When it comes to tipping at restaurants, everyone has their own opinion. Some people are strictly twenty percent, some are based on the service they receive and others simply don’t tip. What some people may not think when going to tip is that this is how your server makes their income. Most servers are paid $2.13 an hour, compared to the minimum wage, which is $7.25, because of their tips.

“As a server, I appreciate when people tip,” said junior Josslyn Paolino. “Although I don’t have many bills to pay, it is nice to know I have money when needed. It also makes me feel better about my service to the customers and makes me feel like I do a good job.”

Over time, it has become almost necessary to tip everywhere you go. Such as fast-food restaurants, picking up to go, or just ordering at the counter for a quick snack or coffee. Tipping usually has to do with the services provided. If you are picking up a to-go, the only way you can base the tip is if the person who answered the phone and the person who gave you your food were polite.

“I always tip when I go out to eat: twenty percent if not more,” said Paolino. “I think tipping is essential because I know how it feels not to be tipped, and it’s not a good feeling. When I tip, it shows people I appreciate them and their service because they deserve it. I always tell myself, ‘You never know how much someone may need this tip.’”

Tipping at coffee shops and ice cream shops is starting to be considered a social norm. With today’s technology, most people pay with a card. Once you pay with a card, at some places they turn a big screen at you, which allows you to pick the amount you want to tip while they stare at you. This can pressure people into tipping if they don’t feel the need to, or even make you tip more than you planned.

“I typically tip twenty percent unless they are being meany-pants,” said Annaliese Whalen. “If they aren’t deserving of my money, then I’m not tipping the full twenty percent. Prices these days are out of the roof. In this economy, I can’t afford to tip a full twenty percent if they don’t deserve it.”

If you cannot afford to tip when going out to eat at a restaurant, you should not go out at all. Tipping is part of people’s income, allowing them to live, and tipping is part of going out-to-eat etiquette. If you put yourself in the server’s shoes after they accommodate everything a customer wants, all while being polite, and you didn’t get a tip that you may need to pay next month’s rent, how would it make you feel?

“Being a food runner, I get a percentage of tips,” said Whalen. I understand how it feels if waitresses and waiters don’t make many tips that shift because it also affects me.”