Thousands upon thousands of football fans have flocked to North America for the 2026 World Cup.
While the tournament itself has been fairly successful so far, the cost of travelling to watch your country in action has been a constant talking point.
The price of beer inside stadiums continues to surprise many non-American fans, while some restaurants in host cities that have introduced an automatic 20% service charge are facing backlash.
Automatic 20% service charge added by some restaurants in World Cup cities
As per the Mirror, some restaurants are temporarily adding an automatic 20% service charge for customers.
It is understood that the likes of Atlanta, Boston, Kansas City, and Philadelphia are opting into the temporary service, though it is down to each individual restaurant to decide if they want to add the charge or not.
The news has not gone down well on social media, especially in the replies of a post put out by the ‘Only In Boston’ X page, which wrote: “World Cup fans take note: Several restaurants near Gillette Stadium are adding a mandatory 20% service charge during the tournament, citing international visitors who may not be familiar with United States tipping culture.”
A number of X users have since taken to the comments section to express their displeasure.
One wrote: “Great there our greedy restaurant owners go spewing the lies that tip culture is a thing – it’s not culture, it’s a grift so they can not pay their employees a fair wage, and our US nightlife won’t be healed until we all collectively refuse and let them go out of business.”
Another suggested: “USA needs to rethink the issues with tipping being mandated? Tipping is a problem. Not a requirement.”
“American tipping culture is a national embarrassment; it’s utterly shameful! How can an entire country make customers pay extra when the company boss should be paying his staff a livable wage instead of shamefully scrounging & embarrassing customers,” wrote a third.
A fourth commented: “As an American, I think we have to get rid of tipping culture. Places that never got tipped previously, like fast food restaurants, now expect ridiculously high tips and making up their own percentages. It’s out of control.”
Another went as far as to state: “Should be illegal. Make the menu prices 20% higher.”
A sixth added: “Pay your staff a living wage. That goes for everyone,” while another tweeted: “We should just do what Europe does and pay everyone a full wage lol.”
At present, the current Federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in the USA.
In comparison, in the UK, where tipping culture is not as prominent, the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and above is £12.71 ($16.82) per hour and £10.85 ($14.35) per hour for those aged 18-20.
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