Australia is NOT America — Stop Normalising Tipping Here

Went out recently to a nice (and not cheap) restaurant to celebrate my partner’s birthday. The food was incredible, the service was great, what you’d expect at that price.

But when the bill came, the waiter handed it to me, asked if the service had been good, and then in front of my partner “How much percentage tip would you like to leave?”

It was a clear attempt to pressure me into tipping. I simply said “None.”

Then I asked him: “Was I a good customer?”

He hesitated, clearly caught off-guard, and said, “Yeah… of course.”

So I said: “Great, so how much discount can I have for being a good customer?”

He gave one of those uncomfortable forced laughs

But I doubled down, and said “I’m serious, how much of a discount do I get?”

“Sorry sir, we don’t do that.”

Australia has fair wages — tipping isn’t part of our culture and it shouldn’t become one. If staff try to corner you into it, don’t just say no — waste their time, turn it back on them, make them feel as awkward as they tried to make you. If enough people push back like this, they’ll stop doing it. That’s how we cut this nonsense out before it takes hold.

Also never returning to support venues that pull this shit no matter how good they are, I find it rude and disrespectful, we’re not American FFS