This time around the early comments all seem to be negative.
I've now read the 5 published articles and have been really impressed with the this guy's insights. They have greatly aligned with what I've noticed, as someone who was born and raised in a non-tipping culture (I'm Australian) and who has come to live in the US two years ago (at the age of 34).
Back in Australia I had tipped in restaurants on occasion, to reward amazing service, excellent dining experiences and to be honest as a form of flirtation.
Coming to the US where you "have" to tip I noticed a real difference in the experience. Overly attentive servers, forced friendliness, expectations from both sides.... just different.
Trying to explain these things to my American friends was difficult. But I think these articles have really summed it up well.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6126926
This time around the early comments all seem to be negative.
I've now read the 5 published articles and have been really impressed with the this guy's insights. They have greatly aligned with what I've noticed, as someone who was born and raised in a non-tipping culture (I'm Australian) and who has come to live in the US two years ago (at the age of 34).
Back in Australia I had tipped in restaurants on occasion, to reward amazing service, excellent dining experiences and to be honest as a form of flirtation.
Coming to the US where you "have" to tip I noticed a real difference in the experience. Overly attentive servers, forced friendliness, expectations from both sides.... just different.
Trying to explain these things to my American friends was difficult. But I think these articles have really summed it up well.