Gratuity-fatigued Corey Anderson McCutcheon is closing up shop. He’s fed up with dead-eyed cashiers everywhere, from the corner grocer to the gourmet lunch counter, swiveling iPads toward customers for tips. The Upper East Sider is over stoic restaurant workers offering little in the way of friendly service while expecting gratuities of 15% or more. And … Read more
Robo-tipping is the latest airport rip-off. The tipping saga continues as more grocery stores, airports and fast food chains are begging their customers for tips. While the average person has no problem forking over a cool 20% tip after a nice meal — a wave of new tipping scandals have been in the spotlight. Michael … Read more
Customers are now tipping their nonexistent employees. An airport bookshop hit a traveler with a surprise “employee retention fee” — despite the customer scanning and bagging his own item at a self-checkout machine, triggering a wave of furious backlash online. The outrage erupted after an exasperated flyer posted a picture of his receipt from the … Read more
An outraged diner is calling out a major restaurant chain after discovering a surprise “admin fee” quietly tacked onto his dinner bill. Earls Kitchen and Bar, a popular “upscale casual” restaurant chain with over 67 locations spanning the US and Canada, is now under fire after an irate customer exposed its controversial billing policy on … Read more
No soup for you! A group of Los Angeles diners claims they were “blacklisted” from a popular Little Tokyo restaurant on Halloween night — after refusing to pay an automatic 18% gratuity for large parties. The dining dustup unfolded at JinCook, a Korean restaurant in the bustling DTLA enclave — where six friends couldn’t be … Read more
Carnival Cruise Line has launched a curious new sticker program that flagrantly identifies tippers. The new initiative hinges on a sticker that reads “Crew Love,” which is applied to a passenger’s Sail & Sign card to show they have dutifully prepaid their daily gratuities. The sticker drew immediate attention from cruisers, and reactions ranged from … Read more
A customer is raising questions about tipping practices at Applebee’s after noticing that the suggested gratuity on his bill was higher than he expected. The customer, who shared his experience in a TikTok video, questioned why the restaurant’s payment kiosk suggested an $11.30 tip on a $49.49 bill. A 20% tip on $49.49 would amount … Read more
Night owl penalty. A bar customer is airing his outrage on Reddit over an auto gratuity. According to the offended imbiber, The Corner Pocket in Williamsburg, Virginia, charged him a 20% late-night gratuity for ordering drinks after 10 p.m. The Corner Pocket, which has operated for three decades, bills itself as a “staple” in the historic … Read more
Don’t forget to tip your robots. A recent TikTok has exposed an airport store for prompting customers to select an 18% tip at a self-checkout kiosk. Dr. Clay Moss, a longevity specialist, recently posted a TikTok where a self-service payment terminal automatically nudged him to tip. In an undisclosed airport, the doctor was stunned when … Read more
There’s a fee to get fed. A popular Los Angeles restaurant is in the hot seat after an irate diner put the trendy spot on blast over a sizable mystery “administrative” fee slapped onto his bill — on top of the restaurant’s mandatory 20 percent gratuity and LA’s recently-raised sales tax of 10.25 percent. The … Read more
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. A Southern California bar that appears to have publicly shamed four customers for leaving a $25 tip on a nearly $400 tab unleashed a social media firestorm — with a slew of enraged commenters turning the tables on the hapless establishment. The Salty Dawg Tavern in Orange … Read more
What is the world’s “trust tipping point” for artificial intelligence? While most people (66%) are comfortable using AI in their personal and professional lives, there is still a line they draw for how far they’re willing to go. A new global study of 11,000 respondents from around the world explored how AI is becoming part … Read more
Here’s a tip, California — leave one. A shocking new study of tipping habits in the fifty states conducted by restaurant tech bigwig Toast shows California in last place — with allegedly stingy Golden Staters slipping well below the 20% most Americans are now expected to pay. Californians left an average 17.1% per transaction, the dirty data … Read more
Big Apple coffee fiends are spending loads of bread on brew — but the actual cost of a cuppa is just the tip of the iceberg. NYC go-getters fueled by beans, cream and sugar are being “guilt-tripped” into tipping an average of $357 to baristas each year, warns a new report on the ever-controversial rise of tipping … Read more
Mel Robbins learned an unusual lesson about earning big tips when she worked as a waitress: Pay attention to the women at the table. The bestselling author and podcast host recently recalled advice from a “mentor-boss” at the Red Rooster Tavern in Michigan about figuring out who really influences the gratuity. “She told me when I … Read more
We’ve reached a tipping point: self-service kiosks are asking for tips, while shoppers feel pressure to tip cashiers who don’t cook a thing. At restaurants, where a tip of 15 to 20% has been standard for decades, suggested tips are climbing higher and higher. In a viral incident earlier this month, TikTok creator BD Powell … Read more
Here’s a tip that no one asked for. A self-identified waitress recently took to social media with a simple message for patrons: gratuity is not a tip. “Gratuity is gratuity, and a tip is a tip,” the woman said in a TikTok video that’s made the rounds on social media, reigniting the heated discussion surrounding … Read more
A YouTuber put Beverly Hills’ famously deep pockets to the test by spending a day delivering food around the ritzy California enclave — and walked away with a whopping $346 after scoring some jaw-dropping tips. YouTuber iamBrandon headed to the 90210 armed with a delivery bag, a $150 secondhand e-bike and zero previous DoorDash or … Read more
Princess Cruises is introducing stricter booking policies, including higher deposits and earlier final payment deadlines, fueling mixed reactions among travelers. Among the biggest changes is an update to the timeline for final payments, the cruise line confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Beginning with new bookings for sailings departing in 2027 and beyond, we … Read more
Golden State diners may be all about sunshine — but when it comes to tipping, they’re leaving servers in the shade. California diners tipped less than any other state in the nation, according to a new report that ranked the Bear Flag State dead last in restaurant generosity. The state’s overall tip rate came in … Read more