The United States has a relatively unique tipping culture — but some Americans would say that it’s getting out of control.
While tipping used to be largely confined to waiters at restaurants and similar environments, there seems to be pressure to tip everywhere we turn — from ride sharing apps to the tablet manned by the barista whose only job is handing over a muffin or cup of coffee.
Papa John’s learned the hard way once a reminder on their boxes to tip their delivery drivers went viral for all the wrong reasons.
A video making the rounds on multiple social media platforms involved a woman reading the reminder from the side of her pizza box: “DELIVERY FEE IS NOT A TIP. Please reward your driver for outstanding service.”
She had some choice words in response.
Warning: This video contains explicit language and may be offensive to some viewers.
“Tips aren’t paychecks. Pay your f***ing employees, b***h,” she advised Papa John’s.
Papa John’s Pizza printed on their pizza boxes that “A delivery fee is not a tip”
They then ask you to pay their drivers with a tip
“Tips aren’t paychecks pay your f*cking employees”
Tipping in America has gotten completely out of hand. I agree we should tip pizza drivers, but… pic.twitter.com/xUrLWTkz54
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 18, 2026
Wall Street Apes, the page which reposted the video on X, argued that “tipping in America has gotten completely out of hand.”
“I agree we should tip pizza drivers, but so many companies are now subsidizing employee wages with tips, it’s inescapable and everywhere,” the page said.
Other commenters agreed that the expectation companies have for their own customers to tip has expanded in recent years.
“If the delivery fee ain’t for the drivers than wtf is the $5 for?” one user asked.
“Tips are supposed to be a form of extra appreciation not the core source of an employee’s income,” another contended.
“Yet nowadays going without a tip feels almost like being shortchanged on wages it really has taken on a rather distorted nature.”
A third user suggested pressuring companies to adopt a more conventional payment model that relies less on tips.
“If we stop tipping, then employees quit. Then Papa Johns will pay more (to get employees). Tipping culture is incentivizing corporate CEOs to make these decisions,” the commenter offered.
Fox News noted that the controversy comes at an inconvenient time for Papa John’s.
The pizza chain recently announced plans to shutter 300 underperforming locations across the country.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
