"experts say the switch to digital tips is meant to generate more participation in tipping and higher overall take-home pay"<p>The real problem is that your business relies on tipping. Tipping should not be the norm in the first place, just charge what you actually need.
Yeah, well, my new "anchor" is no tip at all, because you pulled one too many golden eggs out of my ass. Now all you're doing is annoying the goose.<p>Yes, I still tip waitstaff that did actual labor to bring my meal (though with higher minimum wage in WA, I'm debating the wisdom of cutting that down a few percentage points). Any other transaction can pound sand.
> The barista boxed up the cake – $60 (£49), ...<p>> pressing the middle square to choose a 20% tip, ...<p>> I realised I'd tipped $18 (£15) for a baked good. I couldn't believe what I'd done.<p>20% of $60 should be $12, not $18.
I remember reading that a primary force in this, that's often overlooked, is the payment processors having incentive to raise the overall average transaction price so their cut is larger. That's why it's become so pervasive in the software. It's not necessarily businesses looking for a larger portion of employee compensation to come from tips.