In a lighthearted non-wrestling tangent on the “What Happened When” podcast, AEW commentator Tony Schiavone confessed to his past stinginess when it came to tipping, revealing a stint working at Starbucks completely changed his perspective. The discussion arose while talking about haircuts, with Schiavone mentioning he tips his hairdresser $50 on a $35 cut. Host Conrad Thompson expressed surprise, recalling Schiavone being more “frugal” years ago before his AEW success.
Schiavone explained the shift: “Here’s the deal about tipping… I was a terrible tipper, until I worked at Starbucks. And then when I start working at Starbucks, and I realized how much tips meant to these kids, other than the regular pay they bring home… They mean a lot.”
He shared a specific memory that solidified his change in attitude: “We would get tips at Starbucks… they would take the tips, and they would add all the tips up for that week, and they would divvy the tips up based on the hours you worked. And I remember a girl, she was about 23 years old, she got like, $35 in tips that week, and she was… almost brought to tears. She said, ‘that’s a tank of gas for me this week.’ She was so excited. I remember thinking, ‘well, this means a lot to these kids.'”
This experience led him to adopt a new philosophy, quoting the movie My Blue Heaven: “So I as… Vinny said on My Blue Heaven, ‘It’s not tipping I believe in, it’s over tipping.’ And I believe you should over tip for people who are in the food service industry, hair cutting, guys who ballets [valets], who take your car. I believe in it. I really do.”
He added that he now tips well consistently, stating, “And I even when the service is not that good, I tip so 25% I tip in the restaurants,” contrasting sharply with his pre-Starbucks habits and explaining why he’s generous with his hairdresser despite Thompson’s teasing.
Schiavone shared this personal anecdote on the What Happened When podcast, available weekly on major podcast platforms. Tonight on AEW Collision in Atlantic City, Schiavone celebrates 40 years since his TBS debut debut in 1985.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
