Here’s a revolutionary idea for bars and restaurants: ban tipping and instead pay your staff a living wage.
As one (of many, I suspect) uncomfortable with the whole notion of tipping , I would much prefer to eat or drink at such places. Why should someone’s ability to make a living depend on the chance generosity of customers?
The [US] minimum wage for those who earn gratuities is just $2.13 an hour, and while restaurant owners are supposed to make up the difference if tips don’t bring their wages to the $7.25 minimum wage everyone else works for, many of them don’t. Meanwhile, a new survey from vouchercloud found that while 20 percent is considered a typical tip, three-quarters of restaurant goers say they tip less than that, with 11 percent leaving nothing at all. Little wonder that the poverty rate for restaurant workers is nearly triple that of everyone else.