I just read a report that said tipping at sit down restaurants in the US is down significantly from the pandemic tipping boom, with the majority tipping 15 percent or less. Surprised me too. I’m still tipping 25 percent or more most of the time.
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Probably a conscious or subconscious reaction to the huge inflation in dining prices the last couple years. Unfortunate all around.
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I’m hoping Seiber Monday provides respite from that. I just hope they don’t check my ID that day, limiting discounts to only named beneficiaries.
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Recently had a waiter “decant” a 2002 red wine off a list. The guy literally just dumped everything into a decanter. Was like drinking sand. Asked for another decanter to pour into and try to salvage. When he saw me doing that I think he was embarrassed as he brought out a filter mid-pour.
I will never understand why restaurants with deep, aged wine lists don’t train their staff on proper handling of aged wines. Why would I buy off the list if the wine won’t be properly handled and served?
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I had this happen once 20 years ago at the French laundry. It was my wife and mine 10th wedding anniversary. I brought a 1982 Mouton Rothschild. They were very gracious with the decant but I was very unnerved when they took the bottle away to decant the wine. Nonetheless there was no issue but still, it wasn’t a comfortable moment.
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From what I’ve read, it’s more closely correlated to tipping exhaustion. Everywhere seemingly has tips, even places where people have never customarily tipped before.
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During the height of the pandemic I (and I think a lot of other people) increased tips as a sort of “hazard pay”. I tipped more and more often than I had in years past. But things have gotten out of hand. I got prompted for a tip at a self-serve kiosk recently, with not a human in sight!
So I have unilaterally declared a return to the pre-pandemic tip regime. Places where a tip has historically and customarily been expected (sit down restaurants, personal services, etc.) I continue to tip generously. But if I have to order at a counter and get my own drink refill, I’m not tipping.
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Robots have feelings too!
Just hope tips are all they want.
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Not for long.
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Correct. I picked up my dry cleaning which is a “cash
only” operation and now each counter location has a tip jar. I was owed some change from a $20 and the employee handed me my garments and put the 87 cents into her jar without any hesitation and then called the next customer on line. The business owner has a gorgeous new Range Rover parked out front.
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Life has taught me that the car you drive does not necessarily correlate to the value of your assets 
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Agree. The range of places asking for tips expanded greatly around the same time inflation (especially at restaurants) exploded, and I think now there is a counter-reaction from customers.
I went to some overly expensive foodie butcher place, and they have a tip line when you buy your meat, on top of the super high prices. It’s everywhere.
I’m not sure how it will play out from here, except a broadly scaled pull back of tipping culture would seem the least likely outcome. For all that “charge more and give more money to the employees” sounds great on paper, I doubt that is a successful strategy for 95% of restaurants. “Upscale vegan restaurant to the stars” type places can do it, but not most places.
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A few weeks ago I attended a large event/convention. There was a food tent. I went to the food tent, retrieved my own iced tea from a fridge, stood in line to pay, then when I got to the front of the line, before charging my card, the woman holding the credit card machine presented me with the payment terminal so I could select how much to tip. I reflexively tipped a buck (on my $9 16oz Lipton tea), paid, and walked away. Within a minute, I realized how ridiculous it was that I left a tip, let alone was asked for one.
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I asked the youngster serving us with new clients at their choice of a better restaurant with older bottles on their list, “Do you know how to decant an older wine?”
Yes was the response. Cool!
The bottle was taken away and a decanter came back 10 minutes later. Every possible drop of wine had been extracted from the bottle including the heavy load of sediment…
We drank the first bottle and tried to let the sediment settle in the decanter to no avail.
That is the last time I am going to have that happen to a fine old bottle.
Double decant at home, or insist it is done at the table.
Not just decanting at the table folks…
Earlier this year at a bud’s 65th bday I brought a mag of 1996 Gosset Grand Millesime Brut which I gave to the somm an hour before it was wanted served. He had time to refrigerate it, but did not.
Please keep in mind this was at the newest five star hot spot in Sonoma.
The taste served was barely chilled as I suspect there was no water in the ice bucket. I asked for more chilling. Rinse and repeat, still warm. Then it was gone a third time and came back with the edges of the large labels torn off by excessive spinng no doubt. He also had spun the effusive carbonation out of the Champ, it was served as a still wine. I had that bottle since release and the first warm taste was still impressive.
Turned out he was a hired gun, brought in to work our party of 14. Really?
The bday boy did not wish to create a stink and let it slide and I did not want to spoil the event.
ALL wine service is now done at my table.
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The anecdotes all lead to the same place. Don’t hand your bottle off. And if you do, you must provide a full list of detailed instructions.
Just pull out a Durand and say the bottle your brought requires a special opener that only you know how to operate. ( of course this does not work for champs, screw caps and glass tops)
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If there is one thing I have found in 20+ years ITB and over 25 dealing with restaurants is that great chef does not equal great businessperson. Unfortunately, most times artist and businessperson don’t intersect.
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Given what goes on in many restaurant kitchens, good chance they were buzzing during the service…
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It will only ever work if all restaurants make the change at the same time, and that will only ever happen if there’s legislation mandating it, which isn’t going to happen. So, yeah, we will just see the proliferation of tipping into places it wasn’t previously, coupled with more tipping fatigue. It’s all such a stupid system.
Then, I don’t know what I’m ranting about. it’s only something I deal with the handful of days I’m back in the US each year. Here in the UK I just have to check whether the service charge has been added to the bill and if not tip appropriately. So much more convenient, and the service is just as good.
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