Face it, tipping sucks

Thanks to A. K. Brown (a.k.a. Pragmatist) for drawing my attention to this story. Pragmatist doesn’t support my anti-tipping jihad but was kind enough to send it anyway. I hate to be a francosnob, but consider the alternative to tipping:

The best service in the Western world is at the Michelin three-star restaurants of Europe, where a service charge replaces tipping. As a customer, it’s certainly pleasant to dine in France, where the menu prices are “service compris,” representing actual totals, including the price of food, taxes and service.

You're damn right it's pleasant. Well, ok, I can’t really afford three-star, but all restaurants in the hex operate that way. This is one thing they do right and we do wrong. (Unlike, say, personal finance.)