[ChrisS]

We very rarely eat out so don't face tipping on a daily basis, but the obvious 'tip' cup in Subway, Five Guys, Dunkin, Starbucks, pizza/chinese take aways, in fact the majority of food related stores baffles me, heck, I've even seen 'tip' cups on petrol station counters, why? Why do a large percentage of staff believe they should receive/are entitled to board the gravy train of tips for handing over food and taking payment? The bloke who bought our former Cape Coral property owns a, very busy in the summer, pizza shop in Canada, one of his two counter girls was off, so he covered her duties, he was amazed at the tip amounts he received from customers who were oft only there for seconds.

Knew a lass who tended bar for years, her tips afforded her a large income. I related the tale of a man who told us he was chased from a restaurant where the waitress physically threw the tip, a mix of coins and a note, back at him, which may speak volumes about her/service and why he tipped as he did. The lass I knew advised she too had chased people from the bar who, in her opinion, didn't tip sufficiently enough, irrespective of her high income it was purely her making a point. She explained, at that time, the IRS assumed X amount in tips, taxing that figure but she earnt far more.

US tipping percentages rise, wait staff demand, it's no longer discretionary, tourists are finding their meal bill considerably more expensive due to FX rates and increased %. I'm not sure if the Disney waiter is still on the Dibb, but he advised a couple of years ago that locals do not pay the 20%+ expected from tourists.