In cafes and restaurants, why is the “suggested tip” on the credit card terminal a debate ?

De plus en plus d’établissements proposent de régler un pourboire suggéré directement sur le terminal de carte bancaire. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP

More and more restaurants offer to pay a tip at the credit card terminal when paying the bill. A practice inspired by the United States, which is spreading in France, not without sparking debate.

No more change left on the bill at the end of a meal ? Traditional tipping seems to be changing. In cafes and restaurants, when the time comes to pay the bill, it is more and more common to be asked to pay a suggested tip on the payment terminal.

In addition to paying for their consumption, the machine offers the customer the opportunity to leave a tip of a round amount of 1, 2 or 5 euros or equivalent to a percentage of the bill.

A common practice in the United States

If the practice is common in many countries abroad, notably in the United States, where the service is not included, it was until recently rather rare& ;nbsp;in France, this is rather rare. But the "suggested tip" is gaining ground, especially as the Olympic Games approach.

This new system is far from unanimous. "Under the inquisitive eye of the waiter, there is an oppressive side, we feel a little obliged", points out a customer on the microphone of BFMTV. "We're always free afterwards. We press the button or not, everyone has their own thing", temper another with our colleagues at Franceinfo. The question also arises as to who really benefits from the gratuity left for the service…

Restaurateurs, for their part, defend themselves from forcing customers' hands. But the start-up Sunday, which has already equipped some 800 restaurants in France with these TPEs with suggested tipping, affirms that thanks to this new system, tips are more numerous.