Study: Race and sex appeal determine how much we tip, not quality of service
Wednesday, Danny Meyers shook up the restaurant world when he published an open letter declaring that he was getting rid of tipping at his restaurant chains so that his employees would be compensated in an "equitable" and "competitive" way.
Wednesday, Danny Meyers shook up the restaurant world when he published an open letter declaring that he was getting rid of tipping at his restaurant chains so that his employees would be compensated in an “equitable” and “competitive” way.
While this announcement shocked many, especially restaurant owners who have long argued that they cannot afford to pay a higher minimum wage and others who say that tipping incentivizes good service, Meyers seems to be following the lead of a recent study showing that tipping is based, not on quality of service, but on the way a server looks.
Professors Zachary W. Brewster and Michael Lynn published a survey last July in which they conducted an exit survey of the “tipping decisions” made by about 400 diners.
“Our results indicate that both white and black restaurant customers discriminate against black servers by tipping them less than their white co-workers,” the study said. “Importantly, we find no evidence that this black tip penalty is the result of inter-racial differences in service skills possessed by black and white servers.”
A Cornell University study also noted the difference in tips when sex appeal is brought into the equation, with tips varying based on “breast sizes … ages, waist-to-hip ratios and body sizes.”
So maybe Meyers is right, and we should ditch the idea of tipping so that everyone who works at a restaurant gets equal pay for equal work.
