Overheard a waitress in Cleveland say tipping 18% is the bare minimum nowadays

I always tipped 15% and thought that was fine, but after she explained how wages haven't gone up in 10 years I upped it to 20%. Has anyone else changed their tipping habits after hearing from the people serving you?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_mary1mo ago

So I should start carrying a calculator and a guilt trip everywhere I eat now? Guess I'll just start tipping 20% and hope my wallet doesn't file a complaint for harassment.

karen_sanchez491mo ago

Same thing happened to me last year at a diner in Phoenix. A waitress told me most servers rely on tips to make rent, so I bumped my standard from 15% to 20% too. Now I just do 20% across the board unless the service is really bad. It feels fair since food prices keep going up but server wages don't move at all. Honestly it's just a few extra bucks and makes me feel less guilty about eating out.