What would happen if we all stopped tipping?

I would join the anti-tipping movement. If only for long enough to send a message that tips are not a gimme for walking in the door. They are an extra thank-you for a service well done.
I've been to many a restaurant where the service was mediocre, but a tip was expected. The bad part was that if you left less than a five or ten dollar bill, you were looked at like a jerk. Especially from the 20- something crowd of servers.
I think that everyone should be paid a wage and tipping should be reserved as a prerogative of the customer. If tips are only given as that "Job well done" incentive, it might be something for the server to strive for instead of expecting.

i don't think it matters of we tip less and the employees make more. At the end of the day, the cost will be passed through if the wages go up. It isn't like the restaurants are going to pay them more with out incorporating this into the cost of a beer or platter. In my opinion, the restaurants should pay minimum wage - and the customers decide what they feel like tipping - not the government or who ever writes the rules on a standard tip.

no one should be paid less than minimum wage, tipping should be up to each indivisual.

In a perfect world employers would pay fair wages... Back to our world though, just a couple things to consider:
1) If restauranteurs have to pay their employees decent wages then believe that the cost of dining out will almost double... are you willing to pay that??
2) The majority of restaurants in Canada, especially larger restaurants, force their servers to pay a "house tip" out of their tips...chain restaurants are the worst for this. Now this "house tip" gets split between all the other staff, hosts, bussers, bartenders, kitchen, managers. This is a way for the employer to pay the rest of the staff less hourly by forcing the servers to subsidize their wages. This is technically illegal. To top it off there are MANY owners who take a cut of this tip for themselves as well! So if this house tip is 5% (pretty average, some places are higher) of the server's sales, then when you leave a 10% tip, only 5% goes to the server. So imagine you work a regular office job, would you be willing to pay your managers and other coworkers a percentage of your own earnings??
Just a couple things to consider when you're out and about to pay your bill...

THANK YOU, JIMMY!!!
I have worked in the bar industry for about 5 years now (I am a student, and it is the best chance/gamble at making a decent amount to eat and pay rent, even if it is unpredictable - i.e. slow seasons, bad nights of walking out with next to nothing), and I think that if bars raised the wages of the server and THEN people decided that no tips (or tipping less) were necessary....
I have heard people say before that they just don't tip because they think it's dumb. Well, making $9/hr, getting taxed on it, and then listening to some drunk idiot blabber on about how "tipping is stupid, i dont get why anybody should have to do it" - JUST AFTER he has spent $40-$200 taking himself and maybe others out for pricey booze and food out on the town. Aaaannnd then I hope that these idiots get hit by buses.
BTW, if you decide that you hate tipping? Your server still has to pay that 5% house tipout on your bill. Your bill is 200 and you leave no tip? Server owes $ and has now paid to serve you.
Hopefully the wages for bartenders and servers goes up. Then we wouldn't have to cross our fingers that every drunk asshole wouldn't shortchange/not tip, and we wouldn't have to bend over backwards to accomodate the high-maintenance, spoiled little adults we have in our city.

I first encountered the "house" tip concept at a Montana's restaurant. Initially it sounds like a great idea. the chefs/cooks, never get tipped so why not share the tip with the entire group that made my visit enjoyable? After reading how the owners take a cut, I no longer believe in the system. I think that we as consumers, should DEMAND to know where the tips are going. So if a restaurant is a shared tipping environment, there should be a sign at the entrance. If the owner takes a cut, even moreso, but before we pity the servers to much, remember people, there is not a single server in Ontario that claims all of their tips. They claim just enough to not get audited, but the rest is pure cash. My ex-girlfriend worked at a standard restaurant (ie. Kelsey's type place) and I was making 40K per year in retail management. She outearned me easily! This is with a shared tip system and the minimum wage issue. So servers do okay. As for how the tipping should work from a consumer point of view, I believe that one should tip on quality of service. Crappy service warrants crappy tips or none at all. Great service warrants 13-20%. I used to pump gas and I was very good at impressing customers even in such a small role, so I would get tips. It just motivated me to improve everyday, plus doing a good job makes me feel great. Some servers forget that tips are supposed to be a reflection of their service. One thing though. In small diners and restaruants, people tip alot less and especially in places where seniors eat. So the next time you visit a Swiss Chalet, make sure you tip them well, unless of course the service sucked.

