What's an "ethical obligation"? Tipping in the US is used to allow restaurant owners to not pay their employees for their work. While the US is familiar with the concept of slavery and doesn't see an issue with it, in most of the world employing people without paying them living wages is outlawed. I'd say your ethical obligation is to not tip, so that the employers either pay for the work they're getting or go out of business because their waiters would spit into customers' food.

Perhaps the real ethical obligation is not to eat in a restaurant where you strongly suspect that workers are employed illegally and being exploited by not receiving a living wage

In the US, prior to the recent explosion in asking for tips, it was considered rude to tip the owner of a business.

@littleadv - While the US is familiar with the concept of slavery, I suspect you may not be if you think it is in any way analogous to working for tips.

As everyone has said never eat at that restaurant. On more than one occasion my party has simply GOT UP AND LEFT on learning that management were stealing the tips.

Are you sure it's going to the restaurant? Lots of restaurants pool tips, then distribute them to all the waitstaff and bussers. So while the tip may not go to that specific waiter, they get a portion of it.

@LaconicDroid do tell how forced work without any decent compensation is different. Eager to learn. You should talk to illegal immigrants in the US more instead of being all patriotic and offended.

@littleadv, slavery requires that one human be owned by another, so this isn't slavery. Yes, it is deeply unethical exploitation and unpaid labor, but—at least in theory—employees are free to walk away so it doesn't quite reach the threshold of slavery. And since that is such a loaded term in US culture, it's probably not the best way to make your otherwise extremely valid point.

The discussion on what is or isn't slavery does not belong on this site, not even in comments. Time to move this to a chatroom, please follow it there to continue the discussion.

@Willeke dammit, you're absolutely right and I should know better. Thanks for moving it here, and sorry.