I’ve never worked in the food service industry but I’m fascinated by the psychology of tipping. In the U.S. tipping is voluntary but expected; partly due to social convention and partly because food servers depend on tips to make a living. Because U.S. food servers are required to pay income tax on the value of the food, many servers need an 8% tip just to break even.
According to research studies, many of the factors that influence the size of a tip are outside servers’ control. As might....