US Service Workers Have Always Been Mistreated. And Now They’re Shot At.

If you’ve ever travelled outside the US, you quickly discover that in many countries tipping is considered, well, insulting and demeaning. Before I lost my bad American tipping habits, I’ve had waiters scowling at the money left on the table, and muttering to themselves in various languages. In more evolved civilizations, the tips are either treated as a service fee that’s added to the bill or the wait staff is not dependent on tips for their salary.

In the US, there are too many states where waiters and waitresses have to use their tip money to reach the minimum wage — it’s really written into federal law. In a few places — shoutouts to California, Montana, Oregon, and Washington — “tipped workers” can start at a hourly rate well above the federal minimum, still a depressing $7.25, and get to keep all their tip money.

It shouldn’t be this way. But if you can, try to give a decent tip.

Why are waiter, waitresses, and other restaurant workers treated this way? According to Saru Jayerman, author of Forked and director of the Food Labor Research Center at Berkeley, tipping of restaurant workers traces back to — act surprised — slavery and Reconstruction. Restaurant owners didn’t wanted to pay newly freed slaves a salary. Instead these unskilled black workers were supposed to subsist on tips from customers and be thankful they had an opportunity to serve.