Is our culture decent enough to keep tipping?

I have a rude habit that I can’t shake whenever I’m at a restaurant with someone who is picking up the check or splitting the bill with me.

I always, always sneak back to the table and check to see what they tipped.

Yes, it is totally a moral litmus test on several levels. The size of a gratuity is insight into character or life experience. Or math skills.

And it’s the big issue on the D.C. ballot Tuesday, one that some say threatens the American culture of tipping and, ultimately, our restaurant industry.

The practice of tipping goes back to 18th-century English pub culture, when a coin would be given “To Insure Promptness” — T.I.P. — according to Michael Lynn, a professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, in his paper “The Psychology of Restaurant Tipping.”

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): The Washington Post