My wife and I ate at Brasa this evening and saw this on the menu:
How refreshing to see a restaurant actually treat their employees like …. um … employees? When our credit card was swiped to pay for the tab, no tip was even asked for: she swiped, asked if I wanted a receipt, done. No mess, no guilt, no hidden charges. Lovely.
A quick search finds any number of articles asking whether asking tipping in the United States has gotten out of control: point-of-sale technology recommending 35%; self-checkout tipping when no employee interaction has occurred; Reddit discussion thread on most egregious tipping requests.
In Minnesota, you’ll often see this disclaimer:
So according to this statue, hospitality places – restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, etc. – can add a surcharge which can go to increase wages, provide benefits, or whatever. Essentially it becomes a hidden tax, some places add the maximum 21% to whatever your bill is, meaning – if you add a tip as well – you may be paying 40% more than what you thought you were. Very tricky, very devious.
Some places are moving to a European-style, no-tipping approach, either adjusting prices or using the Minnesota hospitality charge to do so. I prefer true pricing, but unlikely it gets wide acceptance any time soon.
