The practice of tipping dates back to the Middle Ages.
Though it’s often seen as a quintessentially American custom today, tipping has its roots in the feudal societies of medieval Europe. In the Middle Ages, wealthy landowners occasionally gave small sums of money to their servants or laborers for extra effort or good service. This paternalistic gesture later evolved into a more formal custom: By the Tudor era, guests at aristocratic households were expected to offer “vails” to the household staff at the end of their stay. These payments soon became obligatory — and widely resented by guests.
In the 19th century, wealthy Americans who traveled in Europe began to mimic the custom back home, bringing tipping to the U.S. just as an influx of poor European immigrants, familiar with the practice, were arriving. But many people viewed tipping as deeply un-American — a holdover from the rigid class systems of Europe. Critics called it servile, corrupting, and even a threat to democracy.
Tipping took hold in the U.S. after the Civil War, when newly freed Black Americans entered the workforce with limited options. Employers in restaurants and railroads hired them but refused to pay a living wage, requiring them to rely on tips instead. The Pullman Company, which operated luxury railcars, institutionalized the practice by hiring Black porters at meager wages, assuming passengers would make up the difference.
Though some states banned tipping in the early 20th century, the laws were eventually repealed. Then in 1938, when the Fair Labor Standards Act established a federal minimum wage, restaurant workers were excluded — effectively enshrining tipping into law.
Ironically, while Americans today are among the world’s most generous tippers, many European countries have moved away from the practice entirely. In places such as France, service charges are included by law. Meanwhile, in the U.S., tipping remains both a standard in many establishments and a source of continued debate over fairness and labor rights.
