Fresh Debate On Tipping Following Cheesecake Factory's Optional Tipping Message

A Reddit post has sparked fresh debate over the tipping policy in the US. A Redditor, Vivid_Papaya2422, posted a photo of the menu of the popular restaurant chain, Cheesecake Factory on the forum r/EndTipping. Although the photo showed fine print on the menu which said tipping is optional at the restaurant, it still sparked a debate because of the wording of the prompt.

While all restaurants do not go into much detail when it comes to tipping, the Cheesecake Factory seemed to set out its terms pretty clearly. It reads: "Tipping is entirely voluntary. For the convenience of our guests, we add an 18% suggested tip to parties of 8 or more, but payment of that amount is not required. Our guests always have the right to determine how much they’d like to tip."

The user who shared the post was “pleasantly surprised” to see the disclosure that marks 18% tipping as optional, however, fellow Redditors were not so pleased to see the message and had differing opinions. One user said that if it is optional then why do they have to mention the 18% number? To this another user sarcastically replied, “For the convenience of the customer”.

On the other hand, a few users thought it was a good move to mention that tipping is optional given the current negative sentiment in America. Even a former server chipped in with an opinion on why tipping should always be optional. The former server said she often felt that she didn’t deserve tips at times, thus tips should depend only on the quality of service.

However, most users were not convinced about the real intention of Cheesecake Factory in mentioning the information. One user pointed out that it was only for legal reasons and nothing more. Another user added to the point saying that Cheesecake Factory puts a pamphlet in their bill saying the same and in America, it comes in apparently “7 different languages”.

Another user made a very valid point that intrigues some thoughts about America’s tipping culture. The Redditor who misspelled “voluntarily” said that it’s only in America where businesses have to mention that tipping is optional.

Tipping in America

The tipping culture in America has changed ever since the COVID-19 pandemic when people started tipping for more services to show support. The trend has since stuck which has led to heavier tipping. However, in the current economic climate with high costs and inflation, Americans have developed a negative view of tipping as it has become another added cost.

In a survey conducted by Pew Research, it was found that around 40% of Americans oppose the suggested tip amounts while a whopping 72% are against automatic service charges.

The flipside to opposing tips is that it impacts the livelihoods of tipped workers. There is a provision in the law that allows businesses to pay tipped workers less than the standard minimum wage if their salary exceeds the minimum wage after adding tips. Thus, by taking away tips, workers who depend on them may lose monetary support.

The solution of increasing the salary of workers and removing tips for all has also seen pushback from businesses. In New York, restaurateurs argued that they would have to increase menu prices to remove tips or else close down.