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“Tip-flation” is driving up tip amounts at restaurants, cafés and other businesses. Are they asking too much? Here’s what to consider when you pay.
We’re fully into patio season—and if you’ve noticed that your restaurant bills have been getting larger, you’re not alone. It’s getting more expensive to dine out for two main reasons: inflation and “tip-flation.”
Sixty-two percent of Canadians say they’ve been asked to leave larger tips in recent years, according to an Angus Reid survey from early 2023. This is what’s known as “tip-flation.” Canadians are accustomed to seeing tipping rates start at around 10%, but if you’ve been handed a payment terminal with suggested tip amounts between 18% and 25%, you’ve seen tip-flation in action.
Two in five Canadians (42%) say that higher tipping costs are keeping them from dining out, according to the Angus Reid poll. But tips are not the only culprit for the growing cost of dining out. Supply chain issues, climate change, labour shortages, rising fuel prices and other factors have resulted in higher food costs across the country, and these costs are being passed on to customers in the form of higher-priced menu items.
Diners are now getting wary of tipping. During the early days of COVID-19, many of us gave more than the usual 10% to 15% tip, in an effort to support struggling restaurant workers. Restaurants Canada, a non-profit association representing the foodservice industry, estimates that 13,000 establishments have closed since March 2020, leaving many Canadians unemployed.
That trend appears to have lingered. The percentage of diners who tip 20% or higher has increased from 8% in 2016 to 21% in 2023, according to the same poll by Angus Reid. Fewer people are tipping low, too. In 2016, 44% of Canadians said they tipped less than 14% at sit-down restaurants, but this year that number has fallen to 23%.
So, many of us were already tipping higher than we did pre-pandemic, and now with eating out getting more expensive, a lot of Canadians are feeling weary and reluctant about tipping even more—now coined “tip fatigue.” So, how much should you tip in Canada, and when should you give a gratuity? Should it be limited to restaurants, or should we tip at fast food restaurants, takeout counters, and coffee shops and cafés, too? To find out, I spoke to customers and industry insiders.
Restaurants Canada states that many of its member establishments are still struggling financially. One-fifth of those that received a Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan will not be able to repay it by the Dec. 31, 2023, deadline, according to a member survey. Statistics Canada says that almost four-fifths (79%) of food services and drinking places across the country were approved for or received a CEBA loan. The federal government started providing these loans to small businesses in 2020, and applications closed on June 30, 2021.
The amount you should tip depends on many factors, including the type of establishment you’re dining in, your budget, the quality of service, your own beliefs towards gratuities, and whether you want to abide by the customary tipping approach in Canada (more on this later).
Matthew Massey, a videographer who lives in Toronto, says he sticks to 10% to 13% tips at sit-down restaurants, unless the server goes above and beyond—in which case he’s willing to tip a bit higher.
Even though he’s noticed that the suggested tip percentages have crept up, Massey tends to tip the same amount as the sales tax on the bill (in Ontario, HST is 13%). Massey grew up in England, which he says influences his approach to tipping. In England, he says, diners usually tip only 10% of their total bill, if they even tip at all.
Massey says he is aware that post-COVID-19, people have been a bit more generous with their tips. He feels “a bit guilty” about not tipping more, and he wonders if a large portion of servers’ income comes from tips in many restaurants.
“From a financial standpoint, it adds much more to the meal when you are tipping on top of a $50 or $60 bill,” Massey says. He says that despite feeling guilty, he can’t afford to go the extra mile because of inflation and the already higher cost of dining out.
In most provinces, servers are now paid the standard provincial minimum wage (everywhere except Quebec, which is $12 an hour). But it wasn’t always that way—servers used to be paid a tipping wage, where their base earnings were slightly less than minimum wage.
Personally, I tend to tip around 18% to 20% at sit-down restaurants now, as I see dining out as an experience, reserved for weekends and special occasions. Gone are the days when I’d go out for food regularly on a weeknight with friends. I find it too expensive to make it a habit now.
When I tip, I also feel that I’m supporting servers who need to earn a living wage in Toronto—which is $23.15 per hour, according to the Ontario Living Wage Network. The province’s standard minimum wage is currently $15.50 per hour (it will go up to $16.55 in October 2023).
Everyone I talk to seems to have a different approach to tipping. So you might be wondering, is there a rule of thumb or customary tip amount in Canada?
