Everybody seems to want a tip these days. But what happens if you don’t tip at all — not even at sit-down restaurants?
One guy in Los Angeles answered that question. The short answer: You save a lot of money, and some people think you’re a jerk.
The anonymous TikTok creator who uses the handle @idontip conjured up the idea to calculate his savings from not tipping following a trip to a bakery in LA.
“After ordering a Danish that costs $3, the cashier turned the iPad and I saw: $1, $2, $3 tips options; $3 tips for a bun that costs $3, man. That was the moment when NoTip was born,” the TikTokker told The Post.
In his videos, @idontip chronicles his daily spending at the many coffee shops and restaurants LA has to offer — at the end of the clips, he adds up the change he’s saved by refusing to add gratuity on everything from a $389 dinner with drinks and truffle pasta to $12 lattes.
The socially taboo move saved him $152.92 in one week, he claims in a viral TikTok video with more than 82,000 views — sparking a heated debate in the comments section.
“You’re an inspiration to us all,” the top commenter on the video said.
While others vehemently disagreed.
“This is utterly disgusting.,” another user responded.
Many users appreciated the concept of not tipping on coffee or at fast casual joints — places where tips were rarely demanded just a few years ago.
But most drew the line at not tipping servers at sit-down restaurants.
“I get no tip policy if they are not service, but no tip on a regular restaurant is devious,” one user said.
The man behind the debate-provoking account — who declined to share his name — said that while he agrees there’s a big difference between not tipping in a restaurant vs. at a coffee shop, his mission is the same for both.
“I am promoting the freedom from social judgment,” he said.
“In coffee shops people feel obligated because of the other people in line looking at them and baristas turning that ipad and waiting for a tip before they start making a coffee. While in restaurants it’s judgement of the waiter.”
But, he’s still unrepentant about his behavior: “I feel great not tipping, no matter where I go.”
There are no laws that enforce tipping as mandatory, but many workers’ hourly wages depend on what they make in tips.
Federal minimum wage for employees who receive tips is just $2.13 per hour, vs. $7.25 per hour for non-tipped employees.
In New York City, tipped employees have a minimum wage of $10.65 per hour — but must earn at least $16 per hour with tips.
The minimum wage for tipped employees in California is $16, the same for most other workers — though fast-food employees at major chains must make at least $20 per hour.
