In Spain there are A debate above the table. In the country he had always looked at the “optional tip” of 10% as an exotic custom of the United States, but lately something seems be changing In the hospitality. On the contrary, in the United States someone has opened the melon of one of the great traditions of the sector. And anyone has said it. McDonald’s has put in question The American tips and system.
Context. It We count A few weeks ago. In the United States, tips are not mandatory by law, but it is customary, we would almost say that “obligation”, leaving a tip between 15 and 20%. The logic behind the behavior has to do with the fact that the US minimum federal minimum wage for workers with tips is 2.13 dollars per houran amount that has not changed since 1991.
Somehow, that very small amount that the waiter receives on duty has turned the “American” tip into a kind of help to the worker who has no other way to increase his income. In practice, more forced than the theory, when eating in the United States in groups of between a minimum of four and six people, most establishments impose a 18% tip (free) without giving option not to pay it. By the way, although the practice is so settled there, it has European origin. It is estimated that in England in the 16th century.
McDonald’s opens the melon. And this is where the almighty company appears. The CEO of McDonald’s, Chris Kempczinski, has criticized A television interview The restaurant model that rely on tips to cover the salary of their workers, qualifying it as a system that “transfers the responsibility of payment of the workforce to the client.”
According to explainedwhile McDonald’s does not allow tips and directly pays the salaries of its employees, other premises can pay only 2.13 dollars the time under federal law as long as the final income, adding tips, reaches the federal minimum wage of $ 7.25. With the recent approval of “Big Beautiful Bill” promoted by Trump, which exempts tips from taxes, that scheme It reinforces and generates (In Kempczinski’s opinion) a “inequality of conditions” in front of fast food chains that do not benefit from such practices.
The background of the phenomenon. The system of “Tipped Wages” It has been extending beyond traditional restoration towards multiple sectors of precarious work and platform economy. They remembered In Insider That appos of apps such as Uber Eats or Dordash depend on tips to complement income, and the pressure on customers has intensified with notifications that suggest that the speed of the service can depend on the initial generosity of the order.
Practices like The “Tip Baiting”in which a consumer promises a high tip to encourage rapid delivery and then withdraws, have generated conflicts and distrust. At the same time, recent surveys reveal A growing social fatigue towards the proliferation of tip requests in all types of establishments, which reopens the debate on whether this form of compensation remains sustainable and fair.
The giant proposal. Kempczinski, on behalf of the multinational, suggested that the solution passes through force everyone restaurants to pay the same base minimum salary, regardless of the tips received. States such as California, Alaska or Minnesota already demand it, eliminating the figure of the “subminate by tips” and guaranteeing more stable direct salaries.
According to the manager, extend this federal model It would reduce poverty and labor rotation without implying loss of jobs, while leveling competition between fast food chains and traditional restaurants. In his vision, the current disparity favors those who rely on a Externalized Compensation System In customers, while companies such as McDonald’s directly assume staff costs.
The vision of a “double cheeking.” There is much more, since Kempczinski described The current American situation as a “two -level economy”, marked by the gap between high -income consumers, who continue to spend on premium products and home deliveries, and those of average and low income, which reduce their visits to restaurants, jump meals and choose to cook at home.
From the inflationary wave of 2022, the chain has faced an increasing discomfort For the increase in their menus, which led to the combos exceeding ten dollars since whole strips of customers see fast food as an occasional luxury rather than as a daily option.
Price readjustment as a strategy. To stop the traffic drop between these segments, McDonald’s He relaunched a package Five dollars and reinforced promotions in their main markets, relying on advertising campaigns focused on value. The strategy aims to maintain the brand as a reference for accessibility in an environment in which the smallest competition lacks the scale to absorb the costs of the reduction.
However, franchisees (responsible for most premises in the United States) They show concern For the impact on margins in a context of wages, rentals and upward inputs, although Kempczinski assured that the consensus in favor of these measures was “almost unanimous.”
A conflict between models. If you also want, the debate also contains a deep cultural shock: in the United States, tips have historically worked as salary complementbut the rise of digital platforms and inflationary pressure have intensified wear of this model.
While the restoration industry defends its flexibility and ability to attract customers with lower apparent prices, critics They point That it is a undercover subsidy form in which consumers, and not employers, finance a good part of wages.
The McDonald’s intervention It reflects how great global corporations see in this imbalance not only an ethical and social problem, but also a competitive disadvantage, reviving a debate that touches the essence of US labor policy and its relationship with salary justice.
Image | Crusier, Tomwsulcer, Ramon Fvelasquez
In Xataka | Spain had always looked at the “optional tip” of 10% as an exotic custom of the US. Until now
In Xataka | The Trojan horse that the US “expats” are introducing in Spain: the culture of the tip
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings