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Tipping the Scales Away From Tipping

You may eat out a lot, but do you really have tipping figured out?

Credit Unlisted Sighting on Flickr Creative Commons
Tipping is part of our culture, supporting the wage of workers in restaurants, hotels, and beauty salons. But, some say we should get rid of tipping and replace it with a service charge or a higher wage.

Or do you stress about whether you left the right amount?

Would you be happier with an 18 percent service charge added on and no obligation to tip?

These are the shifting restaurant rules we'll talk about today.

We're also very interested in the whole question of who picks up the check or how it gets split and under what circumstances. With a rise in women's employment and a downturn in the earning power of young men, you have to wonder whether some of the old school codes about the man paying really make sense.

We'll also talk about the introduction of phone cameras, laptops and tablets into fine dining environments. Some upscale restaurants have had to decide whether to ban Instagrammers or add WiFi.

Leave your comments below, email colin@wnpr.org or tweet us @wnprcolin.

GUESTS:

  • Rand Richards Cooper is an author, essayist, freelance writer, and restaurant critic.
  • Steve Dublanica is the author of Keep the Change: A Clueless Waiter’s Quest to Become the Guru of Gratuities, he maintains the blog Waiterrant.net, and is an ex-waiter.
  • Billy Grant is the owner Grant’s Restaurant and Bar and Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford and Bricco Trattoria in Glastonbury.
  • Lizzie Post is Emily Post’s great-great-granddaughter, co-author of Emily Post's Etiquette, 18th edition, co-author of Great Get-Togethers, and the author of How Do You Work This Life Thing?

Tags
Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.
Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public.
Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.
Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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