Woman Banned From Cafe For Tipping 20%

[Amethyst]

I was in Portugal this summer and ate out a lot. When I paid, there wasn't even an option to add a tip. It was great. I would love for tipping not to exist.

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

1. I can’t believe someone confused that extremely obvious satire for a real article.

Let me tell you about Calgary's deodorant bylaw

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Do you guys tip at places where you don't sit down? Like when buying a coffee?

Already paying $6 for a drink at some cafes and the like, paying tip on top of that when I'm just grabbing it to leave seems ridiculous.

I've pretty much stopped eating out at any place that requires tipping and I think it should be eradicated from our restaurant culture much like how it functions in Europe and Japan. Sticker price should be the sticker price. Any tips should be voluntary and you shouldn't be shamed or frowned upon or feel guilty for not tipping. If a business is not economically viable without tipping, then it should be out of business.

While we’re at it can we make it mandatory to include gst in all prices?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I also don’t like tipping as a percentage. Is the server at an expensive restaurant worth more than one at the pub?

I find when I go out to a cheaper place, especially if we’re staying for a few hours watching sports, I tend to tip at a much higher percentage. Moreso in situations where there’s little or no booze. I might see the server 6+ times from sit down to bill, even if several of those are just refills or to order another beer.

But I go out to an expensive place and only see the server 4 times in 90 minutes. Drinks, order, check in after food and pay.

My server in the first scenario deserves equal tip, despite my bill being much smaller.

[malcolmk14]

Tipping's gotten out of control, especially at cafes and such where they spin the iPad around with the tip options on the screen after you order a coffee. It is predatory. This morning at Phil & Sebastian I watched the woman in front of me tip 25% on a $6 latte just because the person taking her order turned the iPad around.

I balanced it out right after by tipping 0. It's insane.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Tipping's gotten out of control, especially at cafes and such where they spin the iPad around with the tip options on the screen after you order a coffee. It is predatory. This morning at Phil & Sebastian I watched the woman in front of me tip 25% on a $6 latte just because the person taking her order turned the iPad around.

I balanced it out right after by tipping 0. It's insane.

Watching someone’s order, watching what tip they give, and then consciously deciding your tip based on what (in your mind) creates balance… is far more insane behaviour than tipping 25%.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Amethyst

I was in Portugal this summer and ate out a lot. When I paid, there wasn't even an option to add a tip. It was great. I would love for tipping not to exist.

I know in some European countries, it is considered polite to just round up a little and not ask for change. The "tip" ends up being small, like less than 10%. It's less a matter of tipping than it is just showing that you respect their time and dignity enough to not make them have to count out change. The practice sometimes carries over into open markets and other non-restaurant businesses.

Honestly though, in North America, it's the restaurant service staff that benefit the most from tipping culture, not the restaurant owner. If you asked probably most servers if they would rather get a few bucks more an hour in wage in exchange of forgoing tips, they would say no. For a restaurant owner, it would be much better to just pay them a little more and save customers from having to spend more money that the business does not see. They would likely increase their customer base if people knew they could spend less when going out to eat.

[dino7c]

I go out less because of tipping...I am happy to tip for good service but not a fan of it being expected for doing the bare minimum

[flylock shox]

We may actually be witnessing the beginning of the end of tipping culture for restaurants. Something about a golden goose and all that.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I know right? It’s not like anyone else in the world has figured it out. It’s simply impossible not to have a tipping culture.

Australia doesn’t. My first couple of visits there, I was tipping all the time. Then I went out with some family and friends and they stated categorically that tips aren’t expected.

Thinking about it, not once there have I been presented with tip options when given the card machine.

Also in Iceland, the server herself told me that a tip wasn’t necessary. Even though the bill was eye watering, the food was spectacular so I felt I needed to tip. It was refused.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I know in some European countries, it is considered polite to just round up a little and not ask for change. The "tip" ends up being small, like less than 10%. It's less a matter of tipping than it is just showing that you respect their time and dignity enough to not make them have to count out change. The practice sometimes carries over into open markets and other non-restaurant businesses.

Yes, that's what I was expecting, based on previous trips. But I never paid cash this time (and not because I asked; they almost always brought the hand held machine with the bill).

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

You'd think, but remember they probably pay a fortune in rent.

