This line of reasoning makes very little sense to me.
Sure, the menu price for a hamburger may be $16, but when you add in the expected tip (let's go with 18% because the server was attentive and accurate with the order--or, more properly, doing their job correctly!), you are effectively already paying $18.88 for the hamburger anyway (or $19, with rounding for those who like only charge whole dollar amounts).
So are you really asking me if I would be prepared to pay $20 for a hamburger that I was effectively already paying about $19 for?
And that the only difference between those two prices is that, in the former, I don't have do this whole "what is the right tip amount so that I don't get judged negatively by the server and can still come back and eat here without worry" thought process at the end of the meal, and in the latter, I can just pay the menu price and eat in peace?
I don't see why anyone wouldn't go with the latter option.
So, 2 points:
1- Don't forget to add tax to that. For your scenario in ON, you are paying $21 (rounded) for a $16 burger. Up that $16 to $20 on the menu and you are paying $23 (rounded). Just a couple of bucks, but that leads to......
2- Perception of cost. Why charge $15.99? Why not just say $16. What's one cent? Perception is everything. If one establishment suddenly increased prices by a lot I suspect many people would not go there. $4 is a 25% increase in our scenario. Who's not crossing the street for something less.
I don't think anybody sees it as "I was already paying $20 when I included a tip, why wouldn't I just pay $20 straight up". They see the burger they paid $16 for last week now going for $20.
Again, I am advocating tipping. I think it is a vile practice that brings out the worst in people.
Who cares? Why is that the customer's problem? We collectively need to stop tipping pretty much ever. Right now it is just a guilt thing. Our culture needs to change.
I care,
I’m not comfortable in having a server pay to serve me regardless of who’s fault that is.
I’m not comfortable in having a server pay to serve me regardless of who’s fault that is.
Have you quit tipping yet?
I'm not comfortable with a server having to pay to serve me either so I blanket tip 15% every time as a standard service charge since that's basically what it is now. But I think the larger point that encompasses this entire issue is that it shouldn't be my responsibility as a consumer to familiarize myself with how someone gets paid. Someone had a good example in this thread of pointing out that some states have different min wage laws or tip out procedures but I shouldn't have to research the exact minimum wage state by state or tip out % restaurant to restaurant, that's not my problem. It's basically only restaurants that do this too, it's not my responsibility to know what the person giving me my shoes at the bowling alley, food at McDonalds, or laundry at the dry cleaners makes or what their costs are to employers. There's a minimum wage for a reason, everyone makes at least that and then beyond that since we live in a free society where employees and employers can come to agreement on wages anyone working is there on their own free will.
Coffee shop tipping seems to be normal at every establishment now.
My main gripe with it is you're tipping before even getting service or product. I've had so many bad, watered down coffees lately and felt completely ripped off having not only paid for poor coffee, but also tipped on it
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Coffee shop tipping seems to be normal at every establishment now.
My main gripe with it is you're tipping before even getting service or product. I've had so many bad, watered down coffees lately and felt completely ripped off having not only paid for poor coffee, but also tipped on it
We should be able to revoke the tip on our phone or something, within 5 minutes. Same with delivery stuff.
I know, people would then abuse it, and tipping would be completely ruined because of it.
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Coffee shop tipping seems to be normal at every establishment now.
My main gripe with it is you're tipping before even getting service or product. I've had so many bad, watered down coffees lately and felt completely ripped off having not only paid for poor coffee, but also tipped on it
On that note, it seems like very few know how to make a cappuccino. Like, no difference between my cappuccino and wife's latte. Way too much milk.
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On that note, it seems like very few know how to make a cappuccino. Like, no difference between my cappuccino and wife's latte. Way too much milk.
The quality of coffee everywhere has gone way down.
There are a few good ones, but literally two independent spots in Cochrane, and otherwise have to drive into Deville in Crowfoot or farther down to an independent spot or two an additional 10 minutes away.
My body is so desperate for the comfort of a hot coffee in the morning, I'm frequently halfway through before I realize how disgusting my brown dirt water is. (The good places don't open before my commute) And yes, I tip even the crap places, for fear of what they do to non-tippers.
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On that note, it seems like very few know how to make a cappuccino. Like, no difference between my cappuccino and wife's latte. Way too much milk.
Apparently barista's can't make anything anymore.
I ordered a double espresso recently and the guy brought me 2 separate, single esspressos.
That same coffee shop made me an Americano that was just hot water with enough espresso to make it brown, absolutely no flavour.
Another coffee shop down the street from me had half my double espresso run down the side of the cup because their cup didn't fit under the double drip part of the machine (not sure what that's called).
She just wiped the side of the cup and served me a half serving of an already very small drink. This is a fancy hipster coffee shop too.
I dare say most of these places are worse than Starbucks, because at least Starbucks is consistent from location to location.
I've recalibrated my tipping behaviour; this 20% base tip on the machines with amounts going up to fu-cking 30% of the post-tax amount is insanity.
If you sucked, 12%. (You won't lose money after house tip-out.)
Met expectations = 15%.
Met expectations at a higher-end establishment (those expectations are higher, after all) = 18%.
You remembered me and/or someone in my party and greeted us accordingly, server welcomed me by name after being seated (if I made a reso), provided a friendly environment and great dining experience = 20%.
Tipping more than 20% is not happening unless I heard through the grapevine that your cat or dog needs surgery and there's a GoFundMe.
Also, don't tip on tax. If the machine offers a custom % tip, roll down 1% from the intended tip percentage to get roughly the correct amount.
For places where the service is "handing me the thing and popping the amount into a register", I don't tip. Fast food, coffee places (unless it's the type where they serve you at the table -- rare), nope. The owner is pocketing that sh-t.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Typical dumb take.
Last edited by TorqueDog; 03-21-2026 at 01:59 PM.
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