Readers are fed up with 'ridiculous' tipping culture (2024)

Readers Say

"I would much rather the companies pay their employees the $15 minimum and we eliminate tipping completely."

By Zipporah Osei

January 2, 2024

If you’ve found yourself hesitating when it comes time to leave the tip, you aren’t alone. Tipping has been a feature of the American service industry since the 1800s, but recently, customers feeling the pinch of “tipflation” want the service industry to rely less on tips and more on higher wages for workers.

We asked our readers how they felt about the current tipping expectations and most agreed things have gotten out of hand. Of the 213 readers polled, 62% said Massachusetts should raise the tipped minimum wage. Thirty-six percent said they don’t tip at quick service restaurants. Some readers are so fed up, they want to opt out entirely.

“Being asked to tip when only having my items rung up is ridiculous.Unfortunately, being asked to tip everywhere lowers how much I tip at full-service places where people are paid the lower service rates. I am a 25 to 30% tipper on meals, shrinking back to 20 due to constantly being asked. I’m done with tipping everywhere. If you are paid more than minimum wage and you aren’t cleaning my hotel room, in the beauty business, or my Uber driver. No more tips,” Jennifer from Groton told Boston.com.

While most Massachusetts residents are generous tippers at restaurants, more people are growing frustrated with the number of businesses where they’re expected to do so.

The majority of Americans (72%) say tipping is expected in more places than it was five years ago, according to Pew Research Center. And Bankrate’s annual tipping survey found that 66% of Americans now view tipping negatively.

During the pandemic, customers were more inclined to tip essential workers of all kinds. And, wanting to stick to COVID protocols, more businesses adopted digital tipping technology to limit the amount of interactions between workers and customers. As a result, payment apps like Square and Toast have become ubiquitous, along with default tipping and hidden fees.

As a service worker, Terry from Brookline said they’re appreciative of tips from customers and tip at least 20% wherever they go, but they’re just as uneasy about digital tipping as everyone else.

“I do think that employers need to ultimately take responsibility to ensure a living wage for their employees,” they said. “That said, I work in the service industry as well and know how hard the work is so I’m happy to tip in appreciation. I’m slightly leery about digital tipping. How much of that tip actually makes it to the person making or serving the food?”

Many restaurant workers in Massachusetts earn the state’s “service rate” of $6.75 an hour, but a proposed ballot question could raise the tipped minimum wage to $15.

Sixty-two percent of Boston.com readers are in favor of the proposal, arguing that the solution to “tipflation” is for employers to pay workers a livable wage rather than have their employees rely on tips. Kimberly L., a server from Franklin, said customers should remember that restaurant work is hard and should be compensated accordingly.

“I believe we do deserve $15 an hour and to keep our tips. I have worked many long and tiresome days, double shifts just doing side work all day, waiting for tables to make my money. I have worked every single holiday away from my family to please others. At the end of the night, we are tipping out bartenders, food runners, and bussers. Most of the time we are cleaning our own tables and running our food. There are days you go in for a double shift just to make $200 or $300. Your body is sore and tired from standing all day long,” she said. “Yes, it’s about time we get taken care of for sure!”

Some readers have resigned themselves to the current reality of dining out, even if it irks them. In fact, the majority of readers (72%) are still tipping at least 20% at full-service restaurants.

“It’s a dumb system that we would not accept in other professions, so why for food service? That being said, if you don’t like paying a tip, it’s not the server’s fault that this system is in place, so either tip 20% or eat and drink at home,” said Steve from Dorchester.

Below you’ll find responses from readers sharing their thoughts on “tipflation” and raising the tipped minimum wage.

Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Has tipping culture gotten out of control?

‘Enough is enough’

“Having worked in the service industry for a number of years, I understand and value the act of getting and giving a tip. I cannot stress how many times I knew I gave above-par service and yet someone barely tipped me 12%. On the other hand, the idea that I have (or am at least asked) to leave a tip after every little thing I buy is becoming ridiculous. During the height of the pandemic, I understood as not everyone was going out and buying things as much. Now that things are (relatively) back to normal, tipping for every service needs to start dying down.” — Jenny, Quincy

“I have no issues whatsoever tipping servers at full-service restaurants. Even if their wages are increased to the state minimum wage of $15 an hour, I will continue to tip good servers for doing a good job. That being said, the idea that we are having tablets flipped over asking for tips at coffee shops, fast food locations, retail shops, ice cream shops, and others, is where things have gone wrong. If an employee is already being paid a fair wage to pour a coffee or scoop an ice cream cone, then there is absolutely no need for tipping nor should there be an expectation from these workers for anything more than what they are already being paid to do that job. Enough is enough.” — Justin, Groton

“Coming from a home where my mom depended on tips (as a hairdresser), to make ends meet, I have always considered tipping for good service a must-do. I am also a generous tipper, always tipping more than the industry standard and always giving the service provider the benefit of the doubt when service is poor. However, I do feel the tipping culture has gotten out of control on both sides. I don’t think an establishment should automatically add a minimum tip without notifying customers beforehand (though it makes sense at restaurants for extra large groups). I feel many patrons have become unreasonably demanding and rude.” — LBW, Worcester

‘Pay people a decent wage and be done with it.’

“The restaurant owners should pay their employees just like in every other business. Not make them dependent on the kindness of strangers. This guilting of consumers to pay a backdoor tax on every purchase is totally out of control.” — Steve, Arlington

“Just pay the workers a reasonable wage. Most other countries don’t tip because they care about their service industry and compensate them accordingly. It should be just like any other job.” — Steph, Somerville

“Yes, tipping culture is out of control. It used to be you tipped the restaurant staff at sit-down restaurants, for a haircut, and your paperboy. Now it seems every checkout has a tip option presented. Forget about trying to use any service Uber, Doordash, etc. without tipping. It is not only expected, but it seems mandated. I would much rather the companies pay their employees the $15 minimum and we eliminate tipping completely. Like is done in Europe.” — John, Woburn

“Pay people a decent wage and be done with it. I don’t want to count on my fingers or fiddle with my phone to calculate a tip. Just be a decent person and pay people a decent wage.” — Jacob, Plymouth

“Yes, and I used to work in the food service industry (decades ago). I think the wages should be commensurate with minimum wage and we can start to divest ourselves of this insane trend (up and up and up).” — Davis C., Somerville

‘I can say with confidence that tipping has not gotten out of hand’

“Been working in restaurants for most of my adult life and I can say with confidence that tipping has not gotten out of hand in Massachusetts and there is no need to raise the current Massachusetts server minimum wage to $15 per hour.

“Servers in Massachusetts are blessed with a well-educated, well-skilled, very knowledgeable, and very generous customer base that knows how to tip. I’ve worked in restaurants in the Midwest, on the West Coast, and down South, where the customer base lacks these basic traits. If a server is under-tipped here in the Bay State, it is most often deserved from poor service. And when that’s the case, it’s a ‘wake-up call’ to the server to find a new line of employment.

“Further, the basic economics of raising the server pay rate to $15 per hour just doesn’t work, at least not in current Massachusetts restaurant budgets. Raising the server pay rate increases costs to the restaurant which means prices to the customer must be increased, to offset said cost. Higher prices will ultimately drive business away and, in the end, no one wins.

I currently work at a restaurant in the metro Boston suburbs where I earn about $1,000 per week during a regular 40-hour work week. That’s $25 per hour. Add the current server base pay rate of $6.75 per hour and I’m earning a total of $31.75 per hour. If I can’t make a living on $31.75 per hour in Massachusetts then I need to find a new line of employment or a new state in which to live.” — Tommy Z.

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.