If you received good service, a tip is customary, as it’s widely understood that Canadians tip. In sit-down restaurants, “we’ve always said 15% is the minimum you should consider, and 10% is a bit insulting to the service,” says Lewena Bayer, civility expert and CEO of Civility Experts in Winnipeg.
Bayer says that while tipping practices vary widely around the world, showing your appreciation with extra is meant to be optional. “A lot of the pushback [comes] when people feel they are being told that they have to tip 18%, 20% or even 30%, and there are no alternative options presented on the machine, unless you figure out how to change it yourself,” she says. “People find that a bit offensive.”
Bayer says that many Canadians were especially generous with their tips near the beginning of the pandemic when restaurants and service staff were suffering from the lockdowns. However, she says that in the last several months, everything from mortgage costs to food prices have gone up (thanks, inflation), and if you’re paying $24 for a hamburger and fries instead of $17, you’re already going to tip more due to the cost of food racking up a higher bill.
“I’m not sure that people understand why the rate of the tip has also gone up in addition to the cost of the menu item. It doesn’t make sense in a lot of people’s minds,” Bayer says.
She says it’s still important to reward good service, especially when it’s above and beyond. If you got more than you expected, you were pleasantly surprised, or a server treated you really well, she recommends tipping 20%.
If you feel embarrassed about changing the tip amount on the payment terminal from the suggested 18% or 20% down to 15%, Bayer says not to worry. “You should have some control over the amount you want to give,” she says.
It’s important to be realistic about what you can afford before you decide to dine out. Budget for tax and tip on top of the approximate cost of your meal, she adds. “My parents used to say, if you can’t afford to do it properly, then you should probably eat at home, especially if you’re taking people out.”
And this should really go without saying, but don’t make snide remarks about high tip costs to servers or treat them with hostility, says Bayer. (Hint: don’t throw your cash on the table or say something like “I guess I’m buying your drink afterwards,” she says.)
If you’re dining out as a group, Bayer recommends checking if the gratuity has automatically been applied to your bill (a common restaurant policy for groups of six or more), to avoid double-tipping.
Should you only tip at restaurants, or at cafés and fast food places, too? What about coffee chains like Starbucks and Tim Hortons?
When the machine automatically prompts you to tip for your coffee, “you should be able to leave a loonie or a couple of quarters, whatever you can afford and feel is reasonable, without being judged,” says Bayer. “You shouldn’t have to automatically give 18% on something that you’re walking in and picking up. It doesn’t seem reasonable to me.”
What about delivery people, from pizza delivery to Instacart, Uber Eats, Door Dash and others? Although you already pay a delivery fee and, in the case of food delivery platforms, service fees, these go to the company. With Door Dash and Uber Eats, 100% of the tips go directly to the drivers, who have to cover costs like gas, auto insurance and car maintenance, and possibly even parking.
In a surprising turn of events, some restaurant owners have banned tipping, and a few others are avoiding the practice from day one—like Then and Now, an Asian fusion restaurant in Toronto. Since owner-operator Eric Y. Wang launched the business in February 2023, there has been no tip prompt on its point-of-sale machines, and no automatic gratuity on the bill for groups.
Wang says he has been working in the restaurant industry for 12 years, in various positions including dishwasher, bartender and server. Before opening Then and Now, he was a restaurant manager. These experiences have shaped his views of tipping. “The simplest way to say it, really, is that it’s just not fair to ask the guests to pay a portion of the salary that people need in order to thrive in the city, or really anywhere,” Wang says.
He has observed that, at some restaurants, people who work in the kitchen, and even management, make less money than customer-facing servers because of how tips are distributed—that is, servers keep the bulk of tips. Wang says this has contributed to a culture of negativity at some restaurants, because when servers make a mistake, they may face more resentment from their managers or superiors, who earn less than them because of the tip structure.
Wang adds that racial stereotyping can impact a customer’s experience at a restaurant—another reason why he has banned tipping at Then and Now. Tipping is primarily a North American practice, and it’s not common in other countries around the world, he explains: “Over time, servers and bartenders start to collect data and they see somewhat of a trend—when people don’t tip at restaurants, typically they are someone with an accent, a visible minority, perhaps a student or a tourist.” He says that servers may subconsciously judge guests by their appearance and assume that they may not tip, before they even sit down at their table. Without the incentive of a tip, a server might not give the customer their best service.
“I’ve had many instances where servers will say to me: ‘I’m not going to serve that table,’” Wang says. “It’s just not right. It doesn’t matter what they’re tipping as long as people are respectful and not causing any trouble. We should treat everyone equally.”
