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A waiter in a white shirt and dark apron carries a tray of drinks through a warmly lit restaurant.
A waiter in a white shirt and dark apron carries a tray of drinks through a warmly lit restaurant. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels. Image source
A1 · Beginner
NewGlobal · Culture & Everyday Life

Why Do We Tip?

Created by dabai laoshi · 28 Aug 2026

Key Vocabulary

tip

money you give a waiter after a meal

You leave a tip after you eat.

extra

more money, not only the food money

A tip is extra money on the bill.

bill

the paper that shows what you must pay

The waiter brings the bill after the meal.

screen

a small computer that shows numbers

A screen can ask for a tip.

tap

to touch a number with your hand

Many people tap a number on the screen.

Article

You eat in a restaurant. A waiter brings the bill. Then, you give extra money for a tip. In the US, a tip is big.

People say a tip is a thank-you. But it started in an old way. Bosses used tips so they could pay workers less money.

After a war, hotels and trains gave jobs to Black workers. Some got very low pay. People who stayed or travelled had to leave tips. The boss saved money, and the visitor paid the worker. [1][2]

This became a law. Some bosses pay only 2.13 in cash each hour. Tips help the worker get more pay. If tips are low, the boss must pay more. [3]

Now a screen can ask for a tip. The screen shows 18, 22, or 25. A worker stands near you. Many people tap a number. They do not want to feel bad. [4]

Waiters talk to people and get more cash. People who cook the food do not get those tips. A big bill brings a big tip. This happens with the same waiter. [5]

Bosses did not start tipping. People brought it from Europe. Bosses used it to make customers pay wages.

Discussion Questions

  1. Do people leave extra money after a meal where you live?
  2. Have you seen a screen that asks for a tip? What did you do?
  3. Who should pay restaurant workers: the owner or the guest?
  4. Is it fair that waiters get more money than cooks? Why?
  5. What in the tipping story is new for you?

References

  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, "Tipping: From Scourge of Democracy to American Ritual," on post-Civil War tipping and Pullman porters. Source
  2. CNBC, "How tipping came to the U.S.," 30 November 2023, on employers shifting wages onto customers after the Civil War. Source
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15, on the $2.13 federal wage for tipped employees. Source
  4. Nir Eyal, "How Technology Tricks You Into Tipping More," Psychology Today, on digital payment screens and preset tip amounts. Source
  5. Michael Lynn, "Restaurant Tipping and Service Quality: A Tenuous Relationship," Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 2001. Source

Finished reading? Mark this lesson as done.

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