The UK and USA have utterly
different attitudes towards tipping restaurant staff.
It highlights the blatant
divergences between the two nations even when people assume they are the same.
In the UK, servers are paid a wage
they can live on. This means tips are a reward for good service rather than an
obligation, showing the server how much they were appreciated (especially when
a large tip is provided). A family might have enough money to treat their kids
to a meal out but not enough to provide a tip. Even withholding a £2 tip can
buy your children their fruit for the week so being free to not pay a tip can
make a major difference.
However, in the USA, servers need
tips to survive, making tips not just an expectation but an obligation. It
causes issues when a tip’s not given, even when the service provided is poor.
So
customers have to not only pay for the product but also the employees’ wages. I’m
not the employer so it shouldn’t be my responsibility to pay the employees. This
happens in no other industry. Whether you buy a shirt, go to the gym or have a
window fitted, the price is for both service and pay package.
Why an
employer wouldn’t pay their employees a decent wage is beyond me. If you give
them enough money to live, they’ll be more willing to work for you which will
promote more productivity.
Further, if
your employees need a second job to survive, they’ll be less available and have
less energy to work for you. This will make them more tired, less productive
and more prone to mistakes. Plus you’ll have to put more people on your payroll
to fill in the gaps. It would be cheaper to pay fewer people decently rather
than more people improperly.
To be clear, I’m not against
tipping: I’m against it being a necessity when it doesn’t need to be.
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