In the 1960 Flintstones episode “The Drive-In,” Fred and Barney invest in a failed restaurant, only to be told by a supply vendor that one thing they need to succeed is three tons of parsley.
When asked why, the vendor replies, “You put some parsley on each order so the customer can throw it away. … It’s been going on for years.”
While parsley on food orders has almost gone the way of the dinosaur, one ongoing business custom that remains almost as open to question is restaurant tipping.
The practice, as Americans now know it, has been in place since Prohibition. Despite being viewed as a vital component of the U.S. restaurant industry, tipping has not only come under fire for being either too tight-fisted or too excessive, it may soon come to a crossroads where customers dictate harsher terms….