In a bold move, several coffee shops in New York City are ditching tipping, and while some customers are celebrating, others may be left wondering if this progressive shift is actually benefiting their wallets—or just raising prices.
One such café, the *Three Legged Cat*, has proudly adopted a “no tipping” policy, with a message at the bottom of their menu that states tax and tip are already included. They also claim to pay their employees a “living wage,” a boast that’s becoming more common among trendy urban businesses. But as with many progressive experiments, what sounds good in theory doesn’t always deliver in practice.
A drip coffee at the *Three Legged Cat* will now set you back $4.50—about a dollar more than at most other local spots. Sure, there’s no tipping required, but the inflated prices are built-in to cover the so-called living wage, meaning customers are still paying more whether they like it or not.
For some customers, like Anu Mohan, this might feel like a relief. “I don’t have to decide how much to tip, I don’t have to do math,” said Mohan, a 34-year-old who frequents the café. But is the convenience of not doing math really worth the extra cost?
The movement to eliminate tipping has been gaining traction as New Yorkers feel pressured to tip for everything from a simple coffee to services that historically never required gratuity—like dry cleaners and hardware stores. It’s part of a broader societal shift where everyone is expected to tip, regardless of the quality of service, creating tension among consumers.
Katie Bishop, owner of *Principles GI Coffee Shop* in Gowanus, admits some customers push back on her pricing. At $4 for a drip coffee and a staggering $7 for a cappuccino, many feel the prices are getting out of hand. “They feel entitled to a drink half that price,” Bishop said. And rightfully so, considering most working-class Americans can’t afford to indulge in a $7 cappuccino daily.
Bishop’s retort to dissatisfied customers? “Would you like to know why my prices are what they are?” Her answer is meant to shame customers into submission, implying that if they don’t like the higher prices, they’re simply not the “target customer.” It’s a statement that reveals the deeper ideological divide in these trendy, no-tip cafés: they’re not really interested in serving the working class. Instead, they cater to the wealthy urban elite who can afford to pay for overpriced “ethically sourced” coffee while virtue signaling about fair wages.
While these cafés claim to be forward-thinking, paying their employees in the “mid-20s per hour” and offering benefits like PTO, the reality is that many customers are being priced out. And as New York City’s minimum wage for food service workers is already set at $16 per hour, one has to wonder if these small, progressive coffee shops are truly offering employees better opportunities or simply passing off their idealism onto customers in the form of steeper prices.
As for Emily Williams, owner of *Til Death* in Bushwick, her reasons for banning tips are even more revealing. Williams admits she did it to avoid having to “play nice” with customers, claiming that she was tired of being forced to engage in friendly conversations just to earn a tip. While many can sympathize with rude customers, Williams’ unapologetic attitude toward those paying for her services hints at a deeper disdain for customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, a business’s success hinges on its customers, and this new no-tip culture seems to be pushing customer service to the backburner.
In the end, while the progressive trend of eliminating tipping may seem like a win for consumers, the reality is that they are simply paying more for the same cup of coffee—without any real benefit. As one customer aptly put it, “I don’t need the stress, I just want my coffee.” But with prices rising and customer service dwindling, that simple cup of coffee is becoming less of a treat and more of a burden.
