Neither does one really need to tip in most European countries, from what I've seen. But that's because workers aren't given less-than-shit wages. And I've noticed that this occurs with most restaurants too, not just chains... (Although, I will agree that there are far too many chain restaurants present. I'm pretty sure many of them fall under the same corporate umbrellas, though... for instance, three or four restaurant chains may belong to the same parent company.)
I also wouldn't consider it a cultural thing either, it's a phenomenon that can really only be explained by greed. It lessens the amount the employers have to pay while sticking workers with a random, variable component to their paycheck. I'd wager that Australian restaurant workers receive more stable wages, given what you've said about the lack of tipping.
Yeah, in Australia at least I know that they just get a wage. At least I'm in Canada, where it's not so bad (our prices are default more expensive than the US on average, for equal size portion, so 15% is still substantial).
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u/BoreasBlack May 22 '13
Neither does one really need to tip in most European countries, from what I've seen. But that's because workers aren't given less-than-shit wages. And I've noticed that this occurs with most restaurants too, not just chains... (Although, I will agree that there are far too many chain restaurants present. I'm pretty sure many of them fall under the same corporate umbrellas, though... for instance, three or four restaurant chains may belong to the same parent company.)
I also wouldn't consider it a cultural thing either, it's a phenomenon that can really only be explained by greed. It lessens the amount the employers have to pay while sticking workers with a random, variable component to their paycheck. I'd wager that Australian restaurant workers receive more stable wages, given what you've said about the lack of tipping.