Internet users are shaking their heads after a sneaky restaurant was busted coercing their customers with a “sleazy” trick. The establishment was called out by furious diners, one of whom posted photo evidence, showing others what to look out for as such seedy practices seem to be spreading.
Chicken Plus, a counter-service chicken restaurant near Vancouver, British Columbia, has been taking the heat from diners around the globe after a fed-up local took to Reddit to complain about a deceitful practice the Canadian eatery had deployed in hopes of either fooling, shaming, or guilting their customers into tipping for their meals.
After discovering the restaurant’s sneaky way of coercing customers into “guilt-tipping,” an irate local, only identified as Redditor Reddit_Lemur, took to Reddit with photo evidence, which allegedly showed the suburban Burnaby eatery deliberately covering up the “no tip” option on the payment screen of their credit card machine, the NY Post reported.
As seen in the photo above, a small piece of black tape with the word “tip” is on the machine, allegedly obscuring the “no-tip” option. Then, a second piece of tape just below that one reads “Thank you.” With the “no-tip” option hidden, unaware customers could be led to believe that tips were mandatory at the restaurant.
While the restaurant might have thought they were being clever, it quickly went viral for a much different reason. Rather than thinking the trick was an ingenious move, most diners found it to be a cheap way to lure customers into “guilt-tipping” for their meals when they may not want to.
Making matters worse, Redditor Reddit_Lemur, who reportedly snapped the revealing pic, said they hadn’t even been served yet when they were deceitfully prompted to leave a tip. What’s more, they were required to pick up their own food from the counter and bus their own table after they finished their meal, leaving many to ask, what was the tip even for?
Sadly, this absurd tipping practice has become increasingly common in America, and it’s spreading around the globe, according to the Post. “While tipping in sizable amounts has customarily been considered an American thing, the rules appear to be changing in recent years,” the outlet reported, adding that “the practice appeared to have taken hold in Paris” and “spread to pubs in England, where punters have been popping off over the foreign concept.”
Although posts identifying the restaurant on Reddit were reportedly deleted, Chicken Plus has been taking heat for their tipping gambit on Yelp as far back as 2022. “A regular customer wouldn’t know or see that option is covered by the black tape and will only see the percentage tipping options available,” one Yelper complained. “They will be almost forced to select the tipping options to proceed.”
“Not everything deserves a tip. It is sleazy to cover it up,” another internet user wrote, criticizing the sneaky practice, and they weren’t alone. As the photo went viral on X and other social media platforms, the ongoing debate over tipping was re-ignited with many saying the practice has spiraled out of control. “That will be a restaurant I will never visit,” one disgusted person declared as another wrote, “This would make me not tip out of spite.”
In addition to sneaky practices such as this one, experts have previously warned that the suggested percentages offered by digital payment systems don’t always represent accurate amounts. Instead, people are often duped into paying more than they think. So, the next time the credit card reader prompts you for a tip, pay close attention. As for the tipping culture, perhaps it’s time to ask if it’s gone too far and start to reel it back in.
The already long list of places that ask for a tip keeps growing to include counter-service restaurants, where the customers serve themselves and the server runs the cash register. Instead of giving those in the service industry an added incentive to do a great job, customers are now suffering “tipping fatigue” after being prompted for gratuity nearly everywhere. As evidenced by the comments on this frequently debated topic, many feel it’s time to put an end to this customary American practice, believing that it’s an employer’s responsibility to provide a just wage instead. Do you agree?
