The Tipping Divide: Study Finds Differences in Tips by Black, White Restaurant Patrons

National Public Radio ^ | 7/11/2003 | National Public Radio

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July 11, 2003 -- A new study finds many waiters and waitresses feel that black Americans generally tip less than restaurant diners who are white. The study, by a researcher at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, found that blacks tip on average 20 percent less than whites. In addition, restaurant workers of all races dislike waiting on black people because they assume the tips will be less no matter how good the service. NPR's Juan Williams reports.

The study found that 63 percent of blacks and 30 percent of whites didn't understand that the standard restaurant tip in the United States is 15 to 20 percent. The difference between how blacks and whites view tipping has serious ramifications for restaurants, including lawsuits and lost profits, Williams reports.

"The average tip from a black customer is about 13 percent of the bill. The average tip from a white customer is about 16.5 percent of the bill," says Dr. Michael Lynn, the study's author.

In some cases the difference in tipping may be the result of poor service, but blacks interviewed in one of Lynn's studies rated the service slightly higher yet still tipped less than whites, he says.

Jerry Fernandez, president of the Multicultural Food Alliance, which represents food servers and restaurateurs, says the expectations of a lower tip from blacks can often lead to poor service.

"If a [waiter] says, 'I don't want to wait on that table because they're black or they're Hispanic, then they tend to give less service and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy," Fernandez explains.

He says cultural elements -- blacks have avoided sit-down restaurants in favor of take out or self-service eateries -- institutionalized racism that exists in the restaurant industry and education about tipping are all behind the discrepancy. "How do people learn about tipping? If you don't go, you don't know."

Lynn suggests that the American restaurant industry begin a campaign to inform people about the basics of leaving a tip. He urges the use of advertisements, educational pamphlets, and even putting tipping information on menus. And Lynn suggests that restaurants could introduce a game in which dining parties would have to tip at least 15 percent in order to be eligible to win a contest.

[visualops]

I'm not sure about today, but in the past, the better jobs at the exclusive restaurants went to men. I worked at a couple of places where the main dining room at dinner hour was waiters only. Waitresses were relegated to lunch hour or cocktails.
That said, in a busy place you can make money from volume rather than big checks. I made a decent living in the Irish bars of midtown Manhattan by racking up the one-dollar bills. Greek diners are the same sort of thing. However, many "waffle house" type places have a clientele that just doesn't figure they need to tip, or you get a quarter or two no matter what the bill.

[visualops]

Most restaurants don't split the tips with the kitchen grunts

I never worked anywhere where you didn't give the busboy and/or the bartender a cut. Guys in the kitchen are paid more, and aren't considered part of the floor staff to get any portion of tips.

[BADROTOFINGER]

Im not too worried about it. Most of my life has been relatively thin years, and my needs are simple and my wants modest. I have learned to enjoy the small things in life immensely. Ironically, one of my favorite vices is to eat out, enjoy good service as though I deserve it more than anyone else who ever existed. And I tip well, so I get it, and making the servers day (hopefully) with a 25%+ tip is a fantastic intangible bonus. I go in in whatever T-shirt I happen to be wearing, jeans, a beat up baseball cap, and I get the VIP treatment, in a sort of relaxed, familiar fashion. If I ask for something extra, I am NEVER charged for it. If something is wrong, it is fixed with a smile from them and me (almost never wrong tho). I guess that you have to work in a resturant to really understand how one works, in both the 'by the book' and 'real world' styles.

Many people go out to eat just to eat in my opinion, and those people should just go to fast food or stay home. Dining out should be something entertaining, perhaps like a movie, but most people are simply too self absorbed to actually ENJOY it. Whether or not those people tip, they are just wasting their money if they dont actually enjoy the experience. But maybe I am just weird...JFK

[Lijahsbubbe]

I always tip over 15% and I consider that a good tip. And I include the tax. And I don't blame bad food on the server. And I've waitressed, and my daughter waitressed.

The only time I don't tip well is if the service is bad.

There, I've defended my tipping to you! If there's anything I hate it's being called cheap! (and I don't like being around stingy people)

[freedumb2003]

>>Its all in keeping with affirmative action. <<

You have the right idea, but the wrong solution. This is an INEQUITY and the whites continue to flaunt their superiority by over-tipping. The only way to return to tipping parity is to ensure that Blacks are able to tip more. The new schedule is:

Asians: 20%
Blacks: 10% Government Subsidy Tip: 10%
Hispanics: 15% Government Subsidy Tip: 5%
Whites: 20% + Tip the Government 10% to pay for subsidies
Indians: 0% Government Subsidy 20%

The Governent Subsidy increases by 5% if the server is a Black or Hispanic (except for white patrons, who must pay the Government an additional 5%). If the server is Asian, they must tip themselves an additonal 5%.

[Mad Dawgg]

"I have a friend who is so cold and so picky and so cheap with a tip, I have overtipped when with her out of sheer embarrassment."

