To Tip Or Not

I’ve been in many discussions about tipping servers in bars and restaurants and it quickly became evident to me that this is very much a hot button topic.  I’m not against tipping, I tip for good service, but I also don’t like going into a place where tips are expected.  It annoys me when the debit machine gives me a tip option with actual percentages to choose from.  This feels a lot like shaming people into tipping or tipping more than they really want to.  There are three definitive groups, those that tip, those that don’t, and those that rely on tips to supplement their incomes and all have valid points in the ongoing argument to tip or not.  The only argument I’ve heard that really doesn’t make any sense is “if you can’t afford to tip your server then you shouldn’t be going out for dinner”.  Really?  I like the idea of tip pools that ensure everyone from the servers to the dishwashers and kitchen staff receive a portion of the tips.  What I don’t agree with is the way many of these tip pools are set up where each server tips out a percentage of the sales they made.  This means if one server gets a number of tables that don’t tip it actually costs them money to work that shift because they still have to tip out at the end of it.  This is one of those discussions that will never have everyone in agreement and will continue to ignite arguments forever.  Whatever your stance is on tipping remember to be kind to the servers who are just doing their job and hoping they don’t end up paying to work there.