Comment by ndsipa_pomu

I don't mind casual tipping, but it seems to be "expected" in the USA and I've seen various criticisms of customers that don't leave tips (e.g. "the waiting staff need that money to survive"). It does seem wrong to me that some states can pay their staff less than minimum wage and I guess that tipping culture is so ingrained that even when staff are on minimum wage that they still get tips (seems fair to me as minimum wage shouldn't be the target, but merely a minimum).

I don't like the idea that a restaurant's service depends on tipping - I'd rather the restaurant ensures that their staff do their job well and not leave it up to me to determine whether the waiting staff should be paid more or less than the average amount (assuming I even know what the average amount should be).

> You can tip whomever you want — or not tip at all

In theory yes, but society has certain expectations (c.f. Mr Pink in Reservoir Dogs). I don't want to be considered rude or mean just because I'm used to tipping a certain amount and it's below what other people tip - I'm going out for a meal, not playing some ridiculous game. Also, it's not expected for people to tip other staff such as the dish-washer, the farm-hand who raised some of the produce, the accountant, the painter who redecorated a couple of years ago etc. You're being ridiculous if you think that kind of behaviour is common.

Service charges are very much like tips by another name except that there's no guessing about the amount (it's there on the menu before you order and on the bill at the end) and it doesn't bypass tax laws so the restaurant can't really game the system. The customer can't easily opt out which is why it's printed on the menus and if you think it's too much, then you go elsewhere (e.g. get a takeaway instead).

Your difficulty with not accepting tips was due to the strange U.S. tipping culture - I've seen some places just have a charity jar/box for unwanted tips.

(I have experienced U.S. tipping culture on a few holidays and it just seems bizarre and a bit backwards).

Reservoir Dogs tip scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4sTSIYzDIk