The UK reaches a tipping point

Less than two weeks after I pass through London at the start of my upcoming holiday, The Guardian has chosen this moment to freak out about US-style tipping in the UK:

Tipping was awkward enough in the UK when the general rule was 10% at a restaurant, plus anxiety about whether you should tip the hairdresser, babysitter or food-delivery driver. Now, with tipping suggested ever more frequently, US-style, it has become a minefield to Britons. The amounts edge higher – in fancier London restaurants, a 15% service charge is relatively commonplace. And it’s often asked for – in coffee shops for example, when you pay – before any service is delivered.

The shift away from cash towards card and digital payments is usually framed as removing “friction”, says Prof John Vines, the chair of design informatics at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics. “It’s about being more convenient. This is all a trend towards making it easier for us to spend our money.” The software in point-of-sale terminals prompts the customer for a tip. “These systems are presented as a way of making giving a tip easier. We don’t have to think about it too much, we don’t have to fiddle with coins and notes. But, really, it’s about encouraging us to spend more.”

Faced with three options on a screen, with the third perhaps an outrageous 35% tip, I often panic and go for the middle box. I wouldn’t want to seem cheap by going for the first option, but I end up feeling bullied into giving a generous 20% or more.

Is it too cynical to suggest that tech companies who run the software, and who take a cut of every transaction, are making more money from pushing tips? “That probably is a bit cynical, but also probably true,” says Vines, with a laugh.

But even in the US, says Lynn, tip fatigue is real. “In surveys, I was asking people: ‘Would you rather tipping be eliminated?’ In 2016, about 32% of people said yes. By 2018 it was 42% and by 2022 it was 52%. I haven’t repeated that since, but other surveys have asked similar questions. It seems to have gone back down to about 40%. But, absolutely, people say they’re being asked to tip for more services than ever before and, even for traditionally tipped services, they’re being asked to tip larger amounts. It negatively impacts consumer sentiment.”

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Traditionally, British pubs that served food would never ask for, or even suggest, leaving a tip. However, many pubs these days are operated as if they were restaurants, and I don't mean that in a positive way. The rise of "gastropubs" which serve fancy food in small portions with big prices is something that I personally deplore, especially as they also tend to add a crafty 10% gratuity to the bill before they even hand it to you! Give me a pub that serves hearty simple food any day, and I'm more than happy to leave a 15% or 20% tip for friendly and cheerful service.

When I'm in London in three weeks, I will have a full English at a CAMRA-recommended pub Saturday morning and a pork bap at Southampton Arms in the late afternoon. I will likely tip £2 for the breakfast and £1 for the bap. For my beers Saturday evening? Probably a quid if I have 3 or fewer pints, but a fiver if I'm there at last orders. What say you, Dr Harper?