Be Kind To Food Servers Month – January 2025

History of Be Kind To Food Servers Month

Tipping is a custom that originated in Europe in the late Middle Ages. It arose as a result of the predominant master-slave relationship of the time. Wealthy Americans were introduced to this tradition during their holidays on the continent and carried it back to the United States.

Upon their arrival between the 1850s and 1860s, these wealthy individuals began tipping at diners and restaurants to seem aristocratic. Many diners were against the practice when it first began, and it was commonly considered as condescending, classist, and un-American. The anti-tipping protests were so powerful that they swept across Europe, igniting labor movements that eventually put an end to the practice.

Despite how widespread the movement against tipping was in America, it never gained traction and the introduction of the 13th Amendment after the Civil War was the final nail to the coffin for the movement. Despite the fact that slavery was abolished, companies continued to exploit black people by giving them no wages and forcing them to rely on tips.

As tipping grew in popularity, so did the negative views people had about it, especially in the Southern states. Between 1910 and 1920, six Southern states, including Iowa and Georgia, temporarily deemed tipping as illegal. However, by 1926, all these laws had either been repealed or deemed unconstitutional by the respective state’s Supreme Court.

In 1938, tipping became part of the New Deal, making up the required federal minimum wage for tipped workers. Later, that was revised in 1966, creating the current minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped employees. However, seven states in the U.S. require all workers to be paid the full state minimum wage before tips.