In Washington, when we eat out, We are terrible tippers

Let's talk about “tipping culture”. When I was much younger, I did not tip. My belief at the time was that a waiter or waitress was being paid to do their job, and if they did their job in an “adequate manner”, a tip was not necessary. If they went over and above the basic requirements of the job, then a tip was warranted. 

Then I got married and was informed in no uncertain terms by my wife that she had worked as a waitress when she was younger. She explained to me very gently that waitresses (and waiters) work very hard and they don't get paid a lot of money, so tipping is essential to their livelihood and felt it was really important that we leave a tip, and I agreed. 

So, from that point on, I was tipping 15 percent at sit down restaurants. It never occurred to me to leave a tip at McDonald's or Arby's. 

Then COVID happened and everything changed. 

As COVID progressed and then ended. The national tipping culture changed. This is a somewhat inaccurate statement, but it seemed to me that we were tipping for everything. If someone came to my house and did yard work when they presented me with the bill, there was a tipping option. When I'm at my favorite bakery and I pay my bill, the Digital cash register automatically asks me how much it would be. The lowest tip listed was 15%. Then at the very bottom of the list of options was the option to not leave a tip.  When you look at tipping culture across the United States, there's one thing that's been made perfectly clear in recent surveys. Washingtonians don't like to tip. 

According to axios.com,
‘Washington diners are among the stingiest tippers in the country, according to Toast's latest restaurant trends report.
Diners at full-service restaurants in Washington that use Toast's restaurant technology platform leave about 17.6% on average, below the 19.2% national rate.’ 

There is one thing that makes Washington state a little different than other states when it comes to tipping, and that is that Washington state is one of the few states that require employers to pay the full minimum wage, and then tips go on top of that. 

As of January, Washington state has the highest minimum wage at 17.13 cents an hour. 

So, what states were rated highest for tipping? 

West Virginia, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Indiana, with tips averaging 21%.