Tipping point nears as gratuities grate on diners

Payment devices are sucking the last vestiges of civility out of the dining-out experience for many restaurant guests. (Image: Blake Wisz/Unsplash)

Bloomberg

Sun, 26 May 2024

By Howard Chua-Eoan I live with tipping trauma.After I received my first paycheck at my first full-time job – back in New York in 1984 – I treated my parents to dinner in Flushing, Queens, where we lived. That Cantonese banquet hall – buzzy, clattering parties scattered among lazy-susan tables – is long gone, replaced by a succession of other Asian eateries. I’ve even forgotten the restaurant’s name. But the aftermath of the dinner is indelible.In my nervousness over spending my hard-earned mon...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

On the Money

On the Money: Luxon v the sharks, Nick Lissette, and more

This week was a surprisingly cringeworthy one, even by OTM's standards.

Dileepa Fonseka 06 Sep 2025

World

Carlyle’s AlpInvest banks US$20b for secondary deals

Secondary funds are growing exponentially larger.

The Wall Street Journal 06 Sep 2025

Carlyle’s AlpInvest banks US$20b for secondary deals

Bloomberg

EU pushes ahead trade deal with South American nations

Countries fear the deal’s impact on the European agricultural sector.

Bloomberg 06 Sep 2025

EU pushes ahead trade deal with South American nations

Sponsored

Free AI training blitz targets 10,000 Kiwis

Workshops aim to close NZ’s AI skills gap and boost productivity – no tech skills required.

Sponsored by Lumify

Sponsored

Are employers doing enough to prepare workers to retire well?

When one third of the New Zealand workforce is aged 55 or older – are employers doing enough to help them prepare for retirement?

Moneyfit

More Services

Markets Analysis

Assessing Spark's datacentre deal with PEP

Could Spark be paying special dividends before the end of the decade?

Pattrick Smellie 13 Aug 2025

Services

Food Chain report shows $9m owing

More than $9.1m is owing in the liquidation of food supplier Food Chain, the first report in the insolvency shows. The company, which has ceased trading, had approximately 60 staff, and is also in receivership. The first liquidators' report of Adam Botterill and Damien Grant...

Staff reporters 11 Jul 2025