The Secret Restaurateur on the downsides of tipping culture

This month, our undercover owner wants us to think about the damage tipping culture is doing to the restaurant sector

Throughout my life I have held conflicting views about tips. In my youth, the instant gratification of hard cash was exhilarating, but as I grew up I realised that restaurant pay, supplemented by tips, was not secure enough to support the life I wanted to live.

I was lucky to have the opportunity to open my own restaurant, joining every other restaurateur in a quest to keep pay low. The tips paid by customers assisted ...