The ‘new normal’ of 25 percent gratuity is tough for foodies to swallow
At the conclusion of a fine meal with an old friend, we unfortunately had to do some math. We split the bill for sesame pockets, twice-cooked pork belly, spicy fish and silky tofu, and Tsingtao beers at a Chinese eatery in Aurora. I had to ask him how much he tipped.
“Five,” he said.
“Five percent?” I said, acting incredulous. “No,” he said. “$5, about 20 percent … maybe a little more.”
I had tipped exactly the same amount. You want to know why? Well, it wasn’t really for the food and service, although both were very good. We each tipped 20 percent because it was easy to figure out and it was the right amount so as not to feel too cheap or too generous.
This proves that 20 percent is the new 15 percent which means a 25 percent tip if the dinner is especially wonderful. It wasn’t so long ago that 15 percent was the expected gratuity. My kind, Depression-era mom objected to leaving even that much.
Just when I had it all figured out I hear that gratuities have been super-sized again. The word from both coasts is that 25 percent is the new 20 percent. Like the balsamic vinegar, gastropub and cupcake trends, this tip creep trend will inevitably reach Colorado.
A survey of folks who use the Zagat restaurant guides reveals that their average restaurant tip hit 19.2 percent in 2011, up from 18 percent in 2000. It should be noted that Zagat people are generally eating at chef-driven bistros, not Applebee’s. Even more telling is a recent Cornell University study of 9,000 credit card receipts. More than 37 percent of those customers put MORE than 20 percent on the tip line. Where will gratuity inflation end? At 30 percent? 40 percent? 50 percent?
My motivation to tip comes from cooking in a dozen Colorado restaurants before I started writing about food. While I sweated behind the line in the kitchen, I saw how hard waiters and waitresses sometimes work. These days a server typically gets only $2 to $3 hourly — $2.13 is the federal minimum for tipped workers. That money typically disappears to cover taxes. They live on the tips.
I learned a lot about tipping during the eight years I was a paid, anonymous dining critic. One of my great joys was tipping with the publisher’s money, happily rewarding servers who upgraded my dining experiences with their attention, energy and charisma. When the service was transparently, intentionally lousy, I couldn’t tip well when I was giving the waiter a C- grade. What I found was that the service was the best at the finest and most expensive eateries and at the least expensive, modestly decorated ethnic eateries.
It’s a myth that tipping gets you better service unless it’s an eatery you frequently visit. We tip because it makes us feel good about ourselves and don’t want anyone to think we’re cheap.
I think people who quibble and tip on the pre-tax amount are skinflints. As for people who “don’t believe in tipping,” they shouldn’t be allowed to dine except at vending machines.
Beyond gratuity inflation, I object to the fact that we are being asked to tip in so many more situations.
I can never figure out how to tip at fast-casual eateries like Smashburger. You pay at the counter, get your own drink, and the staff drops off the food. Is that worth 5 percent or maybe 10 percent? The same conundrum applies to picking up takeout food. Then there is the morally questionable oxymoron “automatic gratuity” for large tables.
Worst of all is the plague of tip jars everywhere but the dentist’s office. The other day I was standing at the counter of my favorite bakery waiting for my rye raisin to be sliced. I couldn’t miss the large “GIVE US A TIP, WE KNEAD THE DOUGH!” sign.
Sigh.
It was great bread, but it already had a hefty price tag for a small loaf. All the counter person did was slice and bag it. Did I really have to tip?
Naturally, I caved. I tossed the change in the jar and walked away feeling if not better, than at least not bad.
It was like getting a “Get Out of Guilt Free” card. n
John Lehndorff is the Colorado Table editor and the former dining critic for the Rocky Mountain News.