As Europeans prepare to visit the U.S. for the World Cup, Missouri restaurant officials are proposing a controversial solution in the form of automatic tipping.

With Kansas City set to host six matches during the tournament, industry officials are urging restaurants to consider automatic gratuities to ensure that workers get paid, according to the Kansas City Beacon.

Mike Burris, executive director of the Missouri Restaurant Association (MRA), told the Beacon that local restaurants and bars are expected to generate between $60 million and $90 million during the World Cup.

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But many international tourists will arrive with different cultural expectations around tipping and service.

“Of all the countries coming here, some of them will know about [tipping], and some of them don’t know anything about it,” he said.

With Kansas City set to host six matches during the World Cup, industry officials are urging restaurants to consider automatic gratuities to ensure workers are paid. (iStock)

“If I was a server, I wouldn’t be too happy if I took care of somebody for 90 minutes, and they didn’t tip just because they didn’t know any better.”

To combat this, the MRA is advising Kansas City restaurants to add an automatic 20% gratuity to bills during the tournament.

NEARLY 90% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE TIPPING IS GETTING OUT OF HAND TODAY, SURVEY SAYS

Trey Meyers, director of marketing and communications for the MRA, told Axios that international visitors will “automatically figure that gratuity is looped into the bill.”

“As a temporary measure, this makes a lot of sense.”

He added, “We don’t want servers to be slighted by any means just because different cultures are coming into our city.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the MRA for comment.

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Like most states, Missouri allows restaurants to pay tipped workers below minimum wage, according to David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a food industry research firm.

Henkes told Fox News Digital that the influx of international visitors could lead to lower earnings for servers.

A proposed 20% automatic gratuity is being discussed as a temporary solution during the tournament. (iStock)

“As a temporary measure, this makes a lot of sense,” the Illinois-based expert said.

Low tips from international tourists could affect Missouri restaurants’ ability to claim a tip credit, which requires employers to make up the difference if workers’ tips don’t reach minimum wage.

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“U.S. consumers are already familiar with the practice, and it would actually simplify the experience for international tourists by removing confusion about tipping expectations,” he said.

“It will also reassure servers that they will not be negatively impacted by visitors that may be unfamiliar with U.S. customs and aren’t tipping to the level that servers would expect.”

“We don’t want servers to be slighted by any means just because [peopole from] different cultures are coming into our city,” a Missouri Restaurant Association official said. (iStock)

Although the policy is expected to be temporary, Henkes warned it could still spark backlash from diners already feeling squeezed.

“Restaurant and menu prices have escalated rapidly, much more than the broader inflation rate, and there is an affordability crisis facing restaurants,” he said.

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“Restaurant traffic has been declining, and anything that is perceived to increase the cost does risk some consumer backlash, particularly if it’s not well-publicized or if consumers feel there’s an expectation to tip on top of the automatic tip.”

Tipping fatigue is already a concern among American consumers, Henkes said, especially as consumers are asked to tip “on a lot of services that were formerly tip-free.”

Industry experts say tipping fatigue is already a concern among American consumers. (iStock)

Jasper Mirabile, executive chef and co-owner of Jasper’s Italian Restaurant, told The Kansas City Star that he isn’t following the MRA’s lead.

“We have so many customers who have been dining here for years who actually tip more than 20%,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

Still, tipping remains critical to how many restaurants stay afloat, Henkes said.

“The challenge is that, in many states, the tip credit is a vital initiative that helps restaurants keep costs low,” he said.

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“In a low-margin business where it’s harder than ever to be profitable, big shifts in tip credit policy in cities like D.C. and Chicago have caused a lot of concern from restaurateurs about their longer-term viability.”

Queen Camilla didn’t always think Kate Middleton was suited to be with a future king.

The claim comes from author Christopher Andersen, whose new book “Kate!” explores the Princess of Wales’ rise from commoner to the heir’s wife and mother of the next in line. Andersen’s account is based on his reporting and sources and has not been independently confirmed by the palace.

“In the beginning, Camilla was one of Kate’s fiercest critics,” Andersen told Fox News Digital. “She did not think she was up to snuff, as it were. She was below the salt. She had no aristocratic blood.”

