Have you ever felt pressured to tip a restaurant much more than you were willing to leave? Know a place that requires a minimum tip? Not everyone likes this system and it has nothing to do with cheap.
The headlines are once again the scourge of our American tipping culture. This time it led to a lawsuit. Before we get into the story and how it relates to you, let’s think about something. How many of you are old enough to remember when the accepted tip was 15%? it is.
These days, most hardworking servers don’t even set minimum wages, so our tips understandably help support this. To reinforce this, some restaurants print suggestions on receipts for how much to tip. Some of you have seen them. They have been nominated as Guides for the 21st Century and look something like this:
22% = $9.90
20% = $9
15% = $6.75
For example, 15% is the norm for poor to fair service, 18-20% for average and 22% (25% for some companies) for excellent service. Marcel Goldman disputes a “recommended tip” exercise at Cheesecake Factory restaurants based on his experience with a $38.50 bill.
In his lawsuit, he claimed that $38.50 represented his share of the split bill, but the coupon proposal resulted in him tipping him 40%. This is because tip amounts are calculated based on the grand total and not their share.
Mr. Goldman received a receipt with a suggested tip between $11.50 and $16.94. He chose to give the recommended 20% discount, which is $15.40.
you do the math What is 20% of $38.50? mm hair. $7.70. The amount has doubled! The case was filed as a class action to address the issue across the chain. Listen to the video to hear the restaurant’s response to the practice.
As this story gained more attention, others have noticed similar practices. Things get tricky when restaurant accounts are disabled. very far.
Many people take the recommended receipt tip right in front of them and are happy to pay for it. It saves time banging on your phone to calculate or calculate in your head. Or just join because you appreciate the server. Just look at this example posted on social media:
If you’re relying on printed suggestions rather than your math skills, it may be time for a change. While it’s up to you what percentage you want to use, run the numbers yourself.
Be careful when splitting the bill so that not everyone ends up paying double the recommended amount. It could end up costing another meal!
If you choose to waive a credit card tip, make sure to put a line in the tip box on your receipt so that no one can tip and bill you for it. Sorry, it’s a beautiful world we live in.
