Ink Pen by Phil Dunlap for August 11, 2011

LOL! I like that one!

People who have worked for tips wind up being the biggest tippers. I used to drive delivery for a hamburger joint, and everyone there wanted to deliver to the strip joints. No, not for THAT reason. . . The girls would order a $3.50 hamburger, then tip the driver $5.00.

I live in Japan where tipping is simply not done. You just do not do it. Nobody does. Like the pig says, service charges are included in the food-drink prices. I like it that way.

I live in Japan as well, and a lot of places overseas strongly discourage tipping. Even if it isn’t included in the price, they pay the wait staff a decent wage, so tips aren’t needed to survive. Not the same situation in the U.S.

I like tipping, I always tip well to really show people how much I appreciate that they went above their job description.

Compare to the “phlegmaphobia” in today’s “The Duplex”.

Yeah - you see tipping came about because wait staff, bellhops etc. were often either paid below min wage or NOT at all. And if you ever saw a coffeehouse guitar or piano bar performer. Many times, they were gigging for the tip jar. So, it ain’t all gravy. Dudes…

i have never agreed with lower minimum wages for wait staff and the like. having to work for minimum wage is hard enough without having it lowered because “you get tips.” pay people a livable wage.

Yes, tipping is absurd, particularly when you base the tip on the amount of your tab. Does somebody who works in a restaurant where $100 tabs per person are common really work ten times as hard as somebody who works in a diner where a meal and a drink might cost $10?

I’m for the Japanese way… but only if there are fair wages!

Republican attitude.

All the staff should be paid a livable wage and not have to rely on tips. However, I think those who make the dining experience rewarding should be rewarded.The wait staff are the public relations of the restaurant, and if their efforts increase business and add value to the service, they deserve compensation, and the best way to compensate them is through tipping.The amount of feedback, incentive, and compensation for effort is built into the size of the tip. It shouldn’t be an entitlement, but it shouldn’t be deprived, either.

In Australia where I live people are paid a fair wage and people tip if they feel the person has given good service. It generally isn’t a percentage of the amount paid, more a rounding up. The company should pay the people what they are worth and that is at the very least enough to live off.I like the fact that I don’t have to work out how much to tip someone- going somewhere where then price isn’t clear because you have to add on a tip is annoying-particularly when you are looking to split then bill with your friends. I like the price clear.

I’m with the pig. Just charge me more up front, don’t make me feel obligated to pay your staff for you.