Bountiful bagel shop no longer accepting tips, letting customers “off the hook”
Oct 9, 2023, 4:00 PM | Updated: Nov 6, 2023, 10:45 am

Cheryl's Bagels announced last week it would no longer take monetary tips. (Canva)
(Canva)
BOUNTIFUL, Utah — A bagel shop in Bountiful is getting attention because it stopped asking for tips.
Business is booming at Cheryl’s Bagels after owner Cheryl Mignone turned off the tipping option on her credit card machines.
Mignone believes counter-service doesn’t necessarily warrant a tip, and she knows a lot of people feel guilted into leaving tips in situations where they usually wouldn’t have just a couple of years ago.
“There’s a question there, and we all know what the question is, right? ‘Do you want to tip,’ and you want to hit ‘no.’ But you feel shame that you’re thinking you just insulted the poor person standing in front of you,” Mignone said.
She figured if she felt this way, other people probably did too.
In a social media post announcing the change to the shop’s tipping policy, Mignone also said her prices and the rates she pays her employees ensure that everyone is getting paid fairly, without the need for tips.
Since the change, Mignone said her East Coast-style shop is getting a lot of new faces.
“I think people have been very pleased,” said Mignone.
She isn’t anti-tipping though. She said she just believes there’s a there’s a time and place for it. People should be generous with their tips in situations that they feel they want to tip.
“You should tip well and where it’s appropriate, where you think it’s appropriate. I’m just letting you off the hook,” Mignone said.
For Cheryl’s Bagels though, Mignone said monetary tips will be turned away.
In her post, Mignone added that there are ways to tip that don’t involve money. Alternative tips include being a repeat customer and recommending Cheryl’s Bagels to others.