QUEEN CAMILLA AND KATE MIDDLETON’S ROYAL BATTLE OVER BLUE SPARKED PALACE TENSION: EXPERT

Author Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital that Queen Camilla reportedly questioned whether Kate Middleton, as a “commoner,” had what it took to succeed in the British royal family. The royal wives are seen here in London, circa 2023. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“Camilla always saw herself as the mistress of a king, not a queen,” Andersen claimed. “And she picked [Princess] Diana to be [King] Charles’ bride. So, she was very cognizant of the fact that a future king of England should have, she believed, a marriage to a royal personage, or at least a British aristocrat.”

“Kate was none of those things, but she quickly became popular,” Andersen added.

He noted that Camilla’s early skepticism stemmed from concerns about royal tradition and social class.

WATCH: KATE MIDDLETON WON OVER QUEEN CAMILLA AFTER EARLY TENSIONS: AUTHOR

Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace for comment. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital, “We don’t comment on such books.”

Kate Middleton walks during her graduation ceremony at St. Andrews University in Scotland on June 23, 2005. Prince William graduated the same day with a master’s degree in geography from the university. (Michael Dunlea/Pool/AFP)

Kate grew up in a quiet village near Berkshire, England, the daughter of a commercial airline pilot and a former flight attendant who later built a successful party supplies business. She went on to study art history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met Prince William in 2001. After years of an on-and-off relationship, the couple got engaged in 2010 and married the following year.

Prince William and Kate Middleton married on April 29, 2011, in London. (John Stillwell-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

According to Andersen’s book, Camilla “did object” to Kate’s “working-class roots” for a reason. Camilla is the granddaughter of a baron and a descendant of the Stuart bloodline, which ruled England from 1603 to 1714.

Camilla and Kate Middleton travel down The Mall in a horse-drawn carriage during Trooping the Colour in London on June 13, 2015. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Her great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was also King Edward VII’s mistress, “an intimate connection to the royal family that Camilla had always taken immense pride in,” Andersen wrote. Unlike Kate, Camilla moved in royal circles throughout her life.

“Camilla had long lobbied on behalf of the highborn beauties with hyphenated names who swarmed around the heir,” wrote Andersen.

Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla Parker-Bowles walk together at Ludlow Races in 1980 where Prince Charles is competing. (Express Newspapers/Archive Photos)

“It was she, after all, who, along with another of Charles’ mistresses, Baroness Tryon, handpicked Lady Diana Spencer to become Charles’ bride,” Andersen wrote. 

He also claimed that an aristocrat with “homegrown blue blood” would be preferable than “a descendant of coal miners whose mother had grown up in public housing and once worked as a flight attendant.”

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The former Prince Charles and Camilla married on April 9, 2005, in Windsor, England. (Alastair Grant/AFP via Getty Images)

Camilla wasn’t the only one who questioned whether Kate could handle life behind palace doors.

King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Catherine attended the 2026 Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 9, 2026. (Arthur Edwards/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

“[Kate] has been with William for 25 years,” said Andersen. “People forget that. Don’t forget the ‘Waity Katie’ 10-year period there, where she put up with the slings and arrows of outrageous [comments] coming from every angle.

“The palace didn’t really want her. People like Camilla didn’t want her because they felt that she was too common to be the wife of a future king. And, of course, the press was vicious in England, portraying her family as a bunch of louts and criticizing [her mother] Carole Middleton for doing such horrible things as chewing gum while she was quitting smoking.”

Kate Middleton leaves her Chelsea flat in London on her 25th birthday, circa 2007. The British tabloids became fixated on the future Princess of Wales when she began dating Prince William. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

According to Andersen’s book, Camilla was also wary of Carole, who was portrayed in the press as “a gauche opportunist,” a mother willing to do anything to ensure her daughter would marry a future king.

Carole Middleton smiles as Queen Camilla waves to crowds following the marriage of Prince William and Princess Catherine at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

“Camilla, who felt she knew a schemer when she saw one, feared her mother,” wrote Andersen, referring to Carole.

One former mistress of Charles also told Andersen that for Camilla, “it’s really all about [keeping] your friends close and your enemies closer. It’s her way of keeping her eye on you.”

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Catherine, Princess of Wales, tries archery as Prince William, Prince of Wales, watches during the Big Help Out at the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough, London, on May 8, 2023. Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital that Catherine has prioritized her family since becoming a senior royal. (Daniel Leal-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Andersen wrote that William, who is fiercely protective of his wife, was reportedly “offended” by a request Camilla made.

