Tipping in the US is a highly controversial issue because it appears everywhere and the amount that must be tipped is increasing, making many people furious as they have no other choice in every order.
In addition, servers also have to rely on tips to make ends meet, resulting in this issue being even more controversial.
Waitress left people stunned after revealing a truth about the tip in the US
Recently, a waitress from Tennessee revealed in her TikTok video that she had to pay the restaurant herself due to a poor tip, leaving her viewers shocked.
"Off of my gross sales, I have to pay six percent of that to the host, bartenders, kitchen staff, other support staff, food runners, like people in the restaurant that are helping to make the restaurant happen, I pay them," Savannah said.
"Why the restaurant doesn’t pay them? Why restaurants don’t pay all of their staff appropriately? I don’t have the answer to that."
The waitress continued by saying that she would have to pay $6 of the $100 in food and drink that she would sell to a table to other staff in the restaurant.
"So hopefully on that $100 bill I get a $20 tip (that’s 20 percent) and then I would only make $14 because the $6 goes towards the rest of the team.
"If I had a table that I served and their check was $100 and they do not tip me at all. [...] I have to reach into my pocket, money that I’ve already made that day or money that I have yet to make, and still give it back to the restaurant to pay the rest of the staff," she explained.
Following her revelation, many expressed outrage and dubbed this rule 'wild'
It's not wrong to not tip, it's wrong for restaurants not to pay their staff and to make staff pay staff. As a Brit this is absolutely wild, one user said.
why are we blaming the guest and not the owner of the restaurant?! The second asked.
I'm intrigued, if everyone just stopped tipping overnight, would restaurants just turn into takeout, or would they start paying employees properly, another suggestion.
I've never heard it explained this way. It's your Govt that is to blame. So glad that in Australia a tip is a BONUS for great service not an expectation bc of a messed up system, someone wrote.
How much is the minimum hourly wage for a server in the US?
In the United States, the federal minimum hourly wage is set at $7.25 per hour.
However, for workers in roles where they have the opportunity to earn tips, such as servers in the restaurant industry, the minimum wage is significantly lower at $2.13 per hour.
This lower minimum wage for tipped workers is based on the presumption that tips will make up the difference, effectively ensuring that their total earnings meet or exceed the standard minimum wage.
The reliance on tip for servers becomes vital due to this lower base wage
It is expected that the tips received by servers will compensate for the $5.12 difference between the tip and the regular minimum wage.
In reality, servers often rely on tips to make their income livable and to meet their financial needs.
However, it is important to note that tipping practices and amounts can vary widely among individuals and regions. While some customers may tip generously, others may tip less or even not tip at all.
The tipping situation in the US
The tipping system in the US is a topic of ongoing debate, and many service workers have turned to social media to shed light on how it functions.
Unlike in countries like England and Australia, where tips are often viewed as additional income for staff, in America, tips play a crucial role in making a server's salary livable. This is because the hourly rate they receive from the restaurant is typically so low.
In the United States, it is customary for customers to leave a gratuity, usually a percentage of the total bill, as a way to directly compensate the server for their service.
The argument for the tipping system in the US is that it allows for flexible compensation based on the quality of service provided.
Proponents argue that it encourages servers to provide excellent customer service and allows them to earn higher wages based on their performance.
However, the system has its critics as well. Some argue that it places an unfair burden on customers to determine the income of service workers and that it perpetuates wage inequality within the industry.
There are also concerns about the inconsistency of tips and the potential for bias in tipping practices.
