restaurants, trends

The No Tipping Movement

No Tipping Movement Gaining Steam

There is a no tipping movement that is slowly spreading across the U.S. Tips have always been the primary way for those who work as servers to be paid. However, any server will tell you that it can be great on some days and not so great on others. If a person were to be stiffed (i.e. no tip), it could ruin their entire week.

Tipping Movement

In the past, customers would be given a bill and it was then up to them to leave a tip for the service. This would range anywhere between 15 and 20%. On credit cards, there is even a line to include a tip and some restaurants are even putting helpful reminders at the bottom that show what 15%, 18%, and 20% of the check would be.

More restaurants are now moving towards an inclusive service fee that would go directly to the servers so they don’t have to worry about tipping – and this would also eliminate servers having to then “tip out” their bartenders, bussers, and anyone else they were responsible for tipping out at the end of the night. It would all be done automatically.

There are more people becoming advocates of the no tipping movement because bills are constant, yet tips can fluctuate dramatically from shift to shift.

Many restaurants are looking at ways of addressing the competitive workplace. Servers with experience know that they can get a job anywhere. They want to go where the money is at, and more of them are choosing to go where there are no tips to depend on. This may either be a place with a higher hourly wage or where there is a service charge automatically add to every check.

The U.S. wouldn’t be the only one to adopt the no tip movement. Many countries throughout Europe don’t tip and places like Japan and Australia don’t tip, either. Instead, they are paid a good hourly wage where the tips aren’t needed. Leaving a tip is simply a small amount as a way of saying thank you.

Conclusion:

This movement can make it easier for people to enjoy the dining experience. They won’t feel so pressured to leave a tip. And they won’t have to get out their smartphones to calculate the percentage so they know how much to leave.

The goal of the movement is to reform from the traditional. Just because it has always been “this way” doesn’t mean that it has to remain. When the service charges get add automatically, it can become easier for the servers as well as the guests. It can also make it easier for state and federal taxes to pay. The no tip movement is found predominantly in the upscale restaurants right now. But it’s only a matter of time before that trend trickles down.