Unless you’re an accountant, it’s something you’ve probably agonized over: “What’s 15% of $37.45?” It’s called tip math and you’ve probably had a problem with it, especially if the meal included adult beverages. If a new no tip policy being adopted by a few upscale restaurants around the country catches on, the act of tipping may be nearing a, well, tipping point. Eateries like Restaurant Riki and Sushi Yasuda in New York, and French Laundry in California, are some of the more well-known establishments that have adopted a no tip policy. “I came from Japan, and I have some ideas and I have some points of view,” Riki Hashizume, owner of Restaurant Riki, told the New York Observer. “Usually we don’t take tips in Japan.”

Instead, he compensates waiters with salaries, which he funds by raising the prices on his menu by 15 percent. This is generally the way no-tip policy restaurants pay their wait staff, but some, like New York’s Per Se, simply tack on a 20 percent service fee.

Why get rid of tipping?

disappointedwaiterAmericans don’t really like doing it. A survey by vouchercloud.net found that a whopping majority—75 percent to be exact—don’t leave the customary 20 percent tip. It also found that 46 percent of Americans are not tipping the same way they did five years ago. This, believes Scott Rosenberg, owner of Sushi Yosada, is due to diners’ growing dislike over having to grade a waiter, then do the math. “The meal should be there for you to enjoy without doing this calculus,” Rosenberg told MarketWatch.com.

It can ease discord: Tips are not always kept by the person you give them to; they’ re often divided among several employees. Which can cause disputes over how to split it up. Starbucks recently came under fire for this, and is now being sued for millions of dollars by baristas claiming their tips were unfairly divided.

Share your thoughts by commenting below: What do you think? Should more restaurants adopt the no-tip policy? Do you own or run a restaurant–what’s your policy?

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