General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Folks Who Work In Tipped Jobs Would Like You To Spend A Minute Looking At Something [View all]MrModerate
(9,753 posts)The notion that the owner of a business uses guilt to induce customers to volunteer the largest portion of an employee's compensation is flat-out nuts.
I currently live in a place where there is no tipping. It's just not done.
Instead, restaurant workers are paid a living wage (around USD 20/hour for a couple of years of experience, and going up from there). Also, workers enjoy a national single-payer health system, which relieves both restaurateur and employee of significant costs.
The per-plate prices are quite high (maybe 50% higher than equivalent urban US establishments), but the service is just fine. No one believes that tipping has any effect on quality of service.
(As a side note, most full-time jobs pay equitable wages, and yes, prices for everything are higher than the US. The trade-offs make it more than worth it.)
It's a much better system. Restaurant workers and their customers in the US should be agitating for the abolishment of tipping -- and its replacement with a living wage.
And ultimately, that would extend to all tipped workers.
Frankly, it's no more than the respect that capital owes labor.