In recent years, tipping culture has moved from being a part of social etiquette to being seen as an obligation. As a result, people are often indecisive while confronting tipping.

Pew Research Center confirms this in a survey they conducted, where they found that out of the 11,945 Americans they interviewed, roughly 72 percent of Americans feel pressured into tipping.

To determine what forms of establishments should be given priority for tipping, the central focus must be placed on dining in restaurants. To start, people are more inclined to tip at sit-down restaurants that offer proper table service over corporate fast food chains. Although many underpaid fast-food workers go above and beyond in service, sit-down restaurants are more likely to excel at providing the best service possible. That service can include being seated, food being brought to your table, multiple refills, and the regular check-in servers will make it through the course of the meal.

Since sit-down restaurants invest more time and effort into the experience of a diner, there should be recognition of their service through giving generous tips. That is, only if these restaurants check the needed boxes in the quality of service. This is because 70 percent of people use the quality of service to determine their tip, according to an article from Forbes. Other factors of dining listed in the article include the complexity of an order, wait times, and personal budgets.

Another facet of service that many people overlook is the wage gap between workers in fast food and sit-down restaurants. Although both workers have disadvantaged salaries, oftentimes fast-food employees have some form of guarantee that doesn’t necessitate tips. For instance, some corporate fast-food chains can provide health insurance or additional benefits that coincide with government laws. Such laws are constantly being passed to give employees more advantages.

According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, fast-food workers can minimally make $8.69, depending on the state and job occupation. Meanwhile, the Economic Policy Institute shares that the lowest pay some servers could make is $8.23 an hour. While the difference might appear modest at 46 cents, it holds substantial significance for those earning the minimum wage such as servers at sit-down restaurants. Although fast-food workers are also disadvantaged, servers are facing similar issues but with a commitment to providing the highest quality of service.

Although tipping culture continues to be a complexity in social ethics, there are no obligations to leave a tip for any form of service. What matters most is the allocation for where the tip gets distributed and the immense impact it makes on hard-working services that strive for the best quality of service for customers.