I see a lot of suggestions to tip heavily to counter the cost of sitting down for a while to work at a local coffee shop. I don't think this solves the problem

I see a lot of suggestions to tip heavily to counter the cost of sitting down for a while to work at a local coffee shop. I don't think this solves the problem at hand. I run a food business as a side job. Don't get me wrong, I love my employees. They deserve getting handsome tips. I tip well whenever I go out. I don't have a problem with the idea of tipping. However, as the owner, I don't get to touch those tips my employees receive (and rightfully so). I'm also the one that has to pay the rent, the internet bill, and the power bill...not my employees. Nor does tipping absolve me of the need to pay my employees their wages. When you are using power, wifi, and/or a seat at a business, you're using something that the owner is offering in exchange for you ordering something to consume. It's not something that your barista or cook or waitstaff is offering to you, like your drink or food you ordered. It's not something that the tip will pay for in any way. The only way to offset that cost is to keep buying something periodically, even if it's a small drink off the menu. Really, even the longest camper isn't using up much of anything, but it's numbers that make a problem and really add up over the course of, say, a month. tl;dr Buy something to eat or drink periodically on top of tipping generously. They are two separate issues.