Man Says Replace 'Tips' With 'Bonus' — Calls It 'Lazy, Greedy' for Servers to Expect Extra for Carrying Plates

If it feels like everyone has a tip jar now, that's because they do. Coffee shops. Fast-casual counters. Self-checkout kiosks that barely made eye contact before asking for 20%. Tipping prompts have become so common that many people say the reflexive guilt is wearing off. What's left is frustration. That tension spilled out this week in a Reddit rant posted to a forum dedicated to ending tipping culture. The post didn't come from a restaurant worker or an industry insider. It came from a customer who said the system itself no longer makes sense. Don't Miss: Fast Company Calls It a ‘Groundbreaking Step for the Creator Economy' — Investors Can Still Get In at $0.85/Share Americans With a Financial Plan Can 4X Their Wealth — Get Your Personalized Plan from a CFP Pro The Redditor framed the argument around bonuses, not burgers. "My wife gets bonuses at her job," the post begins. "The bonus is extra. If the company is doing well and she worked hard, she gets a bonus. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, once it was nothing." The point was simple. Bonuses are not guaranteed. They are not owed. And they are not demanded from clients. "Imagine for a moment her telling her clients that if she doesn't get her bonus they don't deserve her services and should just stay at home," the user wrote. "Above and beyond is above and beyond, not the bare minimum." From there, the post moved straight into tipping. Ordering food. Carrying plates. Percentages that climb higher even when the job stays the same. "I order food, the server brings me food. That's the bare minimum," the Redditor wrote. "No, you don't get extra money because you carried one cup and one plate." Trending: $100k+ in investable assets? Match with a fiduciary advisor for free to learn how you can maximize your retirement and save on taxes – no cost, no obligation. The comparison didn't stop there. The post contrasted servers with electricians, yard cleaners, and other workers who do physical or unpleasant labor without tips. The question was blunt. "So whats so extra special about these servers?" The post drew a wide range of responses, with commenters debating not just restaurants, but fairness, incentives, and why tipping in the U.S. has expanded far beyond its original purpose. One commenter who said they worked as a dishwasher pointed to bias baked into tipping itself. "When I worked as a dish washer, I constantly saw who was considered by far the best server in the restaurant end up with less in tips than subpar servers who were more ‘conventionally attractive,'" they wrote, adding that some front-of-house staff made more in a single shift than kitchen workers earned all week. Another commenter focused on the moral side of the system. "I can't imagine panhandling for tips from people earning less than I do," they wrote. "It's just morally reprehensible to me." As the discussion continued, the frustration widened beyond restaurants. Real estate agents, car salespeople, and other commission-based roles came up as examples of jobs where customers are expected to fill income gaps. "Tipping system pits customers and staff against each other rather than the system or the bosses," one former valet wrote. See Also: 7 Million Gamers Already Trust Gameflip With Their Digital Assets — Now You Can Own a Stake in the Platform That argument lines up with broader data. According to Pew Research, 72% of adults say tipping expectations have increased in recent years, and more than 40% say they feel annoyed or pressured by digital tip prompts. According to the National Restaurant Association, which analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data, average menu prices rose about 31% between February 2020 and 2025, while food and labor costs for the average restaurant increased roughly 35%. That means diners are already paying more just to order, before a tip screen appears, and because tips are usually calculated as a percentage, higher menu prices automatically translate into higher expected gratuities even when the service itself hasn't changed. For many diners, the math no longer adds up. "Replace the word ‘tips' with the word ‘bonus' and relieve yourself from the guilt of subsidizing the income of these lazy, greedy servers," the original post concluded. Not everyone agreed with the tone, but even critics acknowledged the exhaustion behind it. One commenter summed it up more calmly. "If I go out to eat I'm treating myself," they wrote. "Not to feel guilty about others' choices, not to sweat while evaluating performance." That may be the heart of the issue. Tipping was once framed as optional gratitude. Now it often feels mandatory, automated, and disconnected from service. As tip prompts keep popping up in more places, more customers are asking the same question this Redditor did. When did extra become expected—and why is it still the customer's job to make it work? Read Next: Earn While You Scroll: The Deloitte-Ranked #1 Software Company Growing 32,481% Is Opening Its $0.50/Share Round to Accredited Investors. Image: Shutterstock