On one hand, people are fighting against the tipping culture because of its predatory practices and employees begging for it. On the other hand, there are workers, especially in the hospitality industry, fighting to increase their earnings through tips. For example, unionized workers at a restaurant in Seattle, Washington, negotiated for months to continue receiving tips instead of better and higher wages. Many would think that workers would prefer better working conditions and benefits, but not everyone shares the same sentiment.
Redditor klindark shared an important announcement from the Sea Wolf bakery chain on r/EndTipping. In an announcement from these Seattle, Washington restaurants, it was stated that their unionized workers had negotiated a new contract, under which they would continue to earn tips instead of receiving higher wages and benefits. This is because with these negotiations, Sea Wolf became a tipping establishment. In the document, the restaurant team demonstrates awareness of the history behind the tipping culture and acknowledges how many abuse this system. However, their justification is that in such an expensive city, earning extra money helps workers to support themselves.
The document also states that although it may seem like a step backward, the company respects the opinions of its workers. They added that tipping will disappear until the minimum wage in Seattle rises to a “true living wage.” Although tips are a significant financial help, many believe that hospitality workers are actually very out of touch with real wages for this very reason.
‘“BuT SeRvErS dOnT MaKe SiX FiGuReSsSs!!!!!”…. Yeah, not on paper…‘ commented p0is0n.
‘Nothing like making 100k tax free by bringing plates of food from a counter to a table‘ said mr-nicktobi.
This also referred to many of the comments from Redditors who implied that it was much more convenient for Sea Wolf employees. Since these establishments are bakeries, they tend to be smaller in size. Additionally, employees only need to weigh the items on the counter and call customers, rather than bringing them to their tables.
However, this led some people to say that when restaurants are more “self-service,” they don’t leave a tip. Also, even if there is a tipping establishment, it does not necessarily mean that customers are willing to leave a tip. This is specifically because most comments pointed out that even though the contract changed, it does not mean that their salary has changed. In other words, users imply that expensive items and higher wages remain separate from tips.
