Food service is one of the largest industries in the economy today. Going out to eat is a cultural phenomenon, from sitting down for meals at restaurants or getting coffee with friends. But we don’t often acknowledge employees of food service. Is the customer “always right”? Even when someone demands 5 consecutive drink remakes or berates the waitress for a chef’s mistake? Our societal token of appreciation comes in an extra sum of money. Tipping is an established social exchange here in the US. However, there is growing discussion over whether tipping culture has converted from a practice of gratitude to a social expectation. Is this the case or is the economy straining people’s excess cash? What are the implications of tipping in the US right now and should it be a societal norm?
For employee of Ice Cream Shoppe in Yarmouth, Finley V., tipping is 100% conditional. “I think it depends on where you work,” she said. “I’ve worked at two ice cream places. In the first place, the ice cream was so expensive, that I thought that if you’re getting a tip, it’s like above and beyond. But where I work now, it’s so cheap, so to me, a 25 cent tip per person doesn’t seem above and beyond.”
Tipping as a practice seems almost trivial at first glance. However, when socioeconomic questions are raised, there are deeper implications. The location and income level of the customers at food services businesses actually really matter. When talking about her previous ice cream job, Finley commented on the ability of her customers to tip at her old job, Honeycone Ice Cream Social. “People would be surprised if you hit the no tip button because of the socioeconomics of the area around you,” Finley explained. “In [my previous job], I think it was harder to tip because it was so expensive. But if you were to go in to buy this [level] of expensive ice cream, you probably have the money to tip.” Finley also mentioned that at her new job, she gets nearly triple the customers than at her old job. But she’s making the same amount of money before because the tipping (and the ability to tip) at her previous job makes up the difference in customer numbers.
She also emphasizes that location really matters. The business she works for now, Ice Cream Shoppe, has 6 locations, all in Northern Maine. Finley says “in those areas, they barely tip, and it’s like $1 maybe, and it’s always in cash, in relation to Yarmouth, where people make more money … and we make much more money in tips.”
When asked whether tipping should be an automatic practice, however, Finley says “I think it’s definitely [only meant for] above and beyond.” She explains that “there are some orders where it will be a 15 person order and it’s very stressful and it’s me and three other people working, and the environment is stressful and everybody notices that. And If I’m working my butt off, taking your order and then [giving other people instructions] and you can see that, and you won’t even tip a dollar, I would honestly take disrespect to that… However, if you’re buying one ice cream and you don’t tip, I don’t care.”
And that’s where there is some contention between people within the industry. Jake is the general manager at The Holy Donut on Park Avenue in Portland. After working in the food service industry for almost 20 years, he has some perspective on how tipping as a social practice does and should work. “Tipping has always been a standard when going out to eat,” he says. “And from my experience, it’s always seemed, for the most part … automatic.” Jake does make some concessions: “I also think there is the societal pressure … to tip, compared to, you know, in Europe where it’s not a societal norm to tip your server. It’d actually be odd if you try to offer your server a tip. They get paid a more consistent hourly wage. So in some countries tipping is a thing, in some countries it isn’t.”
Jake, like Finley, works at what he calls a “quick service.” At the Holy Donut, the transaction is simple: the customer walks up to the register, orders, and receives their treat on the spot. Jake compares the transaction to that of a retail store: “[It’s] almost like a store where you go in and buy a shirt. And in that environment, we definitely never tip in America.” But it’s more complicated than that. When working at the register, Jake expects that the customer will tip. He delineates that “like most other food service establishments, we rely on tipping to support paying our employees.” He also mentions that hospitality is one of the key factors used to train employees at his workplace. Customers expect high quality service and a friendly atmosphere when they walk into the store. What makes The Holy Donut the place it is is the “positive environment” according to Jake. “That’s creating a good experience for the customer so they not only want to come back and enjoy our product, but they’ll also tip our employees generously because the services [and] the quality is good. So it’s kind of tied to our mission statement, to have the customer expect that good service and we deliver it, and then they tip well, and everybody’s kind of happy in that world.”
Tipping, like most aspects of the good and service industries, is transactional. It is an established social practice. But in today’s economy, that practice is shifting. People are more open to the discussion of whether they are willing to spend their extra money on an act of courtesy. Jake comments that “more than ever nowadays, people are open to talking about the idea of tipping as a whole, right? I think more than ever, you hear people be like, ‘We should just be paying these people more. Tipping’s annoying. I don’t want to have to do it. Let’s take out that social awkwardness of rewarding service. This person’s just doing a job.’”
And the discussion just becomes more resentful when money is tight. In the current economy of the US, the national inflation rate has accelerated from 2.7% to 2.9% over the summer, and people are starting to feel it. “I think it’s ultimately economy based,” Jake continues. “I think the vibe towards tipping really fluctuates with the economy that people are experiencing. Like, right now, I think people are pretty anti-tipping because everyone’s really tight on money. Things are expensive. There’s not excess to really go around to your barista for making a good latte.”
But as a community, even if there is an open culture of tipping, the anger that permeates throughout the economy reaches the barista. “People are very okay with hitting the no tip button,” says Finley. “Especially when I can visually see them do it.”
Finley also lends some insight to the type of people who do tip. “I don’t like talking about people’s appearances,” she prefaces. “I don’t think it’s fair. But you can tell when someone has a Gucci bag, or is very [well off]. And there’s other people … who don’t look as fortunate. And they kind of all do tip the same. I don’t see a person who’s really rich tipping me $10 because they have it … It’s always the 15%. And I would even go on to say that people who look more wealthy are more stingy with money.”
“And tipping culture for tourists is way different,” adds Finley. With Yarmouth’s annual spring Clam Fest, tourists come in from all over and even out of the state to visit the fair. “They will tip you a $10 bill for making a single ice cream, and that’s just regular.”
Whether tipping should be obligatory or not, it is a practice of kindness. Food service workers appreciate it because no matter the amount, a tip indicates that their customers care about them. “With our economy, to fill up my gas tank is the amount of money it takes for me to four hours,” Finley says. “So tipping matters and it makes a difference.”
Both Finley and Jake say that their experience in the food service industry has impacted their decision to tip others. “I’m much more sensitive to the thoughts of tipping someone may have,” says Jake. “I’ve made a living off of a tip-based role, so it obviously is going to impact me, and I’m going to have an emotional connection to what I think the importance of that is.” He also says that he likes tipping culture in society. “If someone’s going to be serving me food in their job, and I’m gonna go to a business and participate in that, I want to reciprocate back to the person, whatever their expectation [so] both of us are happy in that transaction.”
Finley sees tipping in a similar lens. “[Working in the industry] has made me realize that just $1 here and there in tipping adds up and it really does make a difference.” She elaborates that in her very first job, if she didn’t receive any tips, she wouldn’t even make minimum wage sometimes. “And that’s why it’s so important. In my opinion, the only time you really shouldn’t tip somebody is if they’re not doing anything. Like if you buy a water.”
As a society, tipping emerged the first time people had excess money to be able to reward another person. Today, our economy may not be designed to support this type of good will. However, the institution has become ingrained in US societal etiquette to a point that it cannot be derailed. So, it’s up to us as customers to use our discretion. Is it a necessary kindness or an expensive obligation? Sometimes, both can be true.