To Claie

You sound like a spoiled little girl go figure a fella goes out and spends $200 having a good time and you bitch because you think he owes you some of his hard earned money. I can tell you when I take my family out for a meal and the cost is outrageous to begin with and then some lazy student who doesnt have a clue what good service or work ethic is expects my money for spending at least 2 or 3 minutes serving us. Then I have to sit for 10 or 20 min because they are to cluless to have a bill ready. Do you really , plain and simple any place with mandatory tips forget it.

Steve

I would be willing to pay 15% more on the price of meal or drinks to the establishment up front knowing that this money is required to be 'declared' as income to the server.

I have worked 31 years in a career where tipping is not permitted or seen as appropriate for providing exemplary service. I know many, many other careers who also do not get tipped for providing quality work. Yes, the time has more than come for tipping to be banned.

I can tell you from people who work in the restaurant/bar industry--it would be a lot easier for them to secure a mortgage (i.e., T4 slip proof of earnings)--since cash tips are rarely declared as income. The rest of of us who pay income taxes on a every dollar of employment income where tipping is not permitted would appreciate this equity and fairness too.

Obviously this person has not worked as a server of any sort. When I was a bar tender/waiter we work hard for our tips. The Government should step up and make the minimum wages all the same. The food and drink industry is a very profitable one and needs to be addressed. The Employer needs to be forced to put the wages up. They will take advantage of the employee and never raise wages unless forced.Not tipping a server is an insult even if you want to make a statement. I agree if the service sucks so does the tip. Servers have physically harder jobs then lawyers and doctors. They need to be polite and cheery even if the patron is not. They do not have a choice who they deal with. They have to put up with you whether they want you or not. If you want to make a statement take your local polition for lunch and don't let him tip the server. I gaurantee he won't leave without tipping.

There should be no tipping what so ever!! Every job has a pay scale and when entering that job you don't like the wages , look for another job or go and get some education. I worked for 34 years and no one tipped me except with a thank you and a compliment and yes I worked hard and put up with a lot. If low paid jobs don't get filled , wages will go up. I do tip but only for great service

I will join this movement because I am sick and tired of paying people a tip to do their jobs just because employers aren't paying fair wages. A tip was suppose to be to insure proper service not I'm doing my job so give me more money on top of my salary.

I think one of the most horrible displays of employers not paying their workers a proper salary is on cruise ships. Nothing I dread more than the last night of the cruise then getting those bloody envelopes and having to tip people who have never lifted a finger. Like the guy who shows you to your table. Honestly I never tip that person because I am very capable of finding my own table. The only two people who actually should be tipped is your room steward and the server and that's it. If they do a good job then they get tipped everyone else can forget it. The cruise line is making it hand over fist and they can afford to pay people a decent salary.

To Greg's comment "not tipping is an insult even if you want to make a statement" is precisely why we need to ban tipping altogether. Again, it is this expectation that is totally wrong. By the way Greg, ALL of us (tipped or not) work very, very hard--professionals or otherwise. We do not get to 'choose' our customers as you indicate. If everyone paid their fair share of taxes on all income (i.e., cash tips), servers would perhaps get paid more in these industries and ALL of us Canadians would be taxed less as a result. Again, I would be pleased to pay an additional 15% to an establishment knowing this money is being reported as taxable income to servers. The issue is not about the extra money being paid to servers, it is the 'expectation' of a tip for doing the job you were hired to do and it being undeclared for the most part.

Thank-you Steve. The money anyone spends in a restaurant/bar belongs to the patron and it is there choice how and what they spent it on. Claire should be standing on the street corner with her attitude. If a waitress is making $9/hr and waits on 5 tables and hour that generously give them $4. Hmmm $29.00/hr. Now I know that some places aren't always that busy but how many people make $29.00/hr with no education and a pissy attitude like Claire has. I am all for tipping for good service but shouldn't have to feel like I have to give 20% on a $150.00 restaurant bill when it is just my wife and I. If the service sucks..$0.00 tip!!