At Then and Now, servers and staff are paid at least the certified Ontario living wage for the Greater Toronto Area, which is $23.15 per hour, and all also get workplace benefits. Wang says that having a predictable income allows his staff to have proof of employment for rental applications, for example, as well as to experience a greater sense of stability because they aren’t relying on fluctuating tips for their primary source of income.
“One of the biggest challenges is to convince people that even without tips, the service will still be great. When people first hear or read about our concept, they either think servers won’t give good service, or that our prices will be ridiculous,” Wang says. “However, I would never hire someone if I didn’t feel they would give 110% to serve the guests and make sure the hospitality side of things is solid.” Wang also notes that Then and Now’s prices are comparable to those of nearby restaurants.
A few other restaurants have switched to a hospitality-included model, including Richmond Station in Toronto. In 2020, co-owners Ryan Donovan, Carl Heinrich and Hayden Johnson decided to eliminate tipping when they realized that many of their staff didn’t qualify for a “liveable amount” of pandemic-relief subsidies when lockdowns shut down the restaurant, due to having uninsured direct cash-tip-based wages (direct tips are paid directly by the customer to the employee). The Canada emergency wage subsidy (CEWS) was calculated based on eligible weekly earnings, to a maximum of $847 per week, between March 15, 2020, and Nov. 30, 2021.
This decision to change business models was made in the interest of employees. Donovan says he was “happy to see how eager customers were to do away with tipping as an obligation on their part.”
Katarina Weltner, service director at Richmond Station, worked as a server in the restaurant before tipping was eliminated. She says the transition to a hospitality-included model has “changed the dynamic tableside” as servers can offer great service not to incentivize higher tips, but because it comes from “a genuine place.”
We tip our servers, so they keep the tips, right? Not necessarily. Often, gratuities go into a “tipping pool,” which are the collections of all restaurant employees’ tips. The idea is that employers distribute tips from the pool among servers, back-of-house staff and kitchen staff.
In Canada, there is some legislation on tipping pools. According to the Employment Standards Act (ESA) in Ontario, for example, “the terms of a tip pool cannot be enforced under the ESA,” meaning there is no firm standard for tip pooling. It goes on to say that “employers do not need the employees’ agreement to make deductions from their tips or other gratuities if the amount will be redistributed as part of a tip pool. Participating in a tip pool could be a condition of employment.”
Wang says he once worked at an establishment where “the entire staff knew the owner had hands in the tips” (meaning that they were taking tips from their servers and other staff). When staff brought their concerns to the Ontario labour board, they were told that their complaints were too hard to prove. (Wang declined to name the establishment.)
Keep in mind that it’s important to budget for dining out, including estimates for your meal, the tip and the tax. Be realistic—how much can you reasonably afford? Many restaurants post their menus online. Read more about how to budget for food costs.
If you feel you’ve had excellent service, great food or a great experience, you could go above 15%. Just don’t feel obligated to tip higher than that every time, even if the server is hovering at your table.
What are your thoughts on tipping, how much to tip in Canada, and when you should tip? Let us know in the comments below.
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I am now retired and on a fixed income so I have had to think about the cost of everything which of course includes dining out and tipping. I am thinking about resorting to the “amount of the tax” as the amount I tip and then tip more if I feel good after the meal and service. If I don’t feel good about the experience or food quality, I may move the tip down. I have to get used to not feeling guilty about lower or no tips. To be honest, to go more than the 13 percent Ontario tax as the tip starting point, the service and food have to be exceptional now. I recently visited a local restaurant where the service was ok and the food was great but on my table and two other tables the ketchup bottles were empty (I swapped ketchup at each of these tables) and my wife and I ate our fries with less than the desirable amount of ketchup. Once our food was delivered the staff never followed up and nor did they see the 3 empty ketchup bottles. I opted for a 15% tip still as the food was good and the staff were probably overworked. They did seem to care but it could have been better. Had the food not been good the tip would have slid down accordingly. That is sort of how I am going to do it going forward.
I once worked in a large restaurant in Saskatoon many years ago where we were encouraged to pool our tips. At the end of the month it was calculated and the management would add the same amount it was than divided evenly to all staff,cooks .dishwashers etc. It worked well but maybe people were more honest in those days.
I always tip on the pre-tax amount as calculating the tip on the total artificially inflates the %. 15% comes essentially to the amount of tax in Quebec, as others have suggested in Ontario at 13%.
