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.

[CathyRyan]

My standard is to tip 15 to 20% depending on service. If it is a holiday like Thanksgiving then 35%.

[Billthedrill]

So which one tips better?

Generally men, by quite a bit. With exceptions, of course, but what seemed to me to be counterintuitive was that it didn't seem to matter whether the server was a man or a woman, it did whether the customer was.

The exception I noticed personally was that women who had once worked as a server tended to tip much better than those who hadn't. It was one of my female co-workers who pointed this out. Makes sense.

[HairOfTheDog]

BTW, how are you, you gorgeous thing?

Why thank you, I am just fine.... a little sunburned.

[TC Rider]

,p>I've found that my fellow Christians pretty much suck at leaving reasonable tips. 'After-Church' self-righteous pricks who demand, demand, demand, then leave a few pieces of change and of course a "Gospel Tract."

LOL, back in the early 70's, Mrs. TC waited at a Pizza Hut. On one Sunday afternoon, she busted her buns on a table of 12 and only got tracts for tips.

She was fired for what she said as they headed out the door.

[Just another Joe]

Its still weird to dangle money in front of people so they will treat you better.

Wait staff already expect a tip. What's the difference letting them know up front that they get what they give?

[Lijahsbubbe]

Only a fool makes enemies with those that serve and cook their food.

How right you are! That's my philosophy! Even if someone messes up my order, I ask very nicely to have it fixed!

[lstanle]

"Would it be fair to assume that on balance, minorities make less than whites? If so, this is a non-story"

I think you are on to something here. In my opinion a lot of people are too quick to asign a racial reason for some behavior. I think a lot of afirmative action programs would work better based on economic factors and not skin color.

[Joe Hadenuf]

You betcha. Bottom line........

[CFC__VRWC]

I've had a waiter treat my kid like dirt because he asks for a straw for his milk. I've been out where you could here the staff in the back hee-hawing while tables when completely untended for ten minutes or more.

If the servers are THAT bad, then you really need to go speak to the manager. Any good restaurant manager has zero tolerance for servers who give the customers a hard time. They figure you'll tell all your friends, and they'll lose all their business as well as yours.

[FreedomCalls]

Blacks have an incentive not to tip well. They can claim "racism" on the part of the service staff and get paid millions by the jury at the trial. But they can only do that if the service towards them was bad compared to the service towards the higher-tipping whites. No such incentive exists for whites. The only incentive is towards better service -- which is obtained by increasing the tip. It's all a part of the "victim" mentality rampant in certain areas of American society (those claiming victim status all seen to vote Democrat too).

[Who dat?]

From someone who's done it - the big difference in tipping isn't black/white - it's men/women.

Meanwhile, if you’re “Billthedrill” versus some cutie with four buttons undone on her blouse - yeah, you’re going to get the short end of that deal.

I’ve never run across it, but I’ve heard that the absolute worst are Canadians. They’d go into a breakfast joint in Daytona Beach and order a side of toast and a cup of hot water. They’d bring their own tea bag and not tip for toast.

But more recently I’ve heard that they’ll just go to Target or Wal-Mart and buy a coffee maker or toaster, use it for two weeks, then try to return it before they leave. That’s supposedly pretty common.

[Shermy]

I love all the articles that "teach" you how to tip, and explain why it should be 20 to 30%.

I love how tax payer subsidized NPR is wasting our money on such an inane story. What, now they're shills for the restaurant industry?

[murdoog]

Ooo, wait, I have a better idea... waiters should stop assuming they are entitled to a 15-20% tip and remember that patrons aren't legally required to leave them a bloody dime! How's that?!

Were you by any chance a character in Reservoir Dogs?

[Burkeman1]

Tips used to be 15 percent years ago- now it seems 20% is the norm and is what I tip. But one thing I notice- is that waiters hate it when you don't order a bottle of wine or drinks or get a desert. Was out last night for an early dinner in the North End with a friend- we didn't order drinks or wine and the waiter gave us a dirty look as if we were wasting his time.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Damn Canadians.

[Political Junkie Too]

We have to remember what exactly we are tipping. I encourage everybody to tip the service. Even if the food is cheap, if you got served well, tip well. If ya get served crappy at an expensive place, why should that waiter get 5 times the amount of tip as the worker at the cheaper place?

I'm with you. Also, nice restaurants by me have also started taking take-out orders, too. I will sometimes phone in an order and drive to the restaurant to bring the food home. In those cases, I do not tip at all, since I'm buying the food but not partaking in the service (except the kitchen service which I assume is factored into the menu price) even though a waiter still rings up the bill.

-PJ

[Burkeman1]

LOL!

[HairOfTheDog]

Just calling it as being weird to me.... If I were with you, I would be dreadfully embarrassed. For the people that are having to pander particularly. I don't like treating people that are serving me like that. They have a job, just like me. There are a few service industries where tipping is the norm, waiting tables and bartending just being two, the other main one for me being hairdressers... The good ones try dang hard to be good, the bad ones aren't gonna be better because you have dangled a treat before them... I bet you get the same service you would have gotten otherwise, you just made the good ones feel beneath you when they shouldn't be.

[jocon307]

"...the big difference in tipping [is]... men/women. And everyone who's ever waited a table knows it."

But which group are the cheap b*st*rds?

Also, anyone who has ever worked for tips is a good tipper.

[HighWheeler]

I also worked a summer as a waiter and a bartender. In only a matter of a couple weeks, I could pin down the tip I would get by looking out at the table of people.

4 women - 4 bad tips
1 woman or 1 man - great tip
family of 4 or more and the man has shorts or sandals or t-shirt - awful tip.
1 middle aged guy with his wife or girlfriend or concubine (especially if the guy ordered for his wife) - great tip.

The next step was the approach. Inside 10 seconds of being at the table or bar talking to them I knew how hard to bust my ass. The people and their attitude drove the tip, my effort had virtually no impact on the tip.

The more detailed the dinner order, by anyone, the less the tip.

Everyone of the other waiters and waitresses knew all these things and would try to $lant the hostess to give them the big tippers.