Me and Mrs. Dawgg were on Vacation in Floriduh with two other couples a few years back. The two couples (for the sake of concealing embarrassing behavior) we will Call Ted and Alice and Dick and Jane.

Ted and Alice have been good friends of me and Mrs. Dawgg for many a year. Dick and Jane were just introduced to us (by Ted and Alice ) a few weeks prior to the trip.

Anyhow we would all go out to eat each evening at some very nice restaurants with drinks and dessert and the average bill per couple was 60 dollars or more. Ted and Alice and me and Mrs. Dawgg always would tip well when we went out and so we continued the practice usually tipping in the 30% range.

One night after an exceptionally good meal at an Italian restaurant where the bill per couple topped 100 dollars, the waiter followed us out to the parking lot and asked if the service was bad. We told him on the contrary it was exceptional and he said well he was confused because we had left no tip. Of course immediately were thrown into confusion as Ted and I both had left around 4O dollars a piece with the money for the bill on the table.

After a few minutes of deliberation we each gave the waiter about 15 bucks more and left.

Then in the car the real story came out as Dick told us that he had decided the waiter didn't deserve a tip because he had forgot to bring Dick a beer (which was a lie) and had just left enough money so the bill for the meal to be covered. We later found out from Jane that Dick had done this at every restaurant we had visited.

Needless to say I had an attitude adjustment session with Mr. Dick and afterwards we went back to the Italian restaurant where we asked for the same Waiter (who by the way was fantastic at his job) I took the waiter aside and explained the whole situation and also explained that the whole meal including tip was on Dick tonight and we were all VERY THIRSTY AND HUNGRY.

The waiter smiled and was over the top on service paying extra special attention to Mr. Dick who by the end of the ordeal had to pay over 500.00 for the entire meal with a very substantial tip included!

[The Coopster]

I'm sorry if I offended you. But it seems like most of the people who complain about tipping are lousy tippers.

Good on you for tipping fairly!

[BADROTOFINGER]

I work in a sort of 'waffle house' like you describe, a western chain, not unlike Denny's or IHOP, so my tips would probably evoke laughter from a server from Outbacks or Appleby's or even higher end resturants, but I would simply be happy with $1 per customer. Puts cash in my pocket and covers my taxes. A 10% is just fine too. The people who really tip are the people who go out to eat and enjoy being served as opposed to the people who demand or expect to be served. The 'white-trash' factor in my resturant is pretty high; malcontent white losers whose only opportunity to percieve themselves to be superior to someone else is when they come into my resturant and feel the need to exhibit their superiority by being pushy and rude. Just like Leona Helmsley, but with considerably less money. They make it miserable...JFK

[Lijahsbubbe]

Nope, you didn't offend me! Maybe you misread a post. On one I was talking about complaining if someone left me a bad tip.

[dogbyte12]

I never worked anywhere where you didn't give the busboy and/or the bartender a cut. Guys in the kitchen are paid more, and aren't considered part of the floor staff to get any portion of tips.

I worked on the grill at an upscale restaurant, and made $12 an hour. Yes, this was more than what the wait staff made. However, after tips, no way. The wait staff was paid minimum wage, plus tips. It equaled to alot more money than what we in the kitchen were making considering that an average ticket was about $85. Even with splitting money with the busboys, which at this restaurant they weren't obliged to do, they made alot more money than we did working in the hot kitchen. It's a reason I quit the industry. Putting in 10 hours without a break, standing up, for lowish pay wasn't economically viable for me. I get paid more now, and work about 50% as hard. I would come home from shifts on the grill and literally have to soak.

[honeygrl]

"I use the 1/7th rule. Every seven dollars on the bill is one dollar tip. I know it's only 14.3%, but that's almost 15% and it's over 15% if you include sales-tax before you do the calculation. "

My mom today just left a $3 tip on a $7 total purchase when we had breakfast this morning. I had to insist that she not take it out on the waitress just because the cook screwed up her eggs. PLus my son made a decent mess on the table. Of course the busboy that has to clean up the mess probably doesn't see any of that tip.

[visualops]

Hey been there done that. I waited tables for 10 years doing everything from slinging beer in a bar to banquets to making sundaes at Friendly's.

[visualops]

Hmm, I'd love to know what restaurant pays minimum wage. Tipped restaurant workers have a different minumum wage scale that other workers. The most I ever made was somewhere around $2 hr. However, I have worked with waiters who made $200-$400 a night, and bartenders who made $300 and up on a Friday or Saturday night, and that was back in the late 70's early 80's.
From a waitress's perspective, having to face PITA customers and explain/excuse the errors and/or skill of the cook is worth some extra $$$.

[ArmstedFragg]

And please explain this line to me... >>institutionalized racism that exists in the restaurant industry<<

Translation: "I have no idea what this means, but it sounds politically correct so it must be true."

[Rate_Determining_Step]

Then in the car the real story came out as Dick told us that he had decided the waiter didn't deserve a tip because he had forgot to bring Dick a beer (which was a lie) and had just left enough money so the bill for the meal to be covered. We later found out from Jane that Dick had done this at every restaurant we had visited.