“Charles and Camilla each had a royal monogram that consisted of interlocking Cs beneath a crown, and they expressed concern that a third royal cypher with a C was overkill,” Andersen wrote. “Would Kate mind if she changed the spelling of her full name from ‘Catherine’ to ‘Katherine?’ Camilla pointed out that such a change also made sense on the grounds that, to most of the world, she was known simply as ‘Kate.’

Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton ride in a horse-drawn carriage down The Mall during Trooping the Colour in London on June 9, 2018. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“Offended by yet another command … essentially aimed at placating Camilla, a fuming William replied on his wife’s behalf. The request was nothing less than ‘insulting,’ he told his father, not only to Kate but to her entire family. The bizarre suggestion that ‘Catherine’ become ‘Katherine’ simply to make Charles and Camilla happy was summarily dropped.”

Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards pose for photographers during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, England, on March 17, 2023. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Andersen told Fox News Digital that Camilla wasn’t prepared for how popular Kate would become as a member of the royal family.

“I think within a matter of a couple of years, it became pretty clear to Camilla that she would have to contend with [Kate],” said Andersen. “…She somehow, as the Brits like to say, never put a foot wrong. And today, as a result, she’s pretty much universally admired.”

Princess Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, watch an RAF flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in London on May 6, 2023. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“…It’s just astounding that she’s been able to not only survive all this, but also flourish within the royal family,” Andersen noted.

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Catherine, Princess of Wales, meets well-wishers on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace in London ahead of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 5, 2023. (Toby Melville/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Andersen claimed that even after marrying William, Kate was quickly put to the test.

“Even after April 2011, when Kate and William married, there was a lot of sniping from the sidelines, much of it coming from Camilla’s camp,” he said.

Queen Elizabeth II (center) is seen here in London alongside Camilla (left) and Kate Middleton (right) in 2018. England’s longest-reigning monarch died in 2022. She was 96. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“During the first few years of William and Kate’s marriage, Kate got a lot of criticism fed to the press for not working as hard as the rest of the royal family. And the reason for that, of course, was that she put her own family and her own children first. She made it very clear that that was the way she would proceed, and that’s what she’s done.”

Andersen said that after battling cancer in 2024, Kate has “cut way back” on royal duties “for her own health and her own wellbeing and to spend time with the family.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton are proud parents to (from left) Prince Louis, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“The aftermath of chemo is quite tough,” he said. “She has good days, she has bad days. She sometimes gets tired easily and unexpectedly. She has cut way back on her schedule. But again, it’s because she’s made it clear that [her children] come first. And William.”

A St. James’ Palace staffer told Andersen about Camilla, “Maybe she felt threatened by Kate, or perhaps more by William and Kate as a team.”

KATE MIDDLETON WON OVER QUEEN ELIZABETH DESPITE CAMILLA’S INITIAL DISAPPROVAL, EXPERT CLAIMS

Prince William (center) is said to be fiercely protective of his wife Kate Middleton (right). (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“…Charles and Camilla needed to be the stars of the royal show, but that was not going to happen as long as the public was consumed with the ongoing saga of the young prince and his romance with a dazzling commoner,” Andersen wrote. Royal reporter and Diana’s friend Richard Kay also told him, “Members of the royal family simply cannot stand being upstaged.”

After Kate announced her cancer diagnosis, Camilla’s feelings softened, Andersen claimed. The mother of three revealed she was officially in remission in January 2025.

Queen Camilla kisses Catherine, Princess of Wales, during a formal welcome at the Royal Dais in Windsor, England, on March 18, 2026. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

“Camilla had a change of heart [after] her husband’s [cancer] diagnosis [in 2024],” Andersen explained.

Queen Camilla receives a message of support for Catherine, Princess of Wales, from well-wishers during her visit to the Farmers Market in Shrewsbury, England, on March 27, 2024. (Chris Jackson/Pool/Getty Images)

“Charles and Kate were always fond of each other, but in the wake of being told that they had cancer, they really bucked up each other’s spirits. And Camilla recognizes that and has said that Kate is really the one who can make Charles laugh, and she appreciates that. …They’re always hugging and kissing, laughing and joking. …They’re very, very close. And Camilla is grateful for all that Kate has done to lift her husband’s spirits.”

