Originally Posted by
new2japan
Incidentally, wait staff in Australia are paid a LOT more per hour. In the busiest times of the day, they're often paid 3x or what you would get per hour in the United States. I hate to break it to you, but that shows up on your check. Just because you can't conceptualize that doesn't mean that it isn't real.
I know perfectly well that eating out is more expensive in Australia as a result of our waitstaff making a living wage. I never even commented on the cost of meals or the merits of tipping one way or the other except to dispute this idea that service is bad in Australia due to lack of tipping.
Do I think tipping is worth the cheaper price of meals? Not really, I find it to be a messy and ambiguous, pseudo-compulsory "option" that sets up an awkward master and servant dynamic between diner and server. As I mentioned in this previous post, as someone who lived most of their life without the "Is everything OK? 17 times per meal" I find it a negative - people who are used to it will not.