Some add the 20% right on the bill so you have to watch….Since the meals here end up being $100+ a person to dine out I can’t afford 20%. One place told me if I can’t afford the tip I should stay home. Never been back? I see that they are not very busy these days…..Tips or gratuity is about the service and the product? I wonder how much the businesses take off the top sometimes. I tip what I can if thats not good enough I guess the restaurants can close down. Maybe time to pay your staff better.
I have seen as much as 30% on the POS terminal offered up as the tip amount. I typically tip the tax rounded up to the nearest dollar but only when things are exceptional. Service, attentiveness but especially the quality of the food need to be on point in order to qualify for an elevated tip amount. Lately this is VERY rare in any restaurant we have visited in Ontario. They are so understaffed and the wait staff are running (literally) from table to table and obviously the service will suffer. My wife and I have been left alone in restaurants after receiving our food and beverages and no contact until the bill has been presented. We have had the bill brought without even asking if we wanted dessert. I WILL NOT be guilted into paying a ridiculous tip amount for sub par service/food. The price of various restaurant meals has skyrocketed which is also a deciding factor not only on tips but also whether we return to the restaurant at all and sadly, many of the restaurants we had liked have disappeared in spite of decent tips and paying their inflated prices.
I have a problem with tipping on the taxes and liqueur tax which is added, 15 % is more than enough, I don’t need to pay for the waiter’s benefits while the owner of the restaurant lives in his Taj Mahal.
it depends how I feel. I do not feel obliged to tip 20%. This is a capitalist society- people take the jobs they have. I do tip taxi drivers about 10% but in small towns often more . But if the driver is not polite or there is something major wrong with the drive I will not tip. I don’t tip in fast food restaurants, or if owners of a restaurant serve me. I tip 10-15% in a regular restaurant. I always tip food delivery drivers no matter what and I try to make it a good tip – 15-20%. I find tip options at smoke shops a joke- so no tip. I am thinking of revising my tipping strategy for taxis because often they don’t say thank you – like they expect it . Best solution just round up the ride to the nearest dollar. I dont like being obligated to tip or give charity.
If your getting minimum wage then you should not get tip period, otherwise why dont we tip retail workers, or groceries? Do they not provide an important role? Tipping culture should go. Minimum wage should go up if it’s not enough to survive on, that’s sort of the point of a minimum wage.
I don’t even think about a tip unless the service is good, staff attentive and it was a good experience. I usually go 13%-15% depending – never higher. If I am ignored or if its a take out place where there is no service, no tip. Period. I will not be guilted into it nor I am subsidizing people’s paychecks from my own pocket. If the wait staff want better/fixed incomes, there are other places where they could be working. I refuse to support crappy restaurant owners who underpay their staff and equally refuse to support its staff where they expect customers to pay that void gap.
You forgot to mention how restaurants have now changed the way tips are calculated..They USED to be calculated on the sub-total.. At some point recently, this has changed and it’s now on the after-tax total. 15% on $200 (pre-tax) used to be $30, now it’s almost $34!
The gratuity should be at the discretion of the customer and owners should stop expecting customers cover THEIR short fall!
I resent tipping on tax and think the tip amount should be based on meal cost, the amount before HST. Consequently and 15% tip on the bill is actually about 17.25% on the food cost.
I object to the tip machines including tax on the total before adding the tip. We are tipping on the tax. That is wrong. So I either calculate a separate amount or take the minimum 18% to offset the tax.
I live 2 hours away from Toronto. This isa tow over 22,000 population. In here with the influx of torontians buying houses and paying top dollars to be in the Georgian Bay area, everything is very expensive. All the local restaurants has in their machine in downtown area, 20% and 30% percent and 35%. WHO CAN PAY 35%. Not me. I usually pay only 15% but now I feel judged if I ask the waiter to pay cash the tip, because it is too expensive the big. He or she are serious. Also I went to BMR just a few minutes drive from downtown collingwood and they have 30% in the machine to start the tips… The” server told my husband the price includes the 30% taxes but if you wan you can tip more” We were my family of 6 people. I never come back there since 2 years ago. I just try to pay cash for the the tips. sometimes they are happy or serious or just polite. I went to a coffee place in the area that sell pastries and some light food for lunch, some kind of sit down casual coffee bistro. I just order a cake few days before and I went to pickup, In the front desk the server give me the machine with the tip of 20 % , I said ” I have problems with the machine” She did erase the tips portions gave me the machine and in the moment her face was stern. I think tips have to be optional. It depends the customer. I do not want to pay tips just for take out or pickup. Even Tim Hortons, Starbucks in Mississauga has tips in their machine. The taxi drivers expected tips and they are very rude. Tip is a customer discretion. Not an obligation.
