It tends to happen in rural areas. It happened to me in Northern California and the Deep South. I wasn’t sure, so I tipped. Later I read that was “correct” --sorta.
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This tipping audacity is not just limited to restaurants and coffee shops.
US hotels have invented so called “resort fees” to rip customers off:
This website lists all US hotels that are charging those “resort fees”.
The absolute worst. I think it a way to get around around online discounters. There’s also exorbitant parking fees. Tipping corporations is not what God intended when he gave Americans the tipping custom.
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Whats funny is that minimum wage is actually $7.25 since 2009
$15 is just them being nice
“Nice”
So yeah, REAL minimum wage will send you right to being homeless. What they claim to be minimum wage will have you living with 3-4 roommates eating ramen and sleep for dinner lol
I’m not lying. There were a few times I didn’t even have anything to eat
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It’s $18.69 in Seattle if you work for a large company.
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Here it’s a bit more complicated.
If we talk about the robotical and mechanical waiter that just bring your stuff at the table, is ok, no skill, no extra ROI from the restaurant, poor contract leverage.
But some waiters are masters in their craft, they can upsell more expensive dishes, extra goodies and good wine/beverage pairing, and this brings extra money to the restaurant, this requires quite a decent emotional intelligence, and to be people savvy.
Here in Italy such players tend to be recompensed better than the average waiters by owners (in the restaurant business there’s a bit of network, so somehow each owner knows a bit the other one business and staff, and such a waiter can leave it’s restaurant today in the morning, and be working the same day in another place) plus get extra tips aswell (tips being nice but not expected and not expensive as in the US)
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This is a great example of how a waiter can increase his value to a restaurant owner and by this achieve a higher negotiational power for his salary.
Basically turning from a regular waiter into an actual sales person.
Move to Australia! Tipping is not essential, some tip 10% on a meal at a cafe or restaurant, but not required.
I prefer to donate to charity/causes, than tip all the backpackers that are getting $30/hour in cafes in Sydney lol
I agree, and they always try to woo you in Italy 
I prefer to tip when traveling in Europe than home in Australia. But maybe that’s because I am floating around high on the delight of sun-soaked Euro-summer life 
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In general, in most Latin American countries the word tip is very rare, we have a shitty economy but even so we don’t demand extra money or things like tips. But if you leave a tip we will see you as the richest man in the country hahaha
Yep, in California, most people are working minimum wage work 2-3 jobs. At least in the LA-OC range.
It’s not enough for them to just work on minimum wage job for 40 hours.
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in my country there is a lot of tipping for doctors and nurses, it was always like this, mostly to make sure they give you the necessary attention (although tipping them is illegal).
But tipping in restaurants has become legal and expected.
With this tendence, if doing one’s job right calls for a tip, then maybe judges and policemen should be tipped too! 
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Romania
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Thanks for answering.
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