Shake Shack CEO Says Tipping Is Racist, I Am Officially OUT On Tipping

Daily Mail – The multi-millionaire owner of popular burger chain Shake Shack has said he will stop customers from tipping his staff because the practice has a ‘racist’ history.

Danny Meyer, revealed that tipping customers stems from the American Civil War when the government accepted a petition to allow restaurants not to pay its staff.

To get around new slavery laws, customers were advised to leave a small payment for servers so that no-one could argue that they were enslaved. Most waiting staff at the time were African-American, Meyer said.

He also said that waiting staff who aren’t white tend to get less tips from customers on average.

‘Tipping started in our country right after the Civil War,’ said Meyer. ‘The restaurant industry as well as the Pullman train car industry successfully petitioned the United States government to make a dispensation for our industries that we would not pay our servers, but it wasn’t considered slavery because we would ask our customers to pay tips. And therefore no one could say they that were being enslaved.

‘And, no surprise, but most of the people who were working in service professional jobs and restaurants and in Pullman train cars were African-American.’

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Let me say this loud and clear to all the restaurants I will be frequenting from here on out: I will no longer be tipping. I’m sorry in advance to all the hard working waiters and waitresses out there, to all the bartenders putting so much time and energy into my drinks. But as someone with black friends I just can’t do it. As someone who hates racism and racists so much it makes my blood boil I can’t do it. I fucking hate racism so much that even hearing the word “tip” is making me sick to my stomach right now after hearing Danny Meyer’s explanation. I want to puke thinking about all the times I’ve left tips in the past. It’s disgusting and I apologize.

I mean the Kmarko pre-today was a MASSIVE tipper. We’re talking like 25% at the very lowest. Two reasons – 1) I worked in restaurants all through high school and college so I know how much of a grind it is, and 2) I’m Jewish and look Jewish and am singlehandedly trying to fight stereotypes. But no more. That little line on the credit card receipt will be left blank. Just can’t run the risk of being labeled a racist, not now, not in today’s climate. I’ve got an image to protect and a brand to maintain.