Excess guilt tips and ‘tipflation’ aren’t giving servers more to take home: survey
They’re not keeping the change.
A new survey has revealed that not many servers are actually pocketing more gratuities from tablet-style payment methods — which notoriously put an emotional burden on customers to tip in excess.
The report from restaurant technology and mobile payment company SpotOn found that only 8% of workers said electronic tipping led them to get better tips, whereas another 64% said it had no impact or benefit.
Of the more than 1,000 industry professionals asked, 28% said the machines were actually hurting their tips.
On top of that, 45% of servers admitted that between 25% and 75% of their wage come from tipping.
“It is more that the consumer feels that tipping has gone up because we are seeing it more than ever before,” Kevin Bryla, chief marketing officer for SpotOn, told Maryland’s WTOP.
“When a consumer sees all of those experiences, they feel like tipping is out of control.”
He added that many in the industry have had to approach or avoid customers about the new normal.
“Some leave the tech at the table and walk away. Some leave it at the table and speak verbally and make a conscious effort to say don’t feel pressure, and put in what you feel is fair,” Bryla said.
“Either way, it is an adjustment in behavior for all parties, even for servers.”
Not only tip fatigued patrons miss the old way of doing business. The survey found that 89% of servers prefer cash tips.
Expectations have also lowered as only one in five workers are anticipating a 20% tip.