Article: Tipping in Toronto - Is 18 percent the New 15 percent?

I am now a regular contributor for View The Vibe! For my first article, I explored where the people of Toronto think today's tip percentage should land. Here is an excerpt.

To tip or not to tip? That is the question.

Actually, the real question Torontonians have been asking themselves is, is 18 per cent the new 15 per cent tip? While those with fat expense accounts are tipping 20 per cent and those tight in the wallet are paying gratuity closer to 10 per cent, what are those on the fence to do?

I decided to dig into the subject and asked Michelle Chieng, a Top 20 Partner-level server at Joey’s Eaton Centre, what the tipping expectation from a server’s point of view was. She agreed that yes, 18 per cent should be the new 15 per cent thanks to how ‘tip out,’ the profit servers give back to their restaurant to disperse between front and back-of-house, has risen over the years. “We tip out 6 per cent of our total sales, not out of the actual tips we make,” said Chieng. “If people don’t leave a tip, you are essentially paying to serve them.” This means that your 15 per cent tip is actually closer to 9 per cent for your favourite server.

....Catch the rest of the article here!