What Are The Tipping Laws In New York State?

It is the age-old question: when you head out for a meal, how much do you leave for a tip? It should all depend on the service and food, but that is not always the case. We are in a tipping culture where it is deemed that you should tip no matter what, but does that always happen?

Why Do Americans Feel Like They Have To Tip?

The "tipping culture" is well ingrained in American culture, so much so that owners of restaurants don't have to pay wait staff the minimum wage; they pay those workers with the idea that tips will make up the difference.

Has it always been this way? No, it hasn't. In fact, several states had laws that made it illegal to tip, but all those laws were overturned by the mid 1920s, and tipping has been part of our dinner out ever since.

So, you do feel like you need to tip all the time when you dine out?

Tips were first introduced back in England in Medieval times and have been a practice ever since. They were first used to show gratitude for service that went above and beyond normal service.

Somewhere along the way, tipping in America was turned into a must, not a choice, and some places add a mandatory gratuity for larger tables.

We asked on social media if you still leave a tip if you get bad service or bad food. The majority of people said they still leave a tip, just less than they normally would.

I am the same way. Both my wife and son have worked in the service industry, so I know what servers are dealing with, and I overtip. Even if I get bad service, I leave something.

Of course, that defeats the purpose of the tip, where you get great service with the hopes of getting a tip.

So what do you do? Do you always leave a tip, or does it really depend on the service you get? Let me know HERE or send me a message using our APP.