When did Canadians start tipping regularly

[CarLuver]

first off i wish to let our Canadian folk on here this is not a slight against them . i started going to Van BC in the 80's . back then the tipping culture was not in place. the last time i went was probably 2013 or so .

i went this weekend with some friends and all them meals we had 15% tip added or my freinds told me its pretty standard to leave 15 to 20 % now . So when did this start? i am not complaining, jsut genuinely curious .

 

[Oillover]

15-20% started mostly after covid.
Before that, everyone made a living wage from their jobs to afford rent and basic necessities (food, shelter, a bus pass etc.).
In the 90s and even into the 00s, one could afford to live frugally on minimum wage.

As of 2013 tipping was certainly expected, but it wasn't required. And the amount was closer to 10%.
Anything over that was suitable for exemplary service.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

I’ve been here 40+ years and as long as I can remember there has been tipping for sit down service. However since Covid it has become bonkers. It used to be 10% and now some places are starting the amounts on the credit machine at ~18%, and that’s the after tax total of food that has also gone up 20% or more. It’s gotten so bad there is actually a lot of pushback from consumers and tipping culture may be abolished entirely. BC is not like some US states where servers are paid less, here they make at least minimum wage which is $15 an hour.

 

[TimeFlies]

I’ve been here 40+ years and as long as I can remember there has been tipping for sit down service. However since Covid it has become bonkers. It used to be 10% and now some places are starting the amounts on the credit machine at ~18%, and that’s the after tax total of food that has also gone up 20% or more. It’s gotten so bad there is actually a lot of pushback from consumers and tipping culture may be abolished entirely. BC is not like some US states where servers are paid less, here they make at least minimum wage which is $15 an hour.

Agree with this, except for the minimum wage is actually $16.75. Most servers if they are any good are paid more than that though. Being 28 years old, I can't remember a time in BC when servers didn't expect to be tipped.
But in the past 3 to 4 years it has gone from 10%, to 20%.
Personally I tip 0% for poor service, 10% on average service, 20% on great service.
Tipping makes no sense, either tip everyone, or nobody is how I feel about it. There is a time when I received a tip, remember it well, as chances are it was the only time I'll ever get tipped. A woman backed into the ditch in front of her home, and got stuck in the deep snow. It rated as one of the easiest pull outs of my towing career, yet she paid her bill, and then handed me a $20 bill, and said that was a tip for a job well done. The concept of tipping servers seems old, and outdated, but continues for some bizarre reason.