The tipping phenomenon has long been a big deal in the US. The controversy is hardly new. My own experience with tipping culture dates back more than a decade. As a student, I was dining out with friends at a restaurant in Koreatown, Los Angeles, when I encountered it first-hand. When you’re on a student budget, you tend to tip only if you want to, and the service wasn’t particularly good. I paid the bill and did not leave a tip, but when I checked the amount deducted, the restaurant had automatically added 10% to our bill. While tipping in most countries is optional and a way of saying thank you for excellent service, in the US it is a very different culture.
