‘It’s the Legacy of Slavery’: Here’s the Troubling History Behind Tipping Practices in the U.S.

These days, the expectation at U.S. restaurants that diners will tip their servers is a key part of the culinary economy: tips subsidize a server or bartender's salary at the vast majority of the nearly 650,000 restaurants in the country.

But tipping wasn't always part of the U.S. dining landscape — and scholars who have studied its origins point out that its oft-debated role in the modern economy isn't the only thing potentially troubling about tips.