Automatic tipping push brings concerns to major US city as restaurants brace for surge of foreign visitors

As Europeans prepare to visit the U.S. for the World Cup, Missouri restaurant officials are proposing a controversial solution in the form of automatic tipping.

With Kansas City set to host six matches during the tournament, industry officials are urging restaurants to consider automatic gratuities to ensure that workers get paid, according to the Kansas City Beacon.

Mike Burris, executive director of the Missouri Restaurant Association (MRA), told the Beacon that local restaurants and bars are expected to generate between $60 million and $90 million during the World Cup.

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But many international tourists will arrive with different cultural expectations around tipping and service.

"Of all the countries coming here, some of them will know about [tipping], and some of them don't know anything about it," he said.

"If I was a server, I wouldn't be too happy if I took care of somebody for 90 minutes, and they didn't tip just because they didn't know any better."

To combat this, the MRA is advising Kansas City restaurants to add an automatic 20% gratuity to bills during the tournament.

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Trey Meyers, director of marketing and communications for the MRA, told Axios that international visitors will "automatically figure that gratuity is looped into the bill."

He added, "We don't want servers to be slighted by any means just because different cultures are coming into our city."

Fox News Digital reached out to the MRA for comment.

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Like most states, Missouri allows restaurants to pay tipped workers below minimum wage, according to David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a food industry research firm.

Henkes told Fox News Digital that the influx of international visitors could lead to lower earnings for servers.

"As a temporary measure, this makes a lot of sense," the Illinois-based expert said.

Low tips from international tourists could affect Missouri restaurants' ability to claim a tip credit, which requires employers to make up the difference if workers' tips don't reach minimum wage.

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"U.S. consumers are already familiar with the practice, and it would actually simplify the experience for international tourists by removing confusion about tipping expectations," he said.

"It will also reassure servers that they will not be negatively impacted by visitors that may be unfamiliar with U.S. customs and aren't tipping to the level that servers would expect."

Although the policy is expected to be temporary, Henkes warned it could still spark backlash from diners already feeling squeezed.

"Restaurant and menu prices have escalated rapidly, much more than the broader inflation rate, and there is an affordability crisis facing restaurants," he said.

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"Restaurant traffic has been declining, and anything that is perceived to increase the cost does risk some consumer backlash, particularly if it's not well-publicized or if consumers feel there's an expectation to tip on top of the automatic tip."

Tipping fatigue is already a concern among American consumers, Henkes said, especially as consumers are asked to tip "on a lot of services that were formerly tip-free."

Jasper Mirabile, executive chef and co-owner of Jasper's Italian Restaurant, told The Kansas City Star that he isn't following the MRA's lead.

"We have so many customers who have been dining here for years who actually tip more than 20%," he said. "I don't think it's going to be a problem."

Still, tipping remains critical to how many restaurants stay afloat, Henkes said.

"The challenge is that, in many states, the tip credit is a vital initiative that helps restaurants keep costs low," he said.

"In a low-margin business where it's harder than ever to be profitable, big shifts in tip credit policy in cities like D.C. and Chicago have caused a lot of concern from restaurateurs about their longer-term viability."