Hey, $5 Starbucks gift cards only buys a certain level of quality audience.

What can you get at Starbucks for $5 anyways? A venti wave as you drive by the window?

If you’re going to be a cheapskate and not tip, sure.

As someone from a country where hospitality workers are paid appropriately by law, is there a benefit to continue supporting the tipping culture? From afar, seems like a win-win for owners. Patrons pay more to scrape from, workers cost less. Is that something you support so much you put your money into it voluntarily or am I missing something?

Well, a balance has been found. Prices factor tips in to some degree, that’s economics. Cash tips can bypass taxes, so that’s a little bit of a win for the employee, who both has a lower income bracket and under the table payments. Or if taxes are properly accounted, then the staff gets higher salary, so that’s fine. Staff also knows that their performance counts, so there’s a bit of a service quality benefit, compared to a restaurant where the staff doesn’t get tips / has no incentive. At the end of the day, it’s not really much different, you just remember that the prices on the menu are not final, just as you do for taxes, but the tipping model allows for flexibility in total cost