George Georgitsis’ Post

Advice on US tipping A huge ballyhoo on the size of tips in the US as now it is common to give a 20% to 30% tip on your, say, restaurant bill. Customers, who now suffer from “tip fatigue”, are outraged not only of the extraordinary size of the expected tip but also the expectation of a tip in instances were no human is involved in the interaction as is the case with a self-checkout machines, where you know that no human is going to be the recipient of your tip. I have absolutely no problem with this now as I simply dissociate in my mind the tip from the quality of service provided and consider it as cost of the product or service I am buying especially as tipping in the States has become almost mandatory and you are going to be hassled if you did not leave what they consider a “respectable” tip. I’ve learned my lesson after being hassled in the famous Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn after leaving a $150 tip that was not, percentage wise, what they thought was "appropriate". Customers in the US! Don’t be naïve and get lured by the net price of a good or a service. Add the sales tax (if applicable) and the tip then you decide.