Pierre Doesn't Tip

Pierre was an immigrant from France who had recently moved to the United States. He had heard a lot about the food here, and he was excited to give it a try. After settling into his new home, Pierre decided to visit a restaurant to try the famous American cuisine.

When Pierre arrived, he was immediately overwhelmed by the variety of foods on the menu. After a lot of deliberation, he decided to order a steak with mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables. As he waited for his meal to arrive, Pierre noticed other people in the restaurant ordering dishes that he had never seen before. He was eager to try something new, but he wanted to take it slow.

As he got up to leave, the waiter, who had been very friendly and helpful throughout the meal, came up to Pierre to collect the payment. Pierre handed him the money for the meal but did not leave a tip, something that was quite common in France.

The waiter was shocked and immediately became visibly angry. Pierre was confused as to why the waiter was so upset and asked him what the problem was. Pierre left the restaurant and went about his day.

The following week, he went to a sushi restaurant and ordered a large amount of sushi. After he finished, the waiter came with the bill, which was $64. Pierre thought it was too much and again left no tip. As Pierre walked away from the sushi restaurant, he had an epiphany and started to wonder why he gets so much backlash for not leaving a tip.

At first, Pierre was unsure why this was happening. He assumed that it had something to do with the local customs and was initially rather embarrassed about it. As a result, he decided to call his friend, who was an American. His friend explained that in the USA, it is customary to leave a tip after dining at a restaurant. This is because waiters and other restaurant staff often rely on tips as part of their income. His friend then explained the importance of leaving a tip to show appreciation for the service one has received and that it should usually be at least 10–15 percent of the total bill. He didn't know because it's not required in France. This concept of leaving a tip was totally foreign to him, as it was not something he ever encountered in his home country.

Pierre learns about the customs in the USA, and even though he thinks it is quite dumb, he is happy to learn something new.