Spent a weekend in Portland and noticed everyone argues about tipping culture differently

I was at a diner in Portland last month and overheard two tables next to each other. One table said tips should be 20 percent minimum no matter what, the other said tipping is outdated and employers should just pay fair wages. Both had good points but they got pretty heated about it. Which side makes more sense in 2024 when prices are already high and service varies so much? Has anyone else dealt with this split opinion at a restaurant or bar lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray18925d ago

Heard a similar thing at a brewery in Austin where the bartender just said "honestly I'm just trying to pay rent" and that shut everyone up real quick. Idk it feels like people get so stuck on their own side of this that they forget the actual workers are stuck in the middle no matter what the system is.

carr.gavin24d ago

...and honestly that's the part people keep missing, @ray189. Everyone's so busy arguing about fair wages or tip culture from their own side of the fence that they forget the person pouring the beer is just trying to get through the week. I do think that bartender said it perfectly though. The whole big debate about who should pay what kind of falls apart when you're standing there clocked in and the rent's due Friday. It's not about the system being good or bad, it's about surviving inside it. And yeah, some folks on the customer side get real preachy about "just get a better job" like that's some kind of magic answer. But that's not how it works for most people, and it never really has been.