So what has happened for employees in the food service and hospitality industry to think that everyone has the right to ask for tips? More frequently, we are starting to see tip jars in pizzerias, food kiosks, cafeterias and other places, and it is sitting as well with me as “nuclear meltdown” strength chicken wings with blue cheese dressing and grapefruit juice. We do not feel obligated to tip the sales person when we buy clothing, cars, cell phones or any other item so what makes food apparently so special?

We have to appreciate that food service workers in most cases are underpaid, overworked and subject to crazy schedules and unreasonable working conditions and customers. That may be so, but most employees are in that field by choice, either as a profession or as a stopping ground before moving on to something else. The last time anyone noticed, most prison terms or work-release programs do not mandate kitchen work as part of their sentences.

What is most concerning is that the fast food chains will at some point start a mandate to have us pay an additional service charge on top of the already outrageous price for food of questionable quality. Are they not making enough profit already? Are we, the consumer, to be blamed if chain restaurant workers aren’t paid enough? It is definitely a sign, apparently in this day and age, that employees need to be bribed in order to provide good customer service. Perhaps it is rather a sign that human nature is indeed ultimately more about being lazy and greedy.

Originally, as everyone knows, tips were derived from British pubs that had a jar with signs that read, “To Insure Promptitude”. The original idea was that the customer put money in ahead of time to guarantee good service from staff. Slowly the process evolved into a “thank you” gift, and now into the 21st century, it has apparently turned out to become extortion to ensure that some emotionally challenged waiter or waitress doesn’t spit in your food or ignore you the next time you try to dine at your favourite restaurant. Examples, both good and bad, justified and not, can be found a several food service websites or simply in the local newspaper occasionally. If for nothing else, some of the stories are just hilarious demonstrating how low in depth both patrons and staff can sink in their rude, petty selfishness.

Tipping is an established component of dining and an important way of rewarding good service and building rapport with a good waiter or waitress. The underlying point is that tips are optionally provided for service, good service in fact. The best definition would be that it is part of sit-down table service in a place with nice décor and decent food. Fast food restaurants, therefore, do not apply, nor do places where staff take something out of a refrigerator or a microwave and throw it on a tray. Both these types of restaurants do not require a staff with good customer service or great culinary skills. Cashiers don’t deserve tips either. We don’t give Bell Telephone an extra 15% gratuity for the luxury of paying our bill, so we shouldn’t have to provide extra just for the privilege of buying food.

Here is a link to a tipping guide that serves as a rough estimate of whom to pay and how much: http://www.tipping.org/tips/TipsPageRestaurant.html. We can now add counter staff, cafeteria workers, banquet servers, fast food employees and cashiers to the list of people, like busboys, who do not receive a tip. If a staff member wants to be tipped, they are welcome to apply for a front-line customer service position which has a more traditional role like waitress, or apply at a new restaurant which is more appropriate for tip service.

Tip? Yes, most definitely. Get taken advantage of? No. Let’s stop this cycle before it extends to everything else in our lives or at least until our employers start paying us 15% extra for showing up on time to work and doing our jobs like we are supposed to.