Leaving a digital tip

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Chicken curry and butternut.

Waiters know them. Diners who leave ‘comforting’ tips. They love it even more when heavy tippers insist on a particular table, because tables are usually allocated to servers, on a semi permanent basis.

I never understood why I had to leave a tip because they have wages until I met Deloise, who knew percentages. She schooled me that the size of the tip depends on the amount of food eaten. She used to waitress before she finally got the journalism job she went to school for.

We live in a digital world, so is tipping. Whether we eat in or eat out, we pay with plastic cards we tap on mobile banks. Some are anchored at the cashier's desk. I get the impression that there are more take out places than restaurants and they also want tips. Their debit and credit card machines also have a little ‘tip’ box. You tap it if you want to leave a tip.

Even coffee houses? I don’t understand. I bought an espresso and paid for it. A tip? I’m sorry to be a Scrooge but the English language backs me up. Leaving a tip means you entered a restaurant, enjoyed waiters’ welcome, enjoyed the cutlery and plates and the free bread. 

Hopefully, somebody served you graciously and before you leave, you leave a tip on the table. No way will I punch a tip on those machines because I was not served. I ordered hamburger and fries and waited for them standing, or in the car if it is those drive-through places.

Stingy? Me? It’s called leaving a tip. I did not leave because I did not stay.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

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