Does a customer by any other name tip the same?: The effect of forms of address and customers' age on gratuities given to food servers in the United States

This study examined whether different forms of address used by food servers were related to customers' tipping behavior. Food servers addressed diners who paid with credit cards by their first names, titles plus last names, sir/ma'am, or no address. Results indicated that when food servers...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied social psychology 2013-08, Vol.43 (8), p.1592-1598
Main Authors: Seiter, John S., Weger Jr, Harry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Customers
Food service
Interpersonal communication
Social psychology
Tips & tipping
Waiters
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Summary:This study examined whether different forms of address used by food servers were related to customers' tipping behavior. Food servers addressed diners who paid with credit cards by their first names, titles plus last names, sir/ma'am, or no address. Results indicated that when food servers personalized their service by addressing their customers by name, they earned significantly higher tips than when they used less immediate forms of address, although customers' estimated age mediated these results.
ISSN:0021-9029
1559-1816
DOI:10.1111/jasp.12110