Restaurant encourages patrons to ‘pay it forward’ instead of tipping

Bartertown Diner, a Grand Rapids restaurant known for its collective management style (and previously its huge Che Guevara mural), is encouraging its patrons to pay it forward. 

In a Facebook post, the eatery specializing in vegan and vegetarian cuisine (that is actually really freaking good), lauded its diners for their generosity. 

Now, we know what you’re thinking — Grand Rapids is NOT Detroit, who cares? (And full disclosure: this writer used to live there, so when shimmering examples of the city’s self-congratulation do good-ery pop up in my Facebook feed, I can’t help but write about them.)
 
But all sass and snark aside, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if this trend caught on. Right?

This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2016.