Tell us: Has tipping culture gotten out of control?
A proposed ballot question could raise the tipped minimum wage to $15.
Tipping has become a ubiquitous part of the dining experience, whether you’re eating in or having your meal delivered. Here in Massachusetts, diners are fairly generous tippers, but labor advocates, customers, and service workers alike say the current tipping culture needs an adjustment.
The majority of Americans (72%) say tipping is expected in more places than it was five years ago, according to Pew Research Center. You’ve likely noticed it yourself: Touch screen checkout tablets with default tipping options going as high as 30%, checks that come with the suggested tip already printed, and prompts that encourage you to fill out an amount if you try to leave no tip at all.
This is in part because many service workers rely on tips to make ends meet. Many restaurant workers in Massachusetts earn the state’s “service rate” of $6.75 an hour, under the presumption that tips from customers will make up the difference between that and the standard $15 minimum wage.
A proposed ballot question could raise the tipped minimum wage to $15, which proponents told the Boston Globe would help lower poverty rates for service workers and “make it more difficult for employers to commit wage theft.”
“There’s only one future to have a sustainable staff,” Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage, told the Globe. “and it’s to raise wages.”
Another potential benefit would be a “tipflation” reduction, which could be beneficial for Massachusetts residents especially. Most Americans tip below the industry standard of 20%, but Mass. residents tip above the national average of 18.9%. Bay Staters tip 19.2% at all restaurants that use the Toast payment system, according to Axios. At full-service restaurants, the average Massachusetts tip is 20.1%.
Whether they’re generous tippers or not, most Americans have come to expect tipping as part of their interactions with service workers, especially in the food industry. Ninety-five percent of respondents in Forbes poll said they tip at least sometimes and 76% said they tip always or often, with most tipping at least 15% percent.
But just because Americans are tipping consistently doesn’t mean they’re happy about it. Many find the current tipping culture excessive and believe it should be on employers, not patrons, to ensure workers get a decent wage.
We want to know: Do you think tipping has gotten out of hand? Are you tipping more or less than you have in previous years? Do you think the restaurant industry needs to change its approach to tipping?
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