When I was working, pre retirement and pre pandemic, tipping 13-18% was ok. Today with the increase in minimum wage and the inflation pricing I tip 10% and have no problem changing the “suggested” tip amount down. The service and food would have to be exceptional to tip higher!
I recently got my hair colored and cut. I usually pay $200 at the most, but she charged $300. The first option on the tip was $60. I gave her $35 and I felt guilty. But she already made $300 for 90mins. Not sure how much she actually gets but even it were half that’s still pretty great. I don’t know, I’m conflicted. If I were raking in the dollar bills I wouldn’t care. Business owners should not support the “stay home if you can’t tip to inflated expectations” message/culture: owners and tip-workers are not the only people feeling the squeeze of inflation. We understand your costs increased and we are willing to pay more, we tip your servers so they can afford to keep your business running. So least you can do is be cognizant of that…do not allow your staff to give poor service or attitude if they don’t get the optional tip amounts suggested. And even the affluent love promotions and specials so do not stop doing those!
I did change my behaviour during the pandemic, and now I’ve changed it back. 0% for counter service (occasionally up to 10), and 10-15% for delivery or sit-down. 20% only if the service has been very good, or perhaps a high-end meal. I try to figure out tips on the pre-tax portion.
In recent years I have become sensitive to the reality that we typically tip only the “pretty” service people like hairdressers and food servers. What about service people like dry cleaners, gas pumpers, cashiers etc.
The concept of tipping is antiquated. Only in restaurants do you have to think about adding to the total of your bill and whether that amount meets expectations. The business should charge what the experience is worth and you can decide to dine there or not. There is movement in this direction and it should continue. It’s gotten to the point I am asked to tip on a pizza I order online and pick up. Enough already!
I am tipped out. Tipping15% for them just to do their job?? No way! That is what the employer pays them to do. I’d rather the price of the meal increase and the employer pay the staff a better wage and benefits. I get so tired of hearing people berate the non-tipper as being cheap. Why aren’t we berating the employers for being cheap and not treating the staff better?? I am so tired of seeing the young female staff dressing in sexy outfits and watching them put up with unwanted sexual talk & touch in order to get tips. NO ONE WORKING AT A RESTAURANT SHOULD HAVE TO DO THIS TO GET PAID!!
Leaving at tip for a drink at a bar is appropriate, because of the service provided by the bartender etc.
As for a restaurant meal where the diners order a bottle or two of wine, the tip for the meal should exclude a tip for the cost of the wine because the price of the wine is already marked up significantly from its purchase price.
Time to get control of this tipping nonsense, it’s gotten out of hand to the point many people do not dine out. I just saw 38% tip suggestion on the credit card payment device. Insanity! I told the server I will pay by cash in my way out and won’t be back. A night out to dine is about me and my guest enjoying the experience not about leaving enough money to a server to help the pay their bills. Also very few declare tips as income on their tax return which is like getting another 20% on top of the tip.The gratuity should be at the discretion of the customer leaving zero to 15%. Asking more is insulting and greedy.
I take the GST amount and triple it, so it comes out about 15% pre-tax. I never subscribed to the supposed reason that tips have increased from 10% to 15% to now 20%, was because of inflation. That’s BS as the price of food items on the menu is already increased with inflation, so the dollar amount of the tips would have automatically increased even if it had been kept at the same rate. The only reason is that the restaurant industry figured out that if you put out a “suggested amount” as though that it is what everyone supposed does, then people would just follow along so they won’t look “cheap”. I stopped at 15% when the minimum wage for servers were made the same as everyone else and now there is really no reason to tip servers. We don’t tip anyone else that serve us (like your cashier, gas pump attendant, etc.) so why tip servers other than it has become the established “norm” for the restaurant industry and it is expected.
Different story in the US where the minimum wage for servers is like $2.00 in many States and hasn’t been increased in years. That tipping creep is justified in the US to give servers a proper wage but somehow that reason is lost when that trend gets imported into Canada.
I believe it is the responsibility of the restaurant owner to pay their staff, not mine.
When calculating tips, I always figure it on the pre-tax amount. Why on earth should I be rewarding them for govt. taxes?
