In Europe, tipping is rare, though it can be warranted for service well above and beyond the standard. Waiters, waitresses, et al, get a fair wage like everyone else.

A tip is designed as a gratuity, defined by Merriam-Webster as “something given voluntarily or beyond obligation, usually for some service.” If a server does their job, then they should get paid for it, whether the cook undercooked the customer’s chicken, the business is busy, etc.

It’s like a delivery service. I worked in a furniture business that charged for delivery. We would get many calls from angry customers because they had a problem with the merchandise or a warranty claim – and the first thing they would jump to is compensation, usually in the form of getting the delivery fee waived or refunded.

What does a problem with the merchandise have to do with the delivery service? If the delivery took place as agreed, then that service is complete. Nothing else has anything to do with it. If the couch is tearing, or the dresser drawer broke, it is a merchandise issue, not a delivery issue.

If the waiter is horrible, then make a complaint and let the management punish accordingly, like every other place of employment. Pay should be based on time and doing your job, not how well a consumer tips.

The problem is that employers in this line of work have gotten used to having the consumer pick up the slack in paying their employees.

If the employer can get away with paying only half their employees’ paycheck because the tips are calculated as income, then that’s less money that has to come out of their pocket, and it’s shifted to the consumer.

If the practice of tipping were removed, then the employer would have to pay the employee 100 percent of what they’ve earned.

Antonio Giarratano

Biddeford

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