The Tipping Debate – Part 2: When Does a Tip Stop Being a Reward?

The Tipping Debate · Part 2 · Read Part 1

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you already know that I spend a lot of time thinking about restaurants.

Recipes.

Kitchen equipment.

Restaurant design.

Financial planning.

Hospitality.

Every now and then, though, a topic comes along that has almost nothing to do with barbecue and everything to do with people.

Tipping is one of those topics.

I'll start with what may surprise some people.

Outside of restaurants, I think tipping has gotten out of control.

That's probably an odd statement coming from someone who plans to own a restaurant, but it's the truth.

If someone provides exceptional service, I enjoy rewarding exceptional effort.

To me, generosity isn't an obligation.

It's a privilege.

Unfortunately, that's what makes today's tipping culture so frustrating.

It seems like every payment screen asks for a gratuity.

Coffee shops.

Frozen yogurt.

Self-checkout kiosks.

Retail stores.

Takeout counters.

Places where the interaction lasted thirty seconds.

Sometimes the payment terminal asks for a tip before anyone has even done anything.

Eventually, even the most generous people begin asking themselves the same question.

What exactly am I tipping for?

That's not a complaint.

It's a legitimate question.

Somewhere along the way, we've blurred the line between recognizing extraordinary service and simply asking customers for more money.

Those aren't the same thing.

I don't believe every transaction deserves a gratuity.

I do believe extraordinary effort deserves recognition.

There's an important difference.

When someone goes beyond what you expected…

When they solve a problem…

When they make your day easier…

When they make an experience memorable…

I enjoy saying thank you in a tangible way.

That's what tipping has always meant to me.

But if every transaction becomes an opportunity to request another twenty or thirty percent, something changes.

Generosity begins to feel less like appreciation and more like expectation.

That's unfortunate, because I think genuine generosity is one of the better qualities people can have.

I don't want to stop being generous.

I simply want generosity to remain voluntary.

In the next article, I want to switch perspectives completely.

Because while I have concerns about tipping culture as a customer…

I've also spent enough time waiting tables to understand exactly why restaurants are different.

And I think that's a distinction worth exploring.