For the article:
And more letters:
What prompts you to roll your eyes, wmj? The restaurants’ new practice, or the responses to it?
The practices, namely expecting a tip in some of those circumstances, like ordering a Diet Coke at Dodger Stadium.
That reminds me of last year when I saw a football game at SoFi Stadium. I bought a $11 bag of popcorn from a guy selling them in the concourse. I walked up to him, and he only had to hand me a bag. Of course he said a tip would be greatly appreciated. I did not leave one.
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If it doesn’t warrant it I don’t feel guilty about not tipping. I tip my waitress, bartender, barber, stripper, Uber driver and a few others. I’m not tipping at a drive thru or walk up counter.
IMO services fees are bullshit, just increase prices to pay for what they cover. I don’t have a problem with a gratuity added to parties of 6 or more as long as it’s clearly indicated on the menu or explained to the customer before they order. A restaurant we frequent in Florida has a buy an entree, get an entree deal in the slow season but clearly states an 18% gratuity will be added and calculated based on the price if you paid for both entrees. The waitress also explains that and points it out on the menu. IMO that’s fair and I would tip based on that anyway.
During covid I would tip often. But if I am standing in line to pay for something I ordered online, I no longer feel a need to tip. I WILL tip if I order a fru fru coffee, but not if it’s just a drip coffee.
Update: Last night my family and I went to a minor league baseball game where they had a fireworks show afterwards. Three times I went to buy food or drinks. I stood in line, got to the front, ordered, was handed my food, and then given the option to tip when I paid. I did not tip any time. I found it especially insulting when I ordered two bottles of water at $5 each. Sorry, handing me a bottle of overpriced water does not justify any tip.
Oh, and I got an e-mail yesterday prior to the game. Mostly it was about how the game was sold out and recommending how to get in and out, but one little tidbit stood out: the stadium is now a cash-free facility. In other words, you have to pay with a credit card or debit card, which of course means they will be asking every single paying customer whether they want to tip.
For the good news, before we went there we went to Costco and got a bite to eat there too. There were no tip jars at the Costco food court, nor was there an option to tip when we paid with a credit card. I am going to add the Costco food court to Wal-Mart greeters and McDonald’s of my places where I say - only half-sarcastically now - I wonder how long it will be before they are asking for tips too.
YOu are becoming a crotchety old man WMJ. Welcome to the club
Former CHB poster Robertpri once said that the older you get the less you care about whether you piss people off. I can definitely relate to that.
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Yeah, the “add tip” is annoying, especially when the employee is looking at you sign the screen. Food trucks and my local microbrewery have that, I have no problem checking “none” and moving on. My local microbrewery doesn’t have waitresses, you go up to the counter, order, pay and go back to your table with your beer. If I sit at the bar I’ll tip the bartender, but not if I get my own.
My guess is they will guilt some (maybe a lot of) people to tip if they give you sad puppy dog eyes when you’re paying.
A few times when I have been in a good mood I would add a tip and they would thank me. I later had second thoughts. At this point, unless I am in a really good mood, I am not tipping if I have to have to stand to order. If anybody tries to guilt me, I am inclined to tell them to forget about the order and leave.
The one time that I have second thoughts is when a place like that actually does come to your table and check on you. My son and I went to a pizza place we had not been to in a while. You ordered at the counter and paid in advance, and of course it gave you the option to leave a tip. I left a small one. Later the guy did come to our table a few times asking us if we wanted refills or needed anything more. Had we paid before leaving, they may have gotten a larger tip. Then again, I am sure there is security from their end to have payment in hand before preparing the order too.
And, for the latest on Jon and Vinnys:
Nearly two weeks after former servers at Jon & Vinny’s filed a class-action lawsuit against the popular Italian American restaurant, alleging that the establishment violated California gratuity laws, the restaurant changed the language tacked on to the end of customer bills regarding its 18% service fee.
At the bottom of customers’ checks, it now reads: “The service charge is not a tip or gratuity, and is an added fee controlled by the restaurant that helps facilitate a higher living base wage for all of our employees. Please scan the QR Code at the top of the receipt for additional information, or speak with a manager.”
Unless that 18% service charge was prominently displayed for anybody to see prior to ordering and I knew about it in advance, I would not be adding a tip after seeing that on my bill.
On a related note, one place I can respect is a local place that has a note that they add a 15% gratuity onto the bill. We went there and I saw that up-front and still ordered. My attitude is that if a place adds an automatic gratuity, that is all they are getting and I am not tipping any more on top of it. However, when I got the receipt the part to add a tip had been blacked out. Apparently they thought the same way I did.
Edit: The online menu has this note at the bottom. I wonder what the physical menu looks like, though I don’t plan on dining there, so I guess I will never know. 
They should just increase the prices accordingly. If I’m dining out I’ll add 20% for a tip when the bill comes, I’m not adding 18% AND a 20% tip. They should just raise the prices and stop being weasels about it.
It’s like when car dealers advertise a brand new Toyota Corolla LX for $19,999 and there’s an asterisk that says plus some bullshit protection package or other dealer installed crap that’s mandatory on every car.
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