I really appreciate your grappling with the tipping issue in the US, which is problematic to begin with and is only getting increasingly confusing as you've noted. As a diner, I always do an internal cheer when a restaurant factors all the employee-benefits into the menu price and make it clear that tipping is not needed. Though I understand that the raised menu price could be initially off-putting to potential diners, I think that we, as a public, can and should be educated on how inclusive-pricing is beneficial to the industry as a whole. When I finish a meal out and the bill arrives with a lengthy list of added charges (some recent ones I've seen: service charge, COVID recovery, employee education, health insurance, mental healthcare, etc.), while I appreciate the intention, it's hard not to feel like there was a lack of up-front transparency. Plus, there's a huge disparity in tips made by waiters in high-end restaurants and those in more casual places, which doesn't necessarily reflect the amount of labor contributed. I think it makes a lot of sense when restaurants work out a pricing model that allow them to profit from rendered service and give employees livable wages and necessary benefits.
I really appreciate your grappling with the tipping issue in the US, which is problematic to begin with and is only getting increasingly confusing as you've noted. As a diner, I always do an internal cheer when a restaurant factors all the employee-benefits into the menu price and make it clear that tipping is not needed. Though I understand that the raised menu price could be initially off-putting to potential diners, I think that we, as a public, can and should be educated on how inclusive-pricing is beneficial to the industry as a whole. When I finish a meal out and the bill arrives with a lengthy list of added charges (some recent ones I've seen: service charge, COVID recovery, employee education, health insurance, mental healthcare, etc.), while I appreciate the intention, it's hard not to feel like there was a lack of up-front transparency. Plus, there's a huge disparity in tips made by waiters in high-end restaurants and those in more casual places, which doesn't necessarily reflect the amount of labor contributed. I think it makes a lot of sense when restaurants work out a pricing model that allow them to profit from rendered service and give employees livable wages and necessary benefits.