Restaurant owners have made tipping a thing of the past with their greed.
My niece worked at a popular bowling alley/party place in Hamilton where the owners take ALL the tips and keep them. I wonder if places like this are declaring this income to the tax people!
If I as a customer knew this about a restaurant I wouldn't even go there anymore but of course the customers don't know this is happening.
The government should step in and require any establishment that takes the servers tips to pay tax on it AND pay a tax exempt stipend to the servers based on a percentage of the restaurant income!

It's time to end this unfair and antiquated practice! In New Zealand, there are actual signs in the airport that specifically state "Tipping in New Zealand is illegal and not expected by employees of any trade or for any reason". Their employers pay them a wage which is reflective of their training and ability (just like the rest of us) and the increased cost of such is reflected in generally higher costs for the specific service. Their continued employment is reliant on their efficient service and customer satisfaction.....I for one, am tired of paying someone extra to actually do their job.

Three cheers for New Zealand!!!
We need our government to take notice of what they are doing so well.
Canadians are ready for the same--ban tipping.
Thank you for your post Tim.
Joann, why should anyone be tax exempt on their tips? It is income earned while working and should be taxable--plain and simple--just like the rest of us who are not tipped for doing their job well and pay taxes.
We need to put an end to this gravy train tipping mentality.

What about cab drivers? People leave tips for meals, but do not think of tipping your cabbie. Cab drivers do not get paid hourly, only a share of the money they bring in. Thank you those who do tip, we couldn't get alone without it.

I always hear all these student waitresses say "I am a student and I get paid minimum wage so if I don't get good tips, I dont make enough money"
But here I am, a student who works retail and puts full effort into customer service. I get paid minimum wage, get no commission and no tips even though I am also providing a personalized service.
It is really stupid how waiters/waitresses get deducted from their own pay when they recieve no tip, but it is really hard to accept that working students who get paid minimum wage have to tip the same amount as anyone else even if the service was no good.
If I had an extra $20 bucks in my pocket (2 hours of work) at the end of the day in tips, I would be estatic. Instead I can rarely consider going out for dinner because 15% is EXPECTED in tips, no matter how good the service is.
I was overseas on exchange in Japan for a bit and there was no tipping at restaurants. Of course if you REALLY thought the service was EXCEPTIONAL it felt nice to give an extra little bit of money and to see how grateful they were for it.

I agree. My biggest issue with tipping is on cruise lines. I have taken a number of cruises and to my travel companions consternation i have refused to tip. I vehemently believe that cruise lines blatantly subsidiZe their crew costs through tips and mislead consumers into falling for cheap fares.

Secondly, when the hell did 15% or 20% become the "norm". 10% for good service and 0% for basic. And dont think twice when you walk away, don't fall for peer pressure guilt.

for those who want to ban tipping.. just wait and see what service becomes and I predict you'll quickly change your mind. Employers will not raise wages anytime soon and minimum wage workers will not care to provide you with decent service. Until you have worked in this industry you cannot appreciate the hard work it takes to handle a busy section and provide efficient and friendly service..
not to mention that we also handle much of the cleanliness of the establishment.
just saying..
ps. I do agree with tip for service.
bad service= bad tip
good service = good tip

The whole point of tipping is to reward the server for their good service accordingly, as it's the customer's choice. If the service was bad, you don't have to tip. If the service was good, tip them. I definitely don't believe an individual server's tips should be shared with anyone else; it's THEIR OWN feedback, positive or negative. Other servers shouldn't get rewarded for their coworker's own hard work and good customer service. That's complete bullsh**.

To all the servers out there,
Please explaiIt seems to me n to me why the Bible talks about a one tenth tithe while you the servers demand fifteen to twenty percent for your service? Are you making the statement you are above God?
If you are good at your job and your employer has a reputable and popular establishment, you stand to make a good income even at ten percent. Possibly even more than those you are serving. Dont like the "house tip" concept? DONT WORK THERE. Then maybe employers will drop that scam. It seems to me that demanding 15 - 20 % is about you trying to protect your income because of customers balking at the DEMAND for a tip. Pushing for a higher tip percentage is not a solution. Have you ever heard of the Law of Diminishing returns? And as to automatically applying a 15% gratuity for large parties is bull shit. This is nothing more than a money grab by employers.

How much do you love the quality of service you get at McDonalds? How about when you walk into a hardware or furniture store and they completely ignore you? That is what no tipping gets you.

