A few weeks ago, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, through a promotional video, called for “leaving tips again” in bars and restaurants in the capital because she assured that this is what allows professionals in the sector to fulfill their “small dreams and illusions”. The truth is the initiative was poorly received by the whole of Spanish society, which considers that waiters should not live on charity. The reality is very different in other countries.
The issue of tips has returned to debate this weekend as a result of a viral post on Twitter in which an American waitress remarked: “We have to ban Europeans from traveling until they know how to behave.” She used those words because in the bar where she works, a group of Spanish clients left a $70 tip for a $700 account.
“I hate fucking Europeans sometimes”, said in another post. “This table just left $70 on a $700 bill after relaxing for hours. My manager even asked them about the service and they said they were ‘over the moon’ so I explained that the usual tip is 20% and that it was like “ok” and they left”.
we need to ban europeans from traveling here until they learn how to act https://t.co/D0wRzkKjFa pic.twitter.com/SAvJupH2wG
—brecht apologist (@madison_tayt) March 20, 2023
Tipping is one of the most controversial and different cultural customs among world civilizations. To tip or not to tip? That is the question. But the problem is another: whatever you do, you feel guilty. In the United States, tipping at a restaurant is not even negotiable. Leaving 15-20% of the value of a meal is almost an imposition since it often makes up the bulk of a waiter’s salary.
And it is a subject that makes any client tremble. First, because there is a gigantic lack of knowledge, and second, because it is something that embarrasses one publicly. In Spain they are volunteers, a gesture of gratitude for the service received. But there are many differences depending on the country you are in.
A cultural and economic shock
In Asia, for example, it is a practice that is highly frowned upon and considered in bad taste. In fact, in Japan they have a word, omotenashi, which means giving the best customer service for nothing. In other countries such as France, Germany or the Netherlands they are mandatory. In some cases, it’s even a service included in the account, which you can’t get rid of. But where more controversy converges is in the United States, where tips are a significant increase in wages of the waiters and waitresses.
First of all, where does this habit come from? Interestingly it was a European tradition. It is estimated that they originated in England in the 16th century, when guests left money for their hosts’ employees, to compensate for the additional work they generated. An anonymous English book from 1795 details: “If a man with his horse lodges in an inn, in addition to paying the bill, he must give at least one shilling to the waiter and sixpence to the maid, the stable boy and the shoeshine boy, which that adds half a crown”.
Returning to the United States, there they consider that taking more care in cafes, restaurants or bars is better, it will guarantee them a tip, since the minimum wages are especially low. The problem arises when the Spanish (and some Europeans) arrive in the North American country and find some surprises in the accounts, such as the service concept. While the Spanish feel proud to leave four duros, for the Americans it is an aberration. The difference that the tip is to leave “loose” that we take to be the standard way of paying.
Just like a user commented in the viralized publication: “I’m sorry to say that it seems much more reasonable to pay what everyone considers a tip if they liked the service and how they treated them. If employees depend on tips to make their salary decent, the problem is the entrepreneur, not the consumer”. another added: “The issue of tips in the United States is total nonsense. A system based on the client paying the salary of the waiters instead of the boss himself”.
And the dilemma now looms larger as tipping is becoming more widespread, with the highest bills coming from businesses where tips have never been offered before. In fact, experts talk about a phenomenon called “tip fatigue”, a scenario in which customers, affected by high inflation and the economic crisis, no longer know where to tip or how much.
The guilt factor
With the advent of digital payment screens, the crossroads where one finds oneself is even more stressful. Now, when you pay for food or a coffee, some establishments have incorporated a touch screen into the same dataphone that has some suggested tip amounts, usually 10%, 15% or 20%although there is also usually an option to leave a personalized tip or not leave directly.
This has created totally desperate situations. First, because the employee is in front of you, looking questioningly at which button you press. And second, because the rest of the customers in the queue are also behind, looking out of the corner of their eyes at the amount you leave. And that affects your decision. It seems a somewhat unfair system, where the guilt factor is predominant. And this has ended up creating a tipping habit that is somewhat different from the one that existed years ago, without clear rules.
It should also be noted that the pandemic has accelerated this phenomenon, at a time when customers were encouraged to leave more generous tips to keep establishments safe. According to data from Square, tips for restaurants increased 25% compared to the previous year, while tips at fast food restaurants increased 17%.
But the problem, in the end, is labor. The hospitality industry itself is experiencing mass resignations recently in a growing tendency to abandon the most precarious jobs. We at Magnet have talked about it. What is unsustainable is that a person’s salary depends on tips and not on the base salary in their contract. And in this, without a doubt, we Spaniards are not at fault.
Image: Twitter | Unsplash
In Magnet | Mr. Rosa has won the argument: goodbye to tips for waiters in several US states