King Charles III and Kate Middleton have forged a warm, trusting relationship, united by family ties and a shared sense of duty. (Geoff Pugh/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Still, Andersen claimed to Fox News Digital that the rivalry between the royal wives isn’t quite over yet.

Queen Camilla and Princess Catherine’s relationship has reportedly taken a warmer turn following Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, royal author Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

“…There’s still competition,” he said. “…That is really what makes the whole show. That’s how the monarchy functions: this competition among all the competing camps. Their staffs are constantly feeding information to the press, constantly trying to grab the spotlight for their particular royal. And Camilla and Charles do not want to be upstaged by William and Kate. William and Kate do not want to be upstaged by [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle].”

“That’s the kind of creative tension that might surprise a lot of people — they’re competing,” he added.

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Senate Republicans are taking stock of their relationship with the House GOP as they gear up for another key test of their unity across chambers. 

Dysfunction, miscommunications and wasted time have dotted the last few months of Republicans’ control of Congress, particularly during the longest government shutdown on record. 

Republicans in the upper chamber aren’t singling out others in the House who should bear responsibility, but they do agree that something needs to change as they plow forward to fund immigration operations for the next few years. 

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Senate Republicans have grown frustrated with their counterparts in the House over the sluggish pace of legislation. Some argue it’s a communication breakdown among leadership, others put the blame on just how different the two chambers are. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

“I think we all need to get in a room and figure out what’s our plan,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. “And how are we going to get things done for the American people? That has to be the goal, and right now something needs to change.”

Republicans are readying to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years through budget reconciliation, which will require near-perfect unanimity in both chambers to work, given that Democrats are getting cut out of the process. 

But divisions between the chambers were laid bare during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, when House Republicans, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., refused to consider the Senate’s compromise plan to reopen the agency. 

That decision prolonged the shutdown for nearly a month, and spurred the necessity to turn to reconciliation. It also fostered frustration between the Senate and House at a time when leadership and President Donald Trump are calling for unity.

JOHNSON SCRAMBLES AS TRUMP, SENATE REPUBLICANS PRESSURE HOUSE TO FUND DHS

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., attends a Senate hearing in the U.S. Capitol. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have thin majorities to work with — Johnson more so than Thune. That reality isn’t something that’s lost on Senate Republicans, particularly on legislation that Democrats won’t support, and is so far preventing the knives from coming out in the upper chamber. 

“I mean, I think we understand the challenges that Mike has over there. He’s not king. He’s the speaker of the House,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital.
”And their margin of error is less than ours, proportionately. So I can’t imagine. I think he’s doing the very best he can.” 

Some Republicans argue that it’s more of a communication issue between the chambers than unfettered dysfunction in the House.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital he didn’t buy the “whole House’s dysfunction” argument, and instead said it was incumbent on senators to make more of an effort. 

“I think we have to take a little bit of ownership ourselves here in the Senate, and that’s certainly not [just] the leadership, but all of us,” Moreno said. “Because when we’re working on bills, we should have total, complete synchronicity with the House.” 

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Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters after voting at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2026. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

House Republicans, for example, contended that they were blindsided by the Senate deal to reopen the bulk of DHS earlier this year that carved out funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

 “We’ve got to be able to make sure we’re communicating better and working through the issues,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. “The House isn’t our enemy. We gotta be able to resolve all the issues on a piece of legislation. We have differences of opinion. OK, let’s work them out.”

The issue of communication is one that, since Republicans took control of both chambers last year, was largely handled by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the former GOP senator who acted as a de facto liaison between both chambers for major legislative pushes. 

When asked if Republicans needed a Mullin 2.0, Lankford said that the main points of communication fell on Thune and Johnson.

And Thune has not been quick to criticize Johnson or House Republicans publicly and noted that the nature of both chambers and how they operate would lead to issues along the way. 

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“We obviously have a 60-vote threshold,” Thune said.
”We need Democrats. You know, he doesn’t need Democrats, but he needs every Republican, and that’s a real challenge on a good day. And, you know, sometimes there aren’t a lot of good days around here.”

Conversely, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., argued that despite the issues, if Democrats were in control of the chambers, Americans would have been hit with the largest tax hike in decades had Republicans not mustered a unified front to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” 

“All of that would have been in the opposite if the Democrats had been in the majority and been able to do what they wanted to do to raise taxes,” Barrasso told Fox News Digital.