International fans visiting the US for the World Cup have become frustrated by the culture of having to tip servers, telling the BBC that tipping fatigue has set in.

Many international fans visiting the US for the World Cup have become frustrated by the culture of tipping servers, telling the BBC that tipping fatigue has set in.

England supporter Geoff Pryor said he understood tipping for good service, but he found it “weird” when buying a bottle of water and “they try to get a tip for doing nothing”.

In the US, staff at some restaurants and bars are paid just over $2 (£1.50) an hour, and they expect customers to tip about 20% of the total cost of the bill so they can earn a living.

Frustrations have also been shared by hospitality staff, with one bar owner telling the BBC that many World Cup tourists have been bad tippers.

  • redlemace
    34·
    21 hours ago

    The price on the menu isn’t anywhere near the bill the expect you to pay at the end.

    Bill = menu-price + taxes + 20% tip

    (where 20% is just a rough average)

    • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
      311·
      24 hours ago

      These days I’ve seen people trying to push 30% to 40% as the minimum tip. Either that or they sneak it in with service charges or gratuity fees with a suggestion of a 25% tip on top.

      • magnetosphere@fedia.io
        17·
        22 hours ago

        These days I’ve seen people trying to push 30% to 40% as the minimum tip.

        I’ve seen that, too, and it’s INCREDIBLY sleazy.

        • RememberTheApollo_
          141·
          21 hours ago

          It’s been sleazy for a while, the automatically calculated tips almost always calculate the tip on the total including tax. Wtf…we’re expected to tip the government now, too?

        • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
          2·
          13 hours ago

          Unfortunately it’s catching on, and if you read half the comments here you will find people backing it up because the poor workers won’t be paid any other way almost as if restaurant workers weren’t paid another way in the past.

          • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
            21·
            11 hours ago

            Well I’m still gonna tip 20% and if they think that’s not high enough then they can cry about it cause next time I’ll tip them 15%.

            If they want 25% then they’d better give fucking exceptional service, and I don’t just mean being polite yet insincere and using all the tired robotic phrases that they’re programmed to do in OJT. I know “cookie-cutter waiter response” when I hear one.

            If they want higher than 25% then they can fucking blow me…

            • Zephyr@sh.itjust.works
              1·
              11 hours ago

              I’m still pinned at 15% although I mainly stay out of the country somewhere where tipping is what it used to be aka totally optional and highly appreciated. Tipping everywhere even 5% would be very strange behavior here.