The rules of tipping used to be simple and straightforward.
Fifteen percent was the standard gratuity for a sit-down restaurant meal; a similar number was the norm for tipping the barber or a hairdresser. A few other common service encounters – the paperboy, a taxi driver, a hotel bellman – were also considered tip-worthy.
In 2023 it seems, however, that most everyone expects a little something extra for their efforts. Tip jars grace the counters of coffee shops and convenience stores, multiple tip suggestions are pre-printed onto restaurant guest checks, and on-line retailers feel it’s OK to suggest a tip be added onto an e-commerce transaction.
Not surprisingly, consumers are confused (and growing increasingly annoyed) with all this scrounging for tips. A recent survey by Bank of America asked a sample of 2,000 consumers about their perceptions of tipping practice, and that research suggested just how unsure we all are about the business of tipping.
When it came to full-service restaurant dining, beliefs about what the appropriate tip was covered a range of amounts, with nine percent of consumers claiming they tipped 25%, thirty-five percent tipped 20%, and twenty-seven percent left the traditional 15%.
Tipping is equally confusing in the world of third-party food delivery, where the survey indicated that the typical delivery tip ranged from nothing to 25%, with the average around 17%.
When it came to picking up take-out orders, a third of all consumers reported leaving no tip at all. Of the remaining sample, a quarter typically leave a 10% tip for takeout and the remaining twenty-five percent leave 15% or more.
In the third-party delivery world, where consumers post the tip they intend to give on the service’s app, a practice known as “tip baiting” has emerged. Tip baiters promise a large tip when the put their order in, expecting such a promise to produce superior service on the part of the delivery service worker.
After the delivery is made, however, tip baiters go back onto the app and reduce or altogether eliminate the generous tip promised.
Delivery workers are responding to this practice by digitally flagging the addresses of those guilty of the practice so that service worker peers can avoid being similarly scammed.
**********
Side Dishes:
The Uno Pizzeria & Grill at Haymarket Square on Boston Road in Springfield is hosting this summer’s “it” girl at a Dinner Party with Barbie event.
Planned for Sept. 12, the dinner is set to begin at 5 p.m. and will feature photo opportunities with the guest of honor and a “dance party” DJ.
Kids eat free from Uno’s kids menu; young guests are entitled to one no-charge item with each adult entrée purchased.
Reservations for the Dinner Party with Barbie can be made by calling 413-543-5600.
**********
On Sept. 3, Dewey’s Jazz Lounge in downtown Springfield will be presenting a D’Lux Brunch Party on the Patio. The fun will start at 1 p.m. and go to 7 p.m., and it’s all for a good cause. Proceeds from ticket sales will fund Dewey’s “Back to School” drive, a charitable effort to provide kids in need with backpacks and school supplies.
In addition to brunch and mimosas, DJ Prince will be on hand to make the party a lively one.
Tickets for the Brunch Party can be ordered on Eventbrite.com; Dewey’s answers at 413-301-8337.
**********
Participating Wendy’s locations are giving hamburger fans “a nacho platter in one burger bite” in the form of the chain’s new Loaded Nacho Cheeseburger.
The sandwich, the latest in Wendy’s “Made to Crave” series of limited-time offerings, features a quarter-pound beef patty served on a specially crafted jalapeno-cheddar bun. The burger is finished with a poblano queso, a zesty chipotle sauce and tortilla chips as well as a garnish of American cheese, lettuce and tomato. The resulting sandwich experience is spicy but not too hot, with the chips providing crunch in each bite.
Those who prefer to do so can swap out the burger for a chicken breast filet and create a Loaded Nacho Chicken Sandwich.
To complement the Loaded Nacho sandwiches, Wendy’s is also serving sides of Queso Fries, which have the poblano queso loaded onto the brand’s “Hot & Crispy” French fries. The cheese sauce can also be added to several other sandwich and menu side items.
The new sandwiches will be available for an unspecified limited run.
**********
In addition to its seasonal line-up of pumpkin spice offerings, coffee and snack chain Dunkin’ is adding maple to its fall flavor lineup in the form of Maple Sugar Bacon.
The bacon, which is glazed with caramelized maple sugar, can be ordered as a “snackin’ side” or enjoyed as part of a Maple Sugar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich, where it partners with a fried egg, white cheddar cheese, and a toasted croissant.
Dunkin’s Maple Sugar Bacon will be available at participating locations for an unspecified limited time.
Dunkin’ is also lending its portfolio of pumpkin-spice flavors to the Pepperidge Farm brand, which will be reprise its limited-edition Goldfish Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spice crackers. The crackers, which feature flavor notes of pumpkin, donut glaze, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, were a success when first introduced last fall and will be available in grocery stores through September.
**********
The Miami-based Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen brand is going sweet yet sassy with the introduction of a limited-time-only offering of Sweet N’ Spicy Wings.
The marinated wings are fried crisp and tossed in a dressing flavored with chili, garlic, and ginger. Their flavor profile is described as “slightly sweet and slightly spicy.”
There are Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen locations at 489 State Street, 665 Boston Road, on Memorial Drive in Chicopee, and on Route 9 in Hadley.
**********
On Sept. 2 and 3, the Hardwick Vineyard & Winery in Hardwick will be hosting a Fall Craft & Food Festival.
The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with 60-plus vendors, a number of food trucks, and live music.
The event will benefit the Ware Food Bank; for more details, contact the winery at 413-967-7763.
**********
The Munich Haus German Restaurant in Chicopee has expanded its calendar of Wild Game Feasts this year, adding two fall dates – Sept. 16 and Nov. 11.
The September “Hunter’s Harvest” dinner, which is set to begin at 6 p.m., will feature a buffet station stocked with fresh-carved venison, bison, elk and kangaroo. Other game meats featured will include wild turkey, marinated squid, roasted wild boar, game sausages, fried alligator and more.
A selection of cheeses and salads as well as sides such as red cabbage and sauerkraut will supplement the lineup of “wild things.”
Tickets are priced at $65 and seating at the event will be on an “assigned” basis.
For more details, contact the Munich Haus German Restaurant at 413-594-8788.
**********
On Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield will be hosting another Community Brew Feast.
The theme for the evening will be “Finger Lickin’ Chicken,” with hot honey chicken wings and a grilled Statler chicken breast being featured on the menu.
Lost Towns Brewing of Gilbertville will be pouring a selection of their craft-style beers to go with the dinner.
Tickets are $75 all-inclusive and can be ordered online at salemcrossinn.com or by calling 508-867-2345.
**********
Every year an estimated half-trillion disposable cups are manufactured worldwide; of those single use cups only a tiny fraction are recycled.
Starbucks, as a major user of disposable cups, has been running a series of tests, evaluating various reusable cup strategies. The latest of those tests, which is currently underway at 12 Starbucks locations in Southern California, offers customers three options in lieu of a disposable cup.
Customers can bring their own “clean personal cup” and receive 10 cents off their purchase as well as extra points on their Starbucks Rewards account.
As an alternative, customers can use the “Borrow a Cup” option; borrowed cups can be returned at special bins.
Finally, the chain is also promoting their “For Here” option, a reusable ceramic or glass cup designed for in-store consumption of beverages.
Starting in 2024 Starbucks is committed to accepting personal cups at any location in North America , whether for walk-in or drive-thru use. Starbuck’s reusable cup initiatives are part of its efforts to cut by half the chain’s waste footprint by 2030.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.
