u/According_Concept754

I am positively vibrating right now. My dad has had ALS for 5 years. In February he had a sudden profound increase in symptoms overnight. He has miraculously actually made progress which virtually never happens with this disease. With all the awful this journey brings there is always a possibility of hope. For those curious he is on Rizuole and Dronabinol for his myelin protection/restoration. Also on THC, gabapentin, methocarbomol, the usual suspects.
God I’m so happy.

I’m 29 and have lived in the US all my life, though I have been abroad far more than the average American. When I was growing up until roughly 8-10 years ago I always heard, even from servers and bartenders, that 10% was stingy but acceptable, 15% was standard and good, and 20%+ was very good or great. About a decade ago those numbers all shifted upwards by 5%. To clarify, I’ve always been a good tipper. I eat out rarely and when I do I can afford to make someone’s day. I just don’t understand why the amount has increased even though the base item cost, and therefore the tip total, has consistently increased parallel to general inflation.

Say a menu item was $20 in ‘05. That item would be 35 or $40 today. That 15% tip would have already increased with inflation, up from $3 to 5 or $6. So why has the percentage amount also changed? An increase on one end is an increase isn’t it? I say this as someone who tipped 20% when 15 was standard so I’m not being stingy. I’m just curious.