Sometimes, it's as painful as actually picking up the tab after eating at a restaurant. That is the post-meal ritual of calculating the tip, but such mental challenges could be a thing of the past if several experts have their way.
Vivian Giang, a reporter for businessinsider.com, recently published an article about tipping in restaurants in the United States, and several experts she spoke with agreed that it was time to do away with this social norm.
One of those she spoke with, Phoebe Damrosch, an author and former server, suggested that Americans should take a serious look at the European tipping system. In many European countries, tips aren't expected and servers are paid through their salaries.
"The service charge shifts the focus from the money to the experience," Damrosch said. "A waiter can worry about doing her job well; Making people happy at whatever price and pace they prefer."
The experts also said there's a concern that the American tipping system doesn't serve the consumer well because they might be rushed through a meal in order for restaurants to turn tables quickly for more tips. Or, that people of certain ethnic backgrounds might not receive the best service because of certain beliefs that they're miserly tippers.
Despite the suggestions, changing the tipping system might not happen soon. Restaurateur Danny Meyer said he tried the European way of handling gratuities but his staff did not go for it.
"I was troubled by the sense that the tipping system takes a big part of the compensation decision out of the employer’s hands," Meyer said.
