Changing the rules of tipping
This sign was perched on the cash register at Daly’s Dandelion, on New York’s Third Avenue, when I was a J1 student waiter. A funny slogan, but the intent was unmistakable — don’t ‘stiff’ your waiter. At Daly’s — across the street from Bloomingdale’s and owned by Skitch Henderson, band leader on The Johnny Carson Show — waiters worked for $1.25 an hour, with gratuities expected and essential.
Tipping is as old as America, but is threatened by new trends in the restaurant industry. Two months ago, a Manhattan restaurant outlawed tipping on its premises. Raising its prices across the menu, Sushi Yasuda appended a note to credit card slips: “Following the custom in Japan, Sushi Yasuda’s service staff are fully compensated by their salary. Therefore, gratuities are not accepted.” It joins a list of other eateries across the US — Atera, Chef’s Table, Chez Panisse, Per Se and the French Laundry — that have deemed the age-old practice unpalatable.
