The Tipping Point

My tipping challenge is when we place our order at a counter, and the staff brings the food to our table. Our favorite "hamburger joint" works that way. The staff who brings the food is inevitably cheery, and is careful to point out which basket is for which person. I.e., service above the typical fast food delivery in which I pick up a collection of burgers at the counter and we have to figure out on our own which burger is which. So I figure that's worth a buck per diner tip, especially since it's cheerful service.

At the mid-priced hotels at which we often stay (Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, etc.) with a modest breakfast buffet, I try to leave a dollar or so per guest tip for the buffet attendants. Particularly the hotel at which we stay frequently near our grandchildren that has an incredibly stable staff including a woman who works diligently to keep the trays of food stocked and has been there for several years.

My parents are still in the 10% tipping world, so when we eat with them it’s always a challenge to sneak a few more bucks onto the table without them noticing.

There is no tipping custom in Korea, though the dreaded tip jar is making appearances here and there, mostly in coffee shops.

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I use tipping as a way to express appreciation for good service. During the Plandemic, I felt that even the workers in the Krispy Kreme drive through deserved a little cash just for keeping it open and having a pleasant attitude. I generally ignore the embedded tipping processes with specific levels of tipping when ordering on some device. It’s obnoxious to be asked for a tip. I don’t mind a special line for it, which I can ignore or fill in with the exact number I want, at the bottom of a paper bill.

On the other hand, I like that there’s no tipping in Japan where the service is polite and professional and a sincere ‘thank you’ seems to be all they want in return.

At least one odd form of tipping exception in Japan, really it’s a cash reward, seems to be in sumo, where advertisers pay to have their banners displayed during the warmup of a certain match. The ad payment goes to provide envelopes of cash to the winner of the match, whoever he may be, and he receives it in his hand right there on live TV before he leaves the ring. It seems like tipping: ‘You fought well. Here’s some cash!’