Kyle Sandilands is never short of an opinion or three – his latest saw him offer his thoughts on the never-ending debate about tipping in Australia.
And while the radio star does think Aussies should copy the U.S. and tip hospo staff, he thinks the power should be in the hands of the customer to decide how much they tip based on the quality of service.
“You tip like a champion if you are being super served or if the waiter is hot, male or female, or if they are entertaining or have a little pizazz,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“If you are just a gronk with a nose ring and you are throwing down plates of food, you get nothing, zero tip. Or a $1 tip, let your feelings be heard with that $1.”
Sandilands was promoting the new virtual tipping app TapJar, which he’s invested his own money in. TapJar allows customers to donate however much they feel is fair to staff, simply by scanning their QR code and paying from their own phone.
The media mogul insisted that he doesn’t see the point in tipping for small acts such as opening doors, but only if someone has gone “above and beyond.”
The U.S. has infamously strict tipping rules, with a customary 20% added on for service. In Australia, though, tipping has always been more of a “thank you” for wonderful service rather than an enforced rule.
“Anything that can help bring us back to normal and put some money in hard working people’s pockets that have been missing out, I am all for that,” Sandilands said about his decision to invest his money in TapJar.
So if you’re a so-called “gronk with a nose ring” and Sandilands enters your restaurant, don’t be expecting a big tip.
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