I dislike the pre-populated choices, and they are not always easy to change. Last week, there was no option to select an other amount. There was, but it didn’t work when pushed.
I always pay 15% at service establishments. At coffee shops or places where you get served at the counter, I sometimes drop the change in the jar, but really, why should I be tipping them before I’ve even tasted my food or drink?
I don’t like the attitude of ‘if you can’t afford to tip, stay home’. That is rude, and if everyone stayed home, the restaurant would close and they’d all be out of a job. Do they really think that if you have to pinch pennies, that you don’t deserve a treat once in a while?
I like Then and Now restaurant.
Scrap the the stupid taxing and tipping thing. People go out to eat to be relaxed but then they have to calculate how much they can afford food+ taxes+ tips.
This is crazy!
I tip as follows:
1. Servers serving breakfast typically get more than 20% as price of meal typically lower and breakfast staff typically do not get tipped as well.
2. Buffets, I tip servers typically around 10%.
3. I typically use the amount of tax on the bill as a guide to tipping amount and I ALWAYS tip on the bill total BEFORE tax is added.
4. At a higher end restaurant, I typically tip 15-18%, but it will be lower if I order a bottle of wine as I am not prepared to tip on a bottle wine or if I bring a bottle of wine and am charged corkage fee.
5. I will sometimes ask if the tips go to the server or to a pool for other staff. I have heard too many stories of unscrupulous (and illegal) practices of restaurant owners who take the tips.
I disagree with tipping simply because, as a wage earner, I pay taxes, CPP and EI on all my earnings. Tips are regularly not reported on individual’s tax returns, yet they receive all the same government benefits (health care, infrastructure, etc.) as I do. Hospitality workers should be paid a living wage.
At the Mariot Hotel you tip ZERO. I’m a service provider and delivered there to staff and they said “we can’t tip on company card.” So, if I went there as a guest I am expected to pay their staff 15% but they give nothing. DUH!
If the service/food was minimal, I don’t tip as that’s what minimum wage covers. If the service/food was good, I’ll tip 10%. If it was above and beyond, 15%.
Most of the people who receive tips don’t claim them as income and I’ve know people who brag about how much they’ve brought in during their shifts.
As a customer, if I don’t leave a mess, am polite and respectful, where is my discount for being a good customer? If I’m not going to receive this, why should I tip for a job these people accepted? All the tasks they perform were in their job descriptions when they were hired.
It is time tipping culture comes to an end!
Not paying 2 dollars on a 6 dollar Starbucks drink…
Things are out of hand.
I don’t have a problem if I’m sitting down and someone is looking after me. That is completely different.
Makes more reasons for me not to go out because ultimately I still feel bad.
Stay home cook for myself problem solved.
So just don’t go anymore.
I don’t like the practice of many establishments of basing the programmed tip percentage on the post tax amount. This artificially inflates what you may assume is say an 18% tip.
I often tip 15-20% pre-tax based on service provided.
I tip more if my bill is low. The same service is required if I have a 60.00 steak versus a chicken dinner for 25.00. So I’ll tip as high as 22% for a sandwich and coffee versus a full course dinner which I’d tip between 18 and 20%. If I have really bad service (ignore my table especially if we are all women which has been obvious and reported to manager) I will not tip at all.
Tipping is a perk based on performance. I am not their employer, and their complaints about their income should be targeted at their employer. Pre-COVID I tipped at 15% , but restaurant prices have almost doubled and the tip rises with it. My breakfast meal tip went $7 to $13 still at 15%. So why do servers and restaurants find 15% stingy when the dollar amount almost doubled. I Don’t Have To Tip, it’s my choice, so if there is an issue about wages, I’m not their employer. Do the math … tips are from all tables in their duties which ads up to money from tips than some people earn in a day.
When the pandemic was going on, I felt that 20% was a good number to tip, like most Canadians did. Now that servers are getting the full minimum wage I don’t feel the same. If you go out to eat, family of four and the bill comes to say $80 including taxes. Not only do most payment terminals suggest 18% as the minimum tip ALL restaurants are suggesting the tip amount on the total with tax. That’s not cool at all. So the waiter comes to your table 3-4 times during the meal that you are there for 45 minutes. $80 bill means we should tip close to $10? I find that quite excessive with what food prices are. I now hit the $ on the terminal which lets me customize the tip. It’s getting a bit out of control. We don’t tip anyone else in the service business like at a mall, gas station, coffee shop. It now all terminals are printing a rip amount.