The voluntary tip, long established in the US travel industry, may be going the way of the dinosaur.
Diners at celebrity chef Thomas Keller’s New York restaurant, Per Se, already are seeing 20% tips automatically added.
Mr Keller told USA Today that restaurants and hotels are all moving towards the mandated tip.
Michael Lynn, a Cornell University professor who has researched the subject, said:
“We tend to think of America as a place where the voluntary tip is king. Today, that’s not necessarily the case.”
When he did a survey of 47 top-rated spas, he found about half included an automatic service charge.
Report by David Wilkening
