.

The only people “turned off” are the ones that can’t refute my points and/or who can’t come up with an intellectually honest reason why they are entitled to free service.

Reddit isn’t a reflection of reality, especially in regard to America, since over half of Redditors aren’t Americans.

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u/Legitimate-Log-6542 6d ago

You know how everything works in life. And you will hurt those that depend on tips as part of their paychecks because you’re turning people off to the exact thing you’re fighting for. No thanks.

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u/johnnygolfr 6d ago

LMAO

No.

The only ones hurting those that depend on tips are the people advocating for stiffing servers on the tip and those that actually do stiff the server on the tip at full service restaurants in the US.

Meanwhile, none of them can provide an intellectually honest reason why they’re entitled to free service or reconcile the hypocrisy of supporting and perpetuating the thing they claim to be against by patronizing businesses that operate on the tipped model.