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Why I Don’t Tip Servers
Before you go thinking I’m the antiChrist, it wasn’t me who launched a potentially World War III level kerfuffle at brunch by declaring, “I don’t tip servers.” It was my friend’s cousin whose sentiments started the most lively debate I’ve witnessed in quite some time.
To get a fuller picture, imagine the following: four middle-class women, one in her 30s and three in her 40s. One straight, one lesbian, and two somewhere in between. Two are college-educated, two are not. Two have served as waitresses, two have not. One is living with a disability, while three are able-bodied. Two are biracial, two Caucasian. Three out of four identify ourselves as socially and culturally aware and evolving.
The time came, as it always does at the end of a pleasant meal, where it was time to divvy up the bill. I scanned the receipt, added together my items, then spoke, as I calculated out loud, “My total came to $14… plus tax and tip…”
It was my indirect yet outspoken way of reminding others to include their fair share of all the expenses. It irks me when it’s time to split the bill and folks short-change what they owe because they don’t account for their portion of tax and tip.
Imagine my surprise when my friend’s cousin immediately responded with, “I don’t tip servers.” Now I may never have been a waitress in my life before, and I’ll admit…
