And it's really not up to the customer to make the employee's compensation whole. A tip is customary for table service or home delivery in the US, not counter service. I don't see how Starbucks is a different level of service than McDonald's. One doesn't tip the order taker or fry-maker at McDonald's so why the coffee barista or order taker at Starbucks?

Last call.....

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Thank you,

cblaisd
Co-Moderator, Dining Buzz

Of the 3-4 times I've been through EWR recently, the staff couldn't be bothered to interact with me at all except for bringing food. They never even offered a glass of water.

If they bothered to check in with me and offer water, sure, they've provided "service". But so long as they treat this as a purely transactional experience via the iPad, then my tip will be purely transactional. 15 seconds of work is certainly not worthy of anything over $1.

That makes sense.

I am so glad this sort of question doesn't even arise in the countries I live in and visit.

At "iPad restaurants" I've eaten at, half of the time there isn't even an option to tip on the ipad. Though they often decide to put the prices on their menu at 90% of what they actually want to be paid, and call the rest a "service charge".

What does make me mad, though, is that those iPads default to a tip. I don't recall what level it is, but it's on the scale of 15-20%

Although it does answer the OP's question of whether one is EXPECTED to tip at this type of restaurant. Whether you do or not, and how much, is still up to the customer. It actually makes sense to remind people in an airport, where people may be passing through and aren't aware of American customs for tipping.

One of the things I always check before traveling to a country for the first time is tipping norms, so as not to over or under tip. But I'm not sure I'd think to do that if I were in transit. I certainly didn't do that for my connection at IST a few months ago (although I knew I'd be in the TK lounge anyway).

I try to look that up, too, but never remember to do so before I'm sitting at the restaurant. Fortunately, the ISOS app has my back!

It depends where you are. In California, all servers are paid at least the regular minimum wage ($10.50/hr), plus tips, so they are definitely getting more than McDonald's workers. I would assume that servers at "iPad restaurants" are paid the same as servers at regular restaurants, since the restaurant probably considers it a tipped position. However, due to the iPads, they can probably serve more tables per shift than otherwise, so I think it's appropriate to tip a bit less for that reason.

IME you can still pay cash, or hand your card to the server if you want. Use of the machines is optional. It probably depends on the restaurant, but many times a server will appear, go over the use of the machine, and ask if you have any questions.

I think this is a good approach. I always thought that for non-full service, such as buffets, you should tip a flat rate of a few bucks rather than a percentage. I suppose that as "iPad restaurants" become more common, a social standard will emerge.

People should view this episode of X-files to see what happens when one fails to tip at an automated sushi restaurant. There is good take on cell phones, credit card services, automated taxis, and comment that could be all too close to the airline business, especially calling customer service: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rm9sbG93ZXJz I am not sure how best to access the episode. I have it on DVR.

Well yeah. A tiny, dusty, moldy studio in a seedy neighborhood is $2000+ a month. Working full time, you need to make well over 2x minimum wage to qualify for that.