Now, I've tipped a lot in my life — as a general people pleaser, I actually really enjoy the experience. But never in my life has said tipping occurred in Australia.
This isn't because service in Australia sucks — it's because tipping is the practise of paying for a service you received to someone who may not earn a very high income. Service-based workers in Australia (think beauty and hospitality) are generally paid a liveable wage.
So, when Reddit user u/spots_ went to eat out in Australia and discovered that a tip had been included in their total bill, they were a little confused.
Their thread prompted a huge response, with Aussies sharing their opinions and experiences. Here are the best responses:
1. "Hate implied tipping — particularly in this country. The more common thing to happen is they hand the EFTPOS machine to you and the screen says 'enter tip' and then the waiter stands over you watching. I refuse to tip for anything other than stellar service, anything less is just what they’re paid to do."
—u/maaxwell
2. "Just went to a cafe where you had to use a QR code to get the menu and order on your phone, then pay. The system defaulted to a 5% tip despite, at that point, not having had any service to tip for. I'll avoid places that use such a system."
—u/tubbyx7
3. "Entering a 'tip' via EFTPOS means you can almost guarantee that it's not going to the waiter."
—u/Sansabina
4. "Stellar service, in my opinion, would be if they went and picked up your dry cleaning, or took the kids away for a few minutes, so the parents could have a moment to themselves...but offering a meal, at a restaurant — colour me shocked if they did that well."
—u/Schedulator
5. "Sometimes I think my 'friends' who tip in Sydney restaurants think that a tip makes them look more cosmopolitan...I've always tipped in countries where people don't get a fair wage, but if you're not getting a fair wage in Australia, then the business should be exposed, not underwritten by tipping. And if you want to feel great about yourself by rewarding staff with money if they submit to your whims...then you are not cosmopolitan, you're a parochial dick. Solidarity, not charity."
6. "When I worked in hospo as a casual, I'd get $25/hr on a weekday — it's a fair wage, so I never expected tips. Also, the tips were always shared (or sometimes not given to anyone, but pooled for ~staff events~ or whatever), so even if you worked your ass off for a big table and they were kind enough to leave a tip, you'd never get it just in your pocket."
7. "Tipping shouldn’t be a thing in Australia, because restaurants are meant to be paying fair wages. Every time I get asked about a tip I always ask that they’re earning the correct wage."
8. "Wait staff in the USA rely on tips for their income due to very low hourly rates, despite it still being a horrible practise rife with discrimination. However, in Australia our hospitality staff are generally well paid and protected by employment laws. Just like in Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, Korea, China, Singapore, Italy and many others, tipping should not be expected nor asked for here. In fact, like in Japan, it should be considered rude and shunned."
—u/moaiii
9. "I disagree with tipping — not because I don’t think that the people doing the work deserve it, but because I believe that the rich assholes who own the places should be paying wait staff a proper wage, instead of relying on me to do it for them."
—u/michaelcuneo
10. "Totally agree, except for food delivery drivers. I always give a cash tip. They earn sweet FA (fuck all) per delivery. I give cash, so that the service provider doesn’t take a cut."
11. "I'm trying to get used to the non-tipping culture here. Back in my home country, tipping is pretty normal and seeing as our minimum wage is so low we generally always make sure to tip. Definitely a culture shock when I first arrived because people in hospitality make decent wages here."
—u/Sponge_Bond
12. "Do not tip. Name and shame. Tipping culture should not be promoted in Australia."
—u/Thisfoxhere
13. "I’m surprised at the amount of people here that tip. I never tip and never will. Maybe I’m just poorer than the rest of you. I’m an electrician, I bust my arse everyday trying to do my best. I don’t get any extra when I work harder, I earn the same as my coworkers that don’t work as hard. I feel by all you people tipping it's normalising it here in Australia. Obviously it’s your money and you can do what you want with it, but I think you’re bringing this problem on yourself."
14. "As an American living in Sydney who has worked in the service industry in both countries, there is absolutely no reason tipping should be a thing in Australia. It’s absolutely pointless. Tipping is an unreasonable system that ends up being used by managers to exploit desperate employees. There’s already enough of that behaviour going around in Sydney and Melbourne."
—u/WDfx2EU
15. "I hate the slow creeping in of tipping culture in Sydney. Tipping in Sydney should always be a bonus because you want to, never an expectation. Our hospitality wages are far better than in the USA, there's no need to adopt their terrible system."
—u/LurkHartog
16. "Tbh I really don’t like tipping culture in Australia. I was shocked at how common it was in the USA. My main issue is that it encourages employers to pay lower rates and leave it up to the employee and customer to make up the rest. Hospitality pay is already pretty tough. In my point of view, employers should pay staff and the menu prices should include all they need to cover their costs."
—u/art_fanatic
17. "Imagine if mandatory tipping in the service industry becomes so widespread businesses start going, 'Hey, look at all this extra money our employees can make! Do we really need to give them a full wage when they can easily survive on tips?'."
—u/RaineyJ
18. "Sometimes there’s an additional 10% service charge on groups of 10+, which I’m fine to pay because there is time taken to clear and reset the plates/cutlery between each course. However, that’s the only circumstance where I’m okay to pay — and they usually specify it upfront when booking."
19. And finally, "Being a waiter is already hard enough — shit hours, loud and stressful environment. They shouldn’t have to be worried about being tipped if they're having a shit day and suddenly customers decide they don’t deserve the tip. Maybe they're stressed, sick, their mum died or they had to take care of a sick child all night."
Have you noticed a boost in tipping culture here in Australia? Let us know in the comments!
Some Reddit submissions have been ended for length and/or clarity.