An idea for a revolutionary new approach to tipping (Bad gratuity?, G2, 19 October). Pay all restaurant staff a decent wage for the work they do and adjust the prices charged accordingly. That would save all the embarrassment of what or what not to do. I have just returned from the US, where the whole business of tipping in restaurants is completely out of hand, with calculations helpfully placed on the bill showing what varying amounts of largesse should be added to the bill already swollen by local taxes, exorbitantly priced local wines and even local charitable donations. Astonishingly, at one restaurant, the bill also explained that tipping was so important as the waiters’ wages were so low.
Graham Bennett
London
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