Tipping is deeply rooted in the restaurant industry. It’s seen as a way to help out servers and show your appreciation for theirwork. But, this practice that began in the 1800s has now warped into something almost unrecognizable where people are often damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
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Dawn Montgomery explained that she had taken her family out for dinner to an Applebee’s in Laurel, Mississippi
Before they even sat down to eat, Melissa, the waitress, shared that she was new and anxious about waiting on a large group. Dawn’s family was patient with her, and she decided to leave a $150 tip for Melissa. Usually, businesses love it whencustomers leave tipsfor their waitstaff since it helps them get away with not paying their employees well. But this time, the Applebee’s manager had a lot to say.
The manager said that he would have to call corporate and confirm if they could “accept the tip amount,” which is why he also made Dawn sign the bill and leave her contact information
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“No one else in the restaurant wanted to wait on a party of 10-14 black people”
Discrimination towards black diners is far more common than one would imagine
It might be shocking to know that nearly one-third of the waitstaff at restaurants discriminate againstAfrican-American customers. They might ignore black diners, make them wait longer, and provide them with overall poor service. A study on this found that waiters mistakenly perceive African-American customers to be poor tippers or impolite, which is why they engage in such discriminatory practices.
It’s not just servers who hold these biases; one look at the comment section below Dawn’s post would show that other people also believe theseracist stereotypes. The problem with these perceptions is that they can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the waitstaff is treating a black family badly, then the customer might tip badly, therefore reinforcing the server’s idea.
Another topic that people began discussing due to Dawn’s post wastipping culture. Although the poster was feeling exceptionally generous and left behind a tip that was over 50% of the bill, around 29% of Americans see tipping as an obligation. A survey also found that 40% of people don’t like it when businesses suggest tip amounts to their customers.
To understand more about this phenomenon,Bored Pandareached out toStephen Zagor, a consultant and educator who focuses on restaurants and the food business. He has extensive knowledge of the culinary industry and specializes in the business side of food enterprises. He explained that “tipping is based mostly on our emotional feelings at the dreaded moment of having to actually pay for the hopefully fun experience we just had.”
Image credits:Mike Kalasnik (not the actual photo)
Stephen Zagor explained a bit more about tipping culture stating that “tips in most states are an important part of the compensation, usually 15% is low up to 20%. A lower tip than 15% would be in the dreaded horror dining experience when all goes off the rails. Tipping is in our culture because it gives the diner a final bit of financial control to show our judgment of the experience.”
But, the reason why some people are just tired of paying tips is because of something calledtipflation. It’s the phenomenon of constantly being asked to leave a tip even in places where it shouldn’t be expected, likeself-checkout kiosks. People are tired of being hounded to pay extra money on top of their bills. In fact, folks would be more likely to be generous if it was a choice, rather than a guilt trip or an obligation.
Stephen shared his perspective on the manager’s reaction. He said: “from the restaurant’s view, management lets the customer help pay part of the cost of labor. As a former restaurant owner, if I saw a 50% tip on my employee check, I would love to hear why the experience was so great and what the server did for that to happen. Also sometimes a large tip can indicate a server was giving away food and the customer was ‘rewarding’ that bit of questionable conduct.”
It’s also possible that that’s one of the reasons why themanagermade such a fuss about the money. All in all, Dawn’s family just wanted to enjoy a lovely dinner and be nice to their server. Instead, they were subjected to intense and unpleasant questioning.
What do you think about the situation? Have you ever experienced anything like this?
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