Ever been to a restaurant in England? The service is terrible.

Here's what will happen if we ban tipping:

1. Servers will demand higher wages or quit and there will be an industry wide disruption
2. Prices will rise to reflect higher wages (AKA - you will pay the tip either way)
3. Service will decline, and where you once had a server motivated to earn a tip you now have a worker who cares about service as much as a fry cook or a telemarketer because they know they're getting paid either way.

Keep tipping in the service industry. I like to reward hard work, and the lazy or rude people get what they deserve.

Ban tipping and prices will go up - the best servers will make less and the worst servers will make more. Punish the best, reward the worst, and sit their smugly happy that you now only have to pay the faceless company rather than the friendly person who went out of their way to make your experience more enjoyable.

This is one of the stupidest things I've seen in a while. Why don't we just tell our elected officials that we demand all workers receive a living wage. No exceptions. This seems quite a bit better and a lot less stupid than taking away money from people who already don't earn much. Hey, better yet Gordon, why don't you take a dollar an hour as your pay and we'll pay you based on how good or useless your crap is. What an ass!

There actually is an anti-tipping movement, by the way.

Go to .... http://www.bantipping.com/top-ten-reasons-why-tipping-sucks.

places like subway have a box by the cash for tips...however...my daughter worked there for a time and those tips were taken by the manager and "put away". She never saw a dime...what the heck is up with that? Needless to say I no longer tip at subway!!

I have years of managment experience in the hospitality industry and trained 100's of servers. Today it is very hard to find a server that even knows what TIPS means. To those that don't know TIPS means "To Insure Prompt Service" and if it is not provided by the server there are no TIPS. The staff I worked with made about $200.00 a week in pay, but $400.00 per week in TIPS because they understood that TIPS are earned not given freely. If a delay in service is the fault of the kitchen then it is up to the servers to keep on the kitchen staff to get the food out, not just wait to be called when the meal is ready. I feel bad for good servers that have to put up with slack kitchen staff, but a good manager will make sure everythig runs smoothly.
I do not agree with the sharing of TIPS that some establishments insist on since kitchen staff and bus persons are paid the regular wage while servers are paid less. You don't get what you don't earn so why should we leave TIPS for poor service and poorly plated food. Some servers put any plate on the table the kitchen puts out, but servers should be refusing to serve any plate of food they themselves would not put on their own dinner table. I trained my servers to always bring to me any meal put out by the kitchen that they were uncomfortable serving. Managers have to take the blame for some servers not getting the TIPS their servers deserve with good service but bad plating. A manager can comp a meal for a table if there is a delay but most don't and until that changes I will not leave any TIPS that the entire experience of my meal out didn't warrent. I do leave 20% TIPS when everything is handled as it should be, but if not, I leave nothing because my server did not speak up for me, the paying customer.

To Kris who thinks consumers wiill endure poor service for no tipping, might I suggest termination of employment if this is the case? Perhaps you will understand what it is like for millions of people to accept a minimum wage job that does not provide tips whatsoever in spite of excellent service on a patron by patron basis (and yet still are expected to tip YOU). PS: Extra surprise--this will be 'declared' income at your next job with no tips. Those who expect tips (irrespective of excellent service) need a reality check. We need to ban tipping in Canada altogether.

I always find myself wondering why servers are any more intitled to an income subsidy than any other minimum wage earners such as convience store clerks, gas station attendents, store clerks, etc

Well chris , i am a worker who gave excellent value for money because i always believed in excellence in all of my work because i took pride in what i produced and did not look for a tip to prove it and rarely recieved a tip . On a $6,000.00 high performance engine job , by your sense of reasoning my ' Tip ' should have been between $600.00 and $1,200.00 , i could easily have retired a millionair with 3 such jobs a week but exist on a small government pension .On top of this , how many customers would my boss have had with your very poor ethic ? Likely none , your boss will get the same treatment because we do not need or wish to use any facility hiring staff of your genre , this would put you amongst the ranks of unemployable , in my mind that is where many workers such as your good self belong . In this troubled world you should be gratefull you at least have employment and not having the need to sleep in the back of your car like many do these days , your attitude takes on the form of begging and beggers cannot be choosers .