I'm a frequent in a couple places, always leave a great tip. In return I get a little extra care back, like a table hold for me without prior reservation because the staff knows when I usually come in. So I'm not against tipping per se, even though I get how this should be baked into the price ideally. But all in all, I'm a happy customer who returns every single day, and they are happy to have me - great deal for everyone.

However, I would not tip on principle should I knew the staff would be bragging on TikTok on how they "punish" folks who don't tip in advance, before even getting serviced. This is stupid, lose-lose, and childish behavior; and I actually hope it's not something that happens en masse. I haven't been back to the US over the past ~5 years but it couldn't have changed that much. Or could it?