Steven Shaw has an op-ed in today’s NYT, “Tipped Off”,” that advocates replacing the tip with a service charge.

Michael Lynn, an associate professor of consumer behavior and marketing at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, has conducted dozens of studies of tipping and has concluded that consumers’ assessments of the quality of service correlate weakly to the amount they tip.

We like the practices of adding a standard service charge with no tipping and posting the full price of a dish, including tax and service charge.
My experience with being on the receiving end of a tip was during the years I drove a cab, and I can say unequivocally that the best tippers are waiters, waitresses, and bartenders. The worst tippers in my experience? Doctors, lawyers, and airline pilots (the pilots were usually condescending, too).

More Information

• “Mega tips: Scientifically Tested Techniques to Increase Your Tips,” by Dr. Michael Lynn, 2004 (pdf)
• “Researcher in consumer behavior looks at attitudes of gratitude that affect gratuities,” Cornell Chronicle, August 17, 2000
• “How much to tip,” CNNMoney
• “How to Tip Properly” on eHow
• “The Economics and Etiquette of Tipping,” by Steen Videbeck, Policy (The Centre for Independent Studies, Australia), Summer 2004
• “Tipping Your Server: Better With Cash or Credit,” by Jay M. Allison, Missouri Western State College, December 5, 1995