What Renters Want with Jessica Fiur: Should Apartments Have ‘No Tipping’ Policies?
Some restaurants are banning tipping. Should the multifamily industry follow?
By Jessica Fiur, Managing Editor
Do you tip at restaurants?
That was a trick question. Of course you do. In this country, it is customary to tip waiters. Many give 20 percent of the bill no matter what. Some tip less if they think the service wasn’t great. Tipping is supposed to be voluntary. But it’s really not.
The whole tipping system can sometimes seem a bit unfair. After all, shouldn’t the restaurant owner be paying the waiters enough? And why should we have to tip more just because we got the salmon, and that costs more than the chicken. They weigh the same! It’s not like it more work.
Because you have to, that’s why.
And it’s not just in the restaurant industry. Tipping is everywhere. Especially during the holiday season, and especially in the multifamily industry. And for renters, this can make the holidays very stressful. Do you tip the doorman? How much? What about the night doorman you never see?
It’s hard to know, really.
Well, some restaurants in New York City are doing something revolutionary. They’re getting rid of tipping. These aren’t cheap restaurants either—Danny Meyers, who owns fancy, pricey restaurants, is trying it out. The prices are going to be raised, under the idea that diners will end up spending the same amount, but without having to worry about tipping. This will allow the restaurant to share the money with all the workers (bus boys sometimes don’t get anything, or have to split with waiters, and the cooks who usually get no tips under the usual system).
Why couldn’t this system also work for multifamily?
