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OPINION: Tippers we're not

There is one mocking question being asked frequently in fine dining establishments across the country and around the world.

There is one mocking question being asked frequently in fine dining establishments across the country and around the world.
“What is the difference between a canoe and a Canadian?”

The difference is, a canoe tips – Canadians have earned a reputation as very stingy tippers wherever generous tips are the norm.

These days it seems like tips are mandatory if we expect underpaid servers to provide us with goods, services, food and a friendly smile.

Whether it’s for a meal at a restaurant, service at a hotel, a hair cut, a taxi ride or a beer in a bar we are forced to pay an additional charge to get what we want.

This system of tipping for service has been woven into our economic fabric for decades and the practice has been studied and examined from all angles.

A recent survey of five large Canadian cities revealed that Ottawa diners leave the biggest tips and Calgary tippers were the biggest cheapskates.

Ottawa citizens leave tips about 76 per cent of the time averaging 15.6 per cent while out west in wild rose country it’s 13.3 per cent, 60 per cent of the time.

Montrealers and Torontonians are mid-range tippers while Vancou­ver­ites join their tightwad friends from Calgary near the stingy bottom.
Annually, Canadian diners leave a total of $6 billion behind on their dinner tables and under their plates as a reward or encouragement for the wait staff.

Defenders say tipping is a form of positive reinforcement that allows the customer to have direct input to the server in the hope of encouraging good behavior.

Tipping has also become absolutely necessary for all those poorly paid employees who want to take home more than minimum wage.

Restaurant owners get away with paying low wages to their essential front-line workers and patrons are made to feel guilty if they don’t chip in their share.

Even poor or mediocre service is expected to be rewarded with a minimum percentage - payment for not spitting in our food perhaps.

Consumers believe that tipping works to improve service and it gives them power and control in the relationship with their server.

But when researchers look at why customers leave tips and how it affects the level of service, this isn’t the case at all.

The amount of the tip has very little to do with service quality – when everything is considered, top-notch service gets only two per cent of the credit for the size of the gratuity.

The main reason people leave a tip for service is because it is socially expected and this peer pressure dictates the size and frequency of our tips.

And when I think about it myself, good, friendly service is welcome, but there are other things I appreciate more, especially if the soup is good.

And if the ambiance is not to my liking or the service has crabby overtones I don’t have to feel guilty when I decide to leave a small tip or none at all – it’s my decision.

From the critic’s point of view tipping promotes discrimination for a number of reasons and in different scenarios – here’s what waiters know.

Some races, ethnic groups and cultures are known to tip less and men are better tippers than women.

Small parties tip better than large parties and businesspeople tip better than families.

Servers will change their behavior accordingly so if you want a more pleasant dining experience, be prepared to pay more.

There is one universal tipping constant – slender, attractive, busty blondes always receive better tips than their less well-bestowed counterparts.

Some things never change regardless of the quality of the meal or the level of service.





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