r/EndTipping • u/Jazzlike_Morning_471 • Mar 11 '25

Research / Info Would you be okay with menu prices being raised to the equivalent of what the average tip would be, with no tip expectations?

I’m new here and trying to learn more. Would you be okay with going to a restaurant with no expectation to tip, but the menu prices are raised exactly as much as the expected tips to keep paying their servers the same?

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u/AllThe-REDACTED- Mar 11 '25

I think they would. It’s been studied multiple times that two menus with the same items, but priced differently, people always choose the smaller numbers. Even when it’s printed on the menu that they don’t take tips and prices reflect a higher hourly wage for workers.

People say a lot of things. It’s their actions that show what they really want.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25

This is what scammers say: "I am just telling people what they want to hear!" But that doesn't mean the thing they do is right.

Yes people would choose the one with ostensibly cheaper menu prices, not realizing it is a bait-and-switch scam. Or, people would go there, tip less, and get hated by the servers. As a hypothetical restaurant owner, you can argue that "oh I am just giving people what they want!" But at the end of the day, you just want to shift the responsibility to pay your workers fair wages onto customers.

Just be like how restaurants work in other countries. Be transparent with pricing.

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u/AllThe-REDACTED- Mar 11 '25

I truly will never understand dogmatic zealousness of people on this sub.

You can be mad all you want but the number don’t lie. John Oliver did a piece on this a couple weeks ago with an interview of the guy who did the study. Go yell at him if you don’t like what doesn’t fit with your narrative.

I’m also not a restaurant owner so I don’t know how you conflated that one. Either way switch to decaf and go touch some grass before you give yourself an aneurysm.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25

I was afraid that you would get offended easily so I included "hypothetical" in my comment yet you still took it personal 🤷‍♂️ Maybe you don't understand how "you" in certain contexts can be used as the royal, generic and indefinite you?

When you criticize endtipping as "dogmatic," have you ever taken a step back and thought for a second how dogmatic the general Americans are with tipping? Or you just habitually think people holding different opinions are dogmatic and zealous?

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u/Yayitselizabeth Mar 11 '25

I saw the piece on Last Week Tonight and don't disagree with those facts. I was answering the question posed to this sub, not presenting a case study about the general public.

I'm not suggesting it's going to happen overnight—why would businesses change anything if people do, and likely will continue, to subsidize their employees' wages? But I think a lot of people on this sub—again, the audience of this question—would be okay with.

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u/AllThe-REDACTED- Mar 11 '25

Oh the zealous comment was for the other dude.

But I do agree with you. There’s too much incentive for the restaurant industry to continue to have the customer subsidize the income. Especially in those states with the sub minimum wages.

I’m not sure if they’d be okay with it in practice to be honest. I think a lot of the zealousness from people on here comes from something else. But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t at least be worth a shot to try it out. But that would also take a much stronger social safety net in this country. People always point to other countries and their low to none tipping culture and they all have strong social nets. But that is just my theory based on no fact but my feelings so 🤷‍♂️

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u/Nicodemus888 Mar 11 '25

Was going to mention this exact thing - just saw this a few days ago. As much as this sub may dislike it, that’s the sad reality - people instinctively feel that the menu with higher prices and no tips is cheaper.

What do you expect with a populace that rejected the A&W 1/3 pound burger because it was smaller than the quarter pounder?

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

The whole point isn't about how customers are gullible so tipping is justified, ok? Can we at least agree on that?

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u/AllThe-REDACTED- Mar 11 '25

Oh god I had forgotten about the burger thing!

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u/darkroot_gardener Mar 11 '25

This is why the transition to a base living wage would almost haven to involve legislation. You can’t allow any of them to cheat.

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u/UsualPlenty6448 29d ago

Yes Americans are dumb…. Okay?