Since inflation hit, restaurant workers have been coming forward with stories of diners tipping poorly or not at all. Daniel Westwood, a Las Vegas bartender who earns $12 per hour and depends on tips, explained that not even previous recessions caused as many bad tippers as he’s experiencing now. It might sound mind-boggling to think a diner would choose to eat out and not tip their server, but Westwood claims that it’s becoming the norm, and he cites inflation and indifference as two key factors. In a world where people can finally dine out again, some restaurant workers feel that diners value their personal restaurant experience over their server’s take home pay.
Poor tipping during inflation isn’t a series of isolated incidents, either. A recent survey showed that Americans are tipping even less than they did before COVID-19, per The Hill. Though there was certainly a pandemic-era trend of tipping more money to restaurant workers in 2020 and even 2021, it seems that 2022 has seen that era of generosity end.
While it may be that some restaurant-goers are tipping less out of selfishness, other experts say shadow inflation is a reason for gratuity “ghosters.” Shadow inflation is the effects of supply chain issues and labor shortages on restaurants. These effects include dining issues like dirty facilities, poor food quality, and missing ingredients. While rarely the fault of short-staffed restaurants, it’s possible that disappointed diners are taking out their frustrations on their servers.
