Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-24
THE TIPPING EVIL

THAT New York And-Tipping Society.
as described in one of The Stars New
York letters a while back, ought to be
good thing If the members of it exhibit
the necessary backbone to refrain from
tipping until the outfit takes a good hold
on the community but they've got still
better scheme working in number of the
best restaurants in Chicago" said a Wash
ington man who recently returned from
visit to the windy city The tipping evil
grew to such proportions in the restau-
rants of Chicago that something had to be
done. Habitual patrons of restaurants out
there declared that they were being gouged
to such an extent by the sulky-eyed wait
ers that the restaurateurs, to prevent their
patrons from adopting the habit of carry
ing their food around with them in haver-
sacks. had to step in a while ago to get
back patronage that had fallen away. AS &
about the plan until 1 walked into a good
restaurant on Madison street and was
handed this card by liveried man at the
entrance l passed in:
ITO Patrons: The management of this
restaurant earnestly request patrons not to
tip the walters, who, under a wage scale
that has been arranged for the especial
purpose of doing away with the tipping
system, are amply paid for their services.
Patrons are informed that walters detect
| ed in the act of receiving tips are subject
| to instant dismissal by the management
You can't imagine what a comfort and
| joy it was to sit down to a meal in a
| tidy. wholesome restaurant and partake of
| a good meal under those conditions, with
| no eager-eyed, gouging waiter lowering
| around you, his whole frame palpitatin
| with expectancy as to the size of the tip
! he'll be able to extract from you. The man
| who served my dinner smiled good ma
| turedly when he saw me reading the card
| anent the non-prevalence of the tipping
| system in the al
| feared the sight of it might enrage him.
| tried to con the lines as unostentatiously
| as possible, so that he wouldn't see me.
| The man served me promptly and well
| throughout. But such is the force of per-
| niclous habit that when he helped me on
| with my top coat as l rose to leave my
hand invountarily went into my change
| pocket for COIN He held up both hands
| however, and / caught myself in time
| The situation was humorous In it's way
! that L couldn't forbear chucklng over it
| although L am bound to say that when
| passed out without having conferred a BIT
| OF silver upon the man who had served me
| such a satisfactory meal l couldn't hel.
| feeling just mite cheap.
| Il was afterward told that there were
| several other first-rate Chicago restaurants
| that were following suit in this respect
The restaurateurs almost doubled the wages
| or the walters, I was informed, for the pur-
pose of instituting the reform but there
| is no doubt that such restaurants are more
| than repaid for this outlay by the grea tly
| increased patronage which the reform has
already brought to their establishments
In Chicago too / heard that one of the
great railroads running from that town. to
| the west had undertaken to abolish the tip
ping of car porters by lacking up signs in
the coaches to the effect that it is an of
tense punishable by discharge from the
company's employ for porter to accept a
| tip from a passenger. This is rafting
| hne innovation too as good many of the
new schemes that have their beginning in
| chicago are If there Is any more atrocious
| a species of daylight hoid-up than tina
practlced by confidently-gr inning porter
who ticks little dust off your coat with
a Whlsk broom and then holds out his hand
| Tor quarter or half a dollar, then dom
| know what it can be. and every time I
yield to that Infamous sort of brigandage
ana stop to think over it's meaning I can
1eei myself getting hot from head to heel -