Tipping culture in NC: What changes have servers experienced?

Across the Triangle, the restaurant industry has seen many changes as the economy continues to evolve. Tipping culture is one of them.

Alena Graybush, a junior N.C. State student and waitress at a local restaurant in Raleigh, has witnessed this change firsthand.

“I definitely think it's more normal to tip on the 20% than it was a couple years ago,” Graybush said.

Graybush has been working in the restaurant industry since she was 14. She said she is thankful that tipping has become normalized, especially for waitresses making below the state minimum wage hourly.

The minimum wage for a “non-tipped” employee in North Carolina is $7.25, according to the state’s Department of Labor. For workers receiving tips, the minimum wage is $2.13.

N.C. State economist Michael Walden said Covid-19 played a role in restaurants trying new tip formats. According to Walden, the wage changes are due to staffing issues.

“We are seeing the restaurant industry having to face, I think, a greater situation of being able to attract and retain labor,” Walden added. “The restaurant industry has always been an industry that paid relatively low wages.”

A study conducted by Pew Research found that seven in ten adults say tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago.

One of those new tip formats is the tip being automatically factored into the pricing of the food and drinks. Servers have mixed opinions about this style of tipping.

“Maybe I would be willing to try it out, but for now I'm pretty comfortable in where I'm at, just being able to get the tips from who I am,” said Graybush.

The automatic tip does not guarantee that same good money she can get from her regulars, and it sometimes may be a lot less.

For servers hoping for even more improvement in their pay, Walden recommends for them to find skills that allow for easier living.

“If you don't like what the pay is for jobs that you can get now, you've got to skill up. And there are lots of opportunities for doing that.” said Walden.

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Mesa Jones is a senior mass communication major at North Carolina Central University from Maryland. Mesa’s end career goal is to be a well respected news anchor for a station in a big market.