A photo of a restaurant receipt is reigniting the internet's favorite argument: who should be responsible for paying service workers.
After a couple discovered a mandatory 20% service charge added to their bill at Burdell in Oakland, California, they posted the receipt to Reddit, where anti-tippers in the r/EndTipping subreddit quickly pounced.
Reddit user u/Bulgingpants wrote, “What the f is this?” in reference to the $32.20 service charge listed on the receipt.
They continued, "We went to this nice restaurant yesterday to celebrate my wife’s birthday. There were no signs mentioning this service fee, nothing on the menu mentioning it, etc. They auto add on 20%."
Burdell explained the service charge in a message printed on the receipt. It reads: "Tipping in the US has an ugly past, allowing the continuation of underpaid labor."
"We don't like that history. Included on your check is a 20% Service Charge which we use to pay hourly staff a consistent and livable wage, not dependent on archaic tipping customs or change. No need to add anything else. Thank you! Burdell <3."
The restaurant also clearly states information about the service charge on its website and menus.
Burdell and other upscale restaurants implementing service charges in lieu of tipping are part of a movement in the service industry that seeks to ensure fair and consistent wages for service staff.
In an email to the Daily Dot, a Burdell employee explained that the restaurant's goal "is to offer our staff more stable, transparent compensation while providing guests with clear, upfront pricing since all the information is available publicly."
"Historically in the United States, tipping has resulted in inconsistent pay, unpredictable income, and disparities across roles and shifts," the employee added.
The restaurant's chef and owner, Geoff Davis, also unpacked the position in a comment to Berkeley dining publication, Nosh.
Davis explained tipping in the U.S. began as a way to withhold pay from newly freed slaves building the railway system in the 1880s.
“[Tipping] spread into restaurants and hotels next, where there were a lot of Black people working that they didn’t view as skilled workers who should be paid a wage. So, it’s basically a continuation of slavery.”
In California, where the Reddit OP dined at Burdell, service charges or automatic gratuities are considered employer-controlled revenue, not employee tips.
This means management distributes the revenue as they see fit. A service charge model differs from the traditional tipping system, wherein tips are the sole property of the server receiving them.
Who's responsible for servers' wages?
Commenters on the thread debated the fairness of Burdell’s approach. The debate left many questioning who’s responsible for service industry workers’ wages—employers or diners?
“So ‘we don't like the tipping culture’ and YOU will need to pay our staff a livable wage,” commented u/Bluestatevibes. “I will be honest, I would have asked for it to be removed!”
“This is the problem though... Not tipping does not end the problem of a business not paying their employees,” u/confident_cabbage argued. “Not eating at the bull shit establishment or people refusing to work there will be the only thing to cause the change.”
“I'm a 57y female & would have summoned all of my menopausal rage to Karen out about this bullshit. Tips are based on service. If my wait staff sucks I will say it in my tip bc I don't want anyone spitting in my food. Try adding 20% with my consent and see what happens. And that chicken is ridiculous!” wrote u/TheTropicalDogg.
u/Bulgingpants did not reply to the Daily Dot's request for comment via Reddit.
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