Casey Carlisle (@UncleNap)

A tip is a gift, but it has somehow come to be regarded as mandatory.  But gifts aren’t mandatory.  Tipping someone is an expression of gratitude for service valued above expectations, and because two patrons at the same table will likely value differently the service received, the notion of tipping minimums vandalizes reason.  No one deserves anything, especially those working in the service industry, which is the point: the better the service, the larger the tips because generosity is earned, not guaranteed.  Your author is aware that restaurant owners in most states pay servers well below the minimum wage and that servers in those states need tips in order to earn the minimum wage or exceed it.  And therein lies the incentive for servers to excel.  It’s a self-policing system, as servers in those states who do not earn what equates to the minimum wage receive the loudest market signal that they’re working in the wrong industry and that they’d likely be more productive elsewhere.  And it’s an abuse of words to assert that it’s the customer’s job to ensure that the server is paid well. https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2026/01/17/thoughts_on_how_to_fix_our_errant_tipping_culture_1159309.html