By: Laney Burns | Guest Contributor
Photograph from Chicago Foodie Girl, Tuesday LTP: Tip Guides
To tip or not to tip, that is the conundrum.
Most of us have experienced that awkward moment when it comes to tipping, whether that’s not knowing how much to tip or if we should tip at all.
What seems like a minor issue to customers is much more significant for the workers who rely on tips to make a living.
Tipping has shifted from a gesture of gratitude for good service to a cover-up for poor pay, leaving restaurant workers to pay the price. The time has come for restaurants to reconsider a tipping system that leaves employees underpaid and undervalued.
Tipping emerged in the United States in an attempt by employers to underpay newly emancipated African-Americans after the Civil War era, according to a Time article.
That system continues today and is responsible for keeping the server wages at a solid $2.13, which has been frozen since 1991.
Meanwhile, servers in other countries like Australia receive $15.38 per hour due to the country’s policy regarding fair pay and benefits as part of the job.
Tipping also affects workers’ mental health. According to the National Library of Medicine, tipped workers, particularly women, tend to suffer from depression, stress, and insomnia compared to those who have consistent pay without tips.
This lifestyle is difficult when a person does not feel secure about monthly expenses, as everything they earn relies on the customer’s state of mind at that moment.
There’s not much clarity behind tipping either. When a server receives a tip, a portion of it goes to the entire restaurant staff, a practice called “tip pooling.” This leaves customers thinking their gratitude to the server is just for them, when in reality it’s not.
Some restaurants, with a certain group size, don’t even give customers the option to tip, and instead, they add it to the total on the receipt.
Those who support tipping may argue that it incentivizes servers to provide guests with a good experience.
However, if good service is rewarded with appropriate pay, then why should customers be responsible for it?
If earnings depend on the customer, it would amount to gambling, and the employees would be the ones dealing with the consequences.
It’s clear to see that in other countries, the “no tipping” system is working. The practice ensures that employees are paid a consistent amount without being subjected to customer opinions or surviving on an unstable income.
The U.S. can’t keep relying on a system created to underpay workers. Restaurants that choose fair wages deserve our support.
