Restaurant tips and service quality: a commentary of Bodvarsson, Luksetich and McDermott (2003)

Abstract

Bodvarsson et al. (2003) argue that a non-recursive relationship between service and tipping has led researchers to underestimate the strength of the causal impact of service on tipping. In this paper, their arguments, analyses, and conclusions are criticized. Then, their data is re-analysed to draw more appropriate conclusions as to what the data say concerning the effects of service on tipping.

Acknowledgment

The author would like to thank Orn Bodvarsson for making his data available for re-analysis.