Hey Folks!
I’ve been living abroad for over half my life in a country where tipping is not the norm. At most you would round up. 19€ bill? Here’s a 20, keep this change.
Going to the US soon to visit family and the whole idea of tipping makes me nervous. It seems there’s a lot of discussion about getting rid of tipping, but I don’t know how much has changed in this regard.
The system seems ridiculously unfair, and that extra expense in a country where everything is already so expensive really makes a difference.
So will AITA if I don’t tip? Is it really my personal responsibility to make sure my server is paid enough?
IMO you can opt out of the “tip at register” sort of stuff if you want. But if a waiter is coming to your table to take your order, bring your food, refill your drinks, etc. Then you really should tip 15%. Waitstaff generally are paid less than minimum wage and it’s because of tipping culture.
Here is a source on what they are paid by state. The 2.13/hr states are the ones you really should tip.
https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/minimum-wage-tipped-employees-by-state/