Employees of a coffee shop in Utah have been left divided after the owner decided to eliminate tipping altogether and introduce higher salaries instead.
The debate surrounding tipping culture is never-ending as many people see it as a way of rewarding staff for exceptionally good service, as well as helping them with their wages as their salary often isn't enough to support a reasonable standard of living.
As the ongoing commotion has become a massive topic in the US, the owner of Three Pines Coffee in Salt Lake City has revealed that he has thrown the rule book out of the window to make it easier for customers.
"Since when are we tipping for everything? I definitely feel tipping fatigue,” Nick Price told KUTV.
Watch below:Price explained that the shop is busier in the summer, but slower in the winter, therefore it's difficult for his staff to count the tips they have earned throughout the year.
"Because we get pretty busy in the summer, tips are pretty good. Then we get a little slower in the winter and tips are pretty bad," he said. "I didn’t feel it was right for my employees to be making less money in those slower months."
With that in mind, the owner concluded that he would be increasing all of his employees' pay by over double, by raising their wages from $8 an hour to $18 an hour.
Now, you're probably wondering how Price will be able to offer his workers a 125 percent hike without seeing his business go under. Well, he will raise the costs of everything on the menu by about $1 so ultimately, customers won’t feel any effects of the price increase since they won’t be tipping anymore.
"The tip is essentially included in the price. So, the prices up on the board are exactly what you pay," he said.
One of Three Pines Coffee's lead baristas, Everett Hamby, confessed to KUTV that he was initially uncomfortable with the change after worrying that he'd end up earning less overall if tips were banned. However, the two-year employee slowly got around to the new policy as he realized that there was stability in earning more per hour.
"I know how much I’m going to bring home. It’s really comforting because tips can be very volatile," Hamby said.
Customers have also chimed in, revealing that they don’t mind paying an extra $1 for their items if it means they don’t have to tip. "I think that’s a good solution. I think tipping got really out of hand. I’d rather pay the higher price [than tip]," one person told the outlet.
The owner shared that the no-tipping policy has been in effect for only about 30 days, but so far, it’s working. He’ll let it continue a little longer before deciding if it’s permanent.
He hopes that other businesses catch on, adding: "I look forward to seeing if any other businesses in Salt Lake jump onto this because I do think people are sick of tipping, and this is the future of our industry."
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