With more ways to tip, customers willing to pay it forward

Desiree Singleton recalled her late father, Bill Ringler, having her, her brother and sister figuring out a tip on a bill when the family dined out.

“He talked to us about the service we got and how much we should tip,” Singleton said Tuesday inside her business, Harvest Moon Coffee & Chocolates in Tarentum. Singleton, who, following in her father’s footsteps, instills the courtesy of tipping in her children, said they have the percent for tips listed on the computer system she uses at Harvest Moon.

“It helps for people who might not have time to figure out the math,” Singleton said. “We don’t expect anything. We take pride in customer service. We know the names of our customers and what they like to drink. I believe tips are a reflection of how well the worker took care of you.”

Just because you see a tipping screen and tip jar doesn’t mean you have to feel pressure to give money.

“They are there if your budget supports it, and you feel like you can give a tip,” said Danielle Kovachevich, etiquette coach and founder of the Detroit Academy of Etiquette.

Kovachevich said primarily tip jars and screens were reserved for those who don’t make minimum wage. Now, they are everywhere. The pandemic made things more challenging because, in addition to the traditional ways of tipping, jars began popping up in many other businesses.

There is a tip jar at Harvest Moon, but most people don’t carry cash on them, Singleton said. She said she has found $10 and $20 bills left for the staff. Some customers prefer to tip in cash, so it’s best to give them that option as well as the computerized choice. She said her employees never stare at a customer as they are paying to see if they leave a tip. She pays more than minimum wage so her employees don’t have to rely solely on tips.

“We understand some people may just be able to pay for their drink, and that is fine with us,” Singleton said. “It is a private decision. We might walk away to get their order to give them time to make their decision. Any extra we see as a bonus.”

She said she always gives a larger tip to those who go above and beyond when she is out to dinner.

“It’s about paying it forward,” Singleton said.

Allison James of Freeport bought some homemade chocolates at Harvest Moon. She said seeing the tip amounts on the screen doesn’t bother her.

“I want to tip,” James said. “I think it is actually helpful. It is also really convenient. These people are trying to make a living, and I have worked in restaurants, so I know.

At Clark’s Diner in Lower Burrell, the check reads “gratuity not included.” Server and manager Mallory Shutt said the amount of tips varies from day to day. It depends on the customer’s mood, Shutt said.

Customers did tip more during the pandemic and for a short time after, she said.

“I am not sure why, but I did enjoy it,” Shutt said.

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Shutt added that it’s important to consider the customer might not have the extra money to pay for a tip. They might have lost a job, so you have to be empathetic to every situation.

Yes, you do, agreed Marlo Reck, a bartender and manager at Rick’s Sports Bar & Grill in Murrysville. She has been in the food business for more than 30 years. On Tuesday, she was waiting on customers at the bar and handling to-go orders. She said she doesn’t expect tips but sees them as a gesture of kindness.

“Maybe the customer can only afford a pizza and drinks for their family,” said Reck, who, like Singleton, instilled tip kindness in her children. ”Everyone deserves a night out. You don’t know what someone else is going through. If you do a good job, good things will come to you. People will notice. I have so many regular customers who take care of me.

“It’s all about taking care of each other.”

Courtney Chamberlain, a server at Rick’s Sports Bar, said, as a college student, she relies on the tips.

“If I don’t get a tip, it hurts me personally,” Chamberlain said. “It makes me feel good when I get tips. I take it personally if I don’t get a tip.”

Seeing a tip suggestion pop up on a computer screen is intrusive to Scott Pifer, a bartender at Big Jim’s restaurant in in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood. Big Jim’s doesn’t include a suggested tip range on its checks.

“It’s up to the customer to decide if they want to tip,” said Pifer, who has been in the restaurant business for three decades. “At Big Jim’s, there is a spot for the gratuity on our checks for people to decide what they want to give. I do appreciate tips. Tips are part of the game.

”If I do a bad job or have a bad attitude, I don’t expect a tip. But if I am invested in giving you a quality dining experience, it feels like an insult if you don’t leave anything.”

He said he has been in the business long enough that he tries not to let it bother him if he doesn’t get a tip. Tips aren’t just for indoor dining. To-go orders take time, Pifer said.

“I try not to let the tip thing upset me,” Pifer said. “I will get what God wants me to get.”

He said during the pandemic people tipped extremely generously.

He said a $200 bill for 15 people might deserve more than 20% because the waiter is doing more work than taking care of a two- or four-person table.

“It’s situational,” Pifer said.

He said it is also good that at Big Jim’s they put all their tips together. So if the bar is busy and the tables aren’t, they will all still get some money.

“It takes the pressure off and it helps build camaraderie because we are sharing,” he said. “If I’m not busy, I’ll help wait on or clean off tables. And if I need help at the bar, they will help me.”

Casey Henderlong of Bellevue said seeing the tip amounts suggested on a bill or computer screen doesn’t bother her.

“I personally will tip 20% every time, and I don’t feel any pressure,” said Henderlong, who has been in the food and beverage industry for 22 years.

When she buys her daily coffee, she tips 20%. She said just because someone isn’t waiting on her at a table doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a tip.

She also said it’s important to tip on the total check amount before a discount or coupon.

“Also, after I have had a few cocktails, having the tip amount already added really helps,” she said. “I appreciate the math being done.”

Pifer also said to take into account how long you stay at a table that the waiter or waitress could have turned over for other diners. And when someone buys you a drink, it’s suggested you tip on that free drink.

“There are so many aspects to tipping,” Pifer said. “I still say everybody should do somebody’s job at least once to see what it is like.”