The tipping point.
Wow. So according to this article in the Post, Aquagrill tacked an 18% gratuity onto the tab of a party of four, simply because they were “foreign” and foreigners “don’t tip.” Yikes. Assuming it went down exactly as reported (it is the Post, after all) the incident was quite clearly discrimination and, according to the laws cited in the article, absolutely illegal. Certainly sounds xenophobic, and had the party involved been anything other than white, it could probably be labeled racist as well. And not that it even matters, but the man who was charged this “foreigner’s gratuity” is not even a foreigner–he’s a Manhattan resident!
Now in all fairness, Aquagrill responded appropriately, calling it an isolated incident of poor judgment on one manager’s part, immediately refunding the credit cards used to pay for the meal, and offering comped meals if the gents will only return to the restaurant and give it another go. Whether or not anyone would (or should) do so after such an incident is a matter of personal ethics (I think I probably would, but I’m a total whore when it comes to free food), but regardless, the whole thing brings up major questions regarding America’s tipping culture in a city that is supported by the tourism of non-Americans.
Like it or not, we live in a place where servers work exclusively for tips. Tipping is no longer a choice (was it ever?), but an obligation. Most of us accept this, plunk down our expected 18-20%, and get on with our lives. It’s part of the bill; part of what we expect to pay when we go out to eat and therefore part of what we budget for. (This is of course hotly debated by people who feel strongly that tipping is not an obligation, but a voluntary acknowledgement of good service. Fine. But that is not what’s at issue here.)
In a city like New York, the entire restaurant industry as we know it depends on travelers from all over the world who may or may not be acquainted with our tipping “rules.” And yet, the servers employed by that industry depend on the customer’s understanding and following of those very rules. So what recourse is there if a huge chunk of the players of the New York restaurant game refuse to play by its rules? Clearly, the solution chosen by Aquagrill in this particular instance was inappropriate. But is there an appropriate way to handle such a situation? Or do we just say “tough shit?” Tough shit to the servers–if they can’t make enough money at a particular place (i.e. one frequented by low-tipping tourists), then they can go work somewhere else. And then, tough shit to that particular restaurant, which now can’t employ good staff, purely because its customers refuse to “play by the rules.”
To what extent are these “rules” enforceable, and at what point do we overhaul the game?
I am an ex-waitress and I dealt with this issue often in my restaurant in the West Village–once I served a table of 6 Belgians (I knew this because it was a slow lunch and they had my full attention) who, after a dining experience that went perfectly (memorable for me because I was a terrible waitress) were preparing to leave without leaving a tip. My manager overheard them splitting the bill and there was no mention of gratuity–he went over and spoke to them and they basically threw a $20 in his face. So, I don’t know what kind of solution there is. That’s the risk you take when you work in the service industry. I went to a restaurant once where they printed an informative line on the bill saying “15% of your tab comes to $x dollars”, basically as an FYI. Maybe that should be something that’s done more widely.
This is a ridiculous trend that unfortunately is taking over the world. Instead of restaurants paying a good wage to its employees, diners are forced to tip because they HAVE to.
I’m proud to say I’ve only tipped a couple of times in the last few months (a few bucks at most), only because the service was outstanding. Of course, I don’t live in the US.
My wife and I dine often throughout NYC and I’m assuming heavy tippers (18%-20%). However, I can count on one hand where service was very good. Lately, we have noticed that more restaurants are putting on mandatory tipping for parties of four and it has happened once when there was the two of us. These are the places with the marginal service.
I hope this trend fades fast. I have no problem with a 18%-20% tip for fantastic service. I do have a problem with it automatically being added for parties of four or even two.
It seems that this is at least partially a function of the paper-thin margins in the NY restaurant arena. When rent and overhead are soooo high, it is difficult to pay employees top-dollar, so in big cities, wait staffs seem to get even less pay, and tipping is more integral. When I waited in Boston, I made $2.50/hr in pay. This is not the case at flagship places where food is so absurdly priced that it makes up for high overhead, but at a mid-line restaurant, they are just not going to get career servers… the economics aren’t there. I almost always tip at least 18%, but I also always complain about feeling obligated to do so. But you can’t order someone to pay tip! I always have a problem with the mandatory 18% for large parties, even with larger tables of 6 or 8. I think that no “tip” should be required, under any circumstance.
Chris, I love how you freely admit you are a free food whore! hahahahaha
1. A lot of foreigner’s don’t tip, and that’s a fairly discreet way of making them understand that it’s part of our culture. Even though we say it’s “suggested” it’s pretty much a given to us that a tip is required and not everyone will understand that.
2. Plenty of restaurants (mostly either touristy or more expensive places) add a required tip to the bill. I don’t know so much about the touristy places, but I know for the nicer restaurants, (ones that are pretty much on the same level as Agua Grill) they like to add 20%. I think 18% is a reasonable request for gratuity.
I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Obviously, the Post was just having a slow news day.
For those interested, an article in the New Yorker on the history of tipping in the US. Interesting stuff.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/050905ta_talk_surowiecki
“that’s a fairly discreet way of making them understand that it’s part of our culture.”
Yes, its also part of American culture to rip off tourists. 20% mandatory tip! What a ripoff! For that much, Id expect my shoes shined and my royal pe nis cleaned.
Why not raise food prices by x% amount, pay the workers x% amount more, and have a sign at the door saying no tips, they are included.