Tipping culture in America has evolved with the rise of default tip options, leading to frustration among some consumers who believe that employers should pay higher wages instead of relying on tips, while others still feel social pressure to tip.

The norms around tipping in America have evolved, with the rise of default tip options on tablets and changing consumer habits during the pandemic. Some consumers feel exasperated by the pressure to tip, while others still feel social pressure to do so. Many believe that employers, especially big corporations, should pay higher wages instead of burdening consumers. Tipping has become known as “guilt tipping” or “tipflation.” Historians and scholars have tied the advent of tipping in America to well-off Americans visiting Europe in the 1800s and bringing the trend home to establish their aristocratic bona fides. Tipping grew to greater prominence after the Civil War when white business owners in the restaurant and rail industries refused to pay wages to Black workers, who were forced to rely only on tips. 

Source: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-04-27/guilt-tipping-norms?ref=thebrowser.com