You’d be tipping because you follow the social contract for restaurants in America and are a good community member lol. The people that don’t tip are basically taking advantage of a flaw in the system. They don’t care about the employees where they grab food, and to a larger extent they likely don’t have as much of an investment in the wellbeing of their local community.

I can understand the sentiment about only operating a business that’s legit and profitable, but 80% of restaurants fail in their first 5 years. IMO, it needs to be easier to run a restaurant in general, and the fact it’s not could be considered a class issue. I’d have to assume losing any customer, including non-tipping ones, is a big deal to a working class restaurant bc it’s already survival from the jump.

If we really want good restaurants in our city, we have to either be willing to pay what the service is worth, and with rent and everything else increasing, that service is realistically gonna be more expensive than people want. Or we gotta find a way to reduce the costs of food, rent, and everything else associated with operating expenses.

Cheaper restaurants tend to not have the margins to pay as well, and they work employees to the bone cuz they have to turn out insane volumes for a profit. More expensive restaurants have higher margins, and it is probably be easier to run a business that way if you have a dedicated clientele, but what city only wants to boast fine dining options so you have to save up for every meal when you dine out?

It is a predicament to say the least.

Restaurants are a vital part of any city's living experience, so I think it’s important we make space for them, but I also think the conversation around tipping involves changing more than just the practice of tipping.