I'd have to really show a lot of discipline NOT to kick this guy's ass right then and there.

I would have ended any association with such a SOB instantly. Not that pretend to know any of the deatils of this acquaintence you wrote of and not trying to tell you what to do. But I've heard of similar things in the past and you're not only stealing from the waitpeople when you do this, but you're f-ing with MY reputation. I take that personally.

So wrong on so many levels. Why don't you alter my tax records 'cause I'm down with small government? So unbelievably presumptious!

-RDS
never worked in food industry - just hate to hear the nasty stuff.

[honeygrl]

I wonder how th Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance or even NAACP for that matter would like visiting Stone Mountain in GA. The place is built to look like all the stuff is from the pre Civil War era and they have old plantation houses and slave quarters you can look through (it's very facinating BTW.) In the nice restaurant though in the little town area we were a bit surprised to meet our waitress.. she was a black lady, in what was probably the type of clothing slaves wore back then, with the name "Muffin" on her nametag. My hubby and I wondered how in the world they got by with that without people getting mad but I guess it was because they had plenty of white waitresses and waiters as well. SHe didn't appear very happy with her job though. I'm not sure she ever cracked a smile.

[Mad Dawgg]

"But I've heard of similar things in the past and you're not only stealing from the waitpeople when you do this, but you're f-ing with MY reputation. I take that personally."

Dick has been paid 20 times over for his misdeed! Anytime we are at a public function together I always bring up his little episode! He now avoids me at all costs and has lost alot of "Face" over his theft!

BTW we did a quick calculation over his tip theft on the trip and we figured he bagged about 350.00 bucks when we had caught him!

Also taught me a lesson! I never LEAVE money anymore I give it straight to my waiter/waitress and always thank him/her for the meal and service!

[Just another Joe]

According to you one should just stand by the table so your highness won't have want or wait.

No, but then again, I don't want to wait till the end of the meal for someone to freshen my coffee either.
I don't want the wait staffs undivided attention. I realize that there are other paying patrons.
I would like them to, perhaps after serving someone else, stop for a second and say, "Is there anything else I can get you?", instead of walking by without even acknowledging my existence.

[blackie]

"I've heard old people are the worst. They're picky and demanding and tip lousy."

My wife and I took a couple of our friends out to dinner the other night ... I paid; the check was $75.00 and I left a $15.00 tip.
I'm 72, does that seem 'worst' to you?

Ageism isn't becoming. :-/

[Rate_Determining_Step]

After reading the Cornell article, the 2 years of posts on tipping.org and all the posts, in addition to my 20 years of being on the customer side of the equasion, here are my thoughts.

Blacks do tip less, oftentimes rediculoulsly low. However, I believe this to be a cultural thing and not any type of "get back at whitey thing".

Tipping is not often discussed by anybody outside the server business. So, if you don't go to sit-down places often, don't have many friends as servers, came from a family that went out even less then, yup, you too could be undertipping and not really know it.

I don't know what the hell to tip when my car comes out of the car wash and two dudes are wiping it down. Do you? I used to know I tipped big when I put a buck in the jar for the barista at the latte place. Not so sure anymore. So the idea that some group of people will be light on the tips is as the say - just a misunderstnding. The industry could go a loooong way to remedying this if they just put at the bottom of menus. "Tipping 15-20% is customary for good service. Thank You!". Just like they used to have the "no shoes, no shirt, no service" signs. Come on people, this is in no way anything to get worked over about. I'm no "overcompensator" for our black brothers (like too many white dudes do), but I can entirely see how this whole problem started.

There's another black-white thing that white people need to know about. Almost everybody has heard from black people that "they know everything about the white culture 'cause they're bombarded by it every day of their lives, etc.'. Not true, not true, not true!

Quick test. If you are walking in a store and you are walking briskly along and quickly have to make a step to avoid bumping into another black patron. Anything to be said? Of course not if you're white. The assumption among whites is that you took the extra effort not to bump into them and just a smile or even nothing is perfectly acceptable. Not so in the black culture. You're expected to say "excuse me". Even if there was no immenent bump. I've found that when you invade the personal space (you know that "personal space" that has been documented by socialist in studies, etc.) of a black person, you're expected to say excuse me. Blacks do it amongst themselves all the time. I've almost never seen it with whites. It's not a racist thing, but you can pick up on it if you pay attention. It's like the Japanese thing where they can stuff you into a train and it's no big deal. Just a cultural thing. Black people, like the rest of us, kindda tune out a lot of stuff that's not important to them. I witnessed a near explosive situation between a black and a white regarding the term "headbanger". Now, to a white person, this automatically means a fan of heavy metal music. To a black person, this could mean anything. None of which sounds very nice.

I'm sure there are other little subtle cultural differences between blacks and whites that most of us all miss. It's a rather fascinating subject.

Just be attentive out there and understand that untrue assumptions exists in both cultures and let's get those menus fixed so this one can disappear!

This deal about doctors tipping like bums is just inexcusable!