Should you tip coffee shop staff? That’s the question that’s dividing TikTok this week.
A video posted by TikToker @argunloll shows a man trying to press the “no tip” button on a frozen touchscreen while at the till.
The on-screen text reads: “When he takes you for coffee but doesn’t tip.”
The clip has racked up 3.7 million views, 204,000 likes and over 7,000 comments within two days.
A comment with almost 95,000 likes asks: “Who tips when getting coffee?”. The comment received over 300 replies, with TikTok user Chris writing: “Nah you have too much money if you tippin’ for coffee, it’s literally just poured from a coffee pot.” Mark hit back saying: “Not if it’s an espresso drink.”
Others highlighted that coffee is already expensive, with some calling for people to normalise hitting “no tip”.
Providing an insider perspective, Stfujoseph wrote: “As a coffee barista there’s no need to tip.”
Another said it would be such a turn off if their date didn’t tip, that they would want to leave immediately. However others argued that him tipping $3 on a $5 drink would be a red flag and indicate financial irresponsibility.
Not everyone agreed that baristas should go without a tip, however.
Iamshweta96 said: “Guys, tip. It’s been an extremely hard year for service workers.” Replying, another TikToker said: “It’s been a hard year for the majority of people”.
“Idc [I don’t care] how broke I am, I will always tip as someone who’s worked in the food industry,” Steph wrote.
Rilesmckenna said: “Wait. The amount of people in the comment section saying they don’t tip at coffee shops. As a former barista, please reconsider.”
Some pointed out the difference between baristas and servers, with Skylar highlighting: “Baristas don’t get paid less than minimum wage and aren’t living off tips like servers are.”
“Ok but tipping is only for when they serve you,” Ridwa wrote.
TikToker Leolover said that instead of relying on tips, business owners should instead pay their staff a good wage.
They wrote: “The tipping culture in the US is ridiculous. Pay your workers to do their job, it shouldn’t be on us to pay for our meals and their employees.” Another user agreed, saying: “Fight for a fair salary, not tip culture.”
In the US servers and bartenders rely on tips and a good rule of thumb for the amount to leave behind is between 15 and 20 per cent.
Relying on tips means the amount of take-home pay servers receive each week varies wildly, but if you get lucky with the establishment you work in such as this Hooters waitress - it can prove lucrative.