Either way, I'm not really going to get into a discussion on the economics of restaurants based on satirical bait. Although 'Grilled Disappointment' is great. I'm totally stealing that.

"PAY SERVERS MORE OMG!!"

They already get the same minimum wage as most and tips that they dodge taxes on. They're doing alright.

As far as the tax dodge, I was reading an article about this over the weekend. There was a restaurant in Nova Scotia and they were appealing a CRA decision on tips. Because the tips were coming from electronic payments, there was a record of them. The restaurant took the position that they were not required to hold back taxes/CPP/EI and CRA disagreed. They went to tax court and the courts sided with CRA. Not sure what that means overall, but the electronic payment scenario makes things a lot more traceable than leaving cash in the folder.

[Fuzz]

What's makes this even worse is that you used to tip on the pre-tax total, but as far as I know, these machines take a percentage of the post tax total. So a 20% tip is actually a 21% tip. Not so bad in Alberta, but it's 22.4% in BC. Not a huge amount, but they get you on that, too.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I've never changed practices from 10% being a bad tip, 15% being a good tip, 20% being great service. And I'm not about to any time soon.

Real question though, what are people doing with takeout? I never used to tip on takeout but now I do at all my favourite go-to spots - I just assume they're getting murdered by Doordash and Skip at this point.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I've never changed practices from 10% being a bad tip, 15% being a good tip, 20% being great service. And I'm not about to any time soon.

Real question though, what are people doing with takeout? I never used to tip on takeout but now I do at all my favourite go-to spots - I just assume they're getting murdered by Doordash and Skip at this point.

Wait take out or delivery?

Take out is picking it up and delivery is Doordash or Skip.


I always do pick up, never Doordash or Skip.

I will tip on pick up, generally 10%, if the service is good, ie: they engage with me as soon as they can, order is ready, essentially is the experience is smooth and enjoyable

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I've never changed practices from 10% being a bad tip, 15% being a good tip, 20% being great service. And I'm not about to any time soon.

Real question though, what are people doing with takeout? I never used to tip on takeout but now I do at all my favourite go-to spots - I just assume they're getting murdered by Doordash and Skip at this point.

I pretty much never tip when getting take out. There are a few small independent restaurants that I will tip at though because I feel the food is so good and that they are under-charging.

[Weitz]

There really needs to be a change across the board if you really want to get rid of tipping here. There have been restaurants that have opened with “no tipping” policy’s but they don’t last because people aren’t willing to pay more for average to below average service. They also struggle to get employees because the servers want tips.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Watching someone’s order, watching what tip they give, and then consciously deciding your tip based on what (in your mind) creates balance… is far more insane behaviour than tipping 25%.

Haha, I guess that's probably true. To be fair I had decided long before I even arrived at the cafe that I was tipping 0%.

[CliffFletcher]

The increase in costs to operate restaurants (labour, rent, energy, food) are here to stay. That means prices are only going up. Many restaurants will fail. Fewer new ones will open. I expect we’ll see a shift in North America to European norms around restaurants and dining out, where it becomes an occasional treat rather than a routine habit.

[PepsiFree]

I will tip on take out if I enjoy the place. I also tip on delivery based on driving distance usually, but I do my best to pick up food 90% of the time.

For coffee and the like, I don’t tip. Any time I’m being served beyond “making the food/drink” I usually tip. I generally tip a general 15, wont tip if the service is really bad (it rarely is) and will tip extra if it was exceptionally good.

The problem about “tipping culture,” I find, is not about the expectations or standard amounts, but the tippers themselves. Tipping is extremely straightforward and, thankfully, you can actually just use your own judgement 100% of the time. The problem is people who treat tipping like a rating system or a carrot to dangle, people who panic when a machine gives options over 20% and are too afraid to hit “other,” and people who generally overthink tipping in any way at all. I’m sure sometimes when I hit “No tip” on a coffee or takeout order someone thinks I’m cheap. It’s probably extremely rare, but I’m just going to assume it happens and I also just don’t care. If there are places where the standard is 20% and I tip 15%? Guess what, nobody has ever told me and it’s never come up in any way at all.

Some of y’all complain about a system that exists entirely in your head. “Tipping culture is out of control!” … no friend, you’ve just lost the plot entirely.