To make a long story short

Jessica:	Chris, are you a good tipper?
Chris:	I am a phenomenal tipper! Why?
Jessica:	I recently had some friends visit me from abroad and I realized that tipping in the US can be a confusing topic.
Chris:	How so?
Jessica:	What many tourists don’t realize is that many servers make most of their income from tips rather than wages. Although each of the 50 states can set their own minimum wage, under federal law, the minimum wage for tipped employees is just $2.13 per hour! So, to make a long story short, your tips could be making up for their very low pay.
Chris:	Oh, believe me, I know all about that! I worked as a waiter in a small Italian restaurant when I was in college. The tips I received from customers made up the biggest portion of my pay! To make a long story short, I know how hard a server’s job can be and how much they rely on tipping.
Jessica:	So, nowadays, as a customer, how much do you usually tip? 15% of the total bill?
Chris:	15% is OK. Most people pay around 20% though. I know it sounds like a lot for people who come to our country, but that’s the way it is. It’s actually very rude not to tip well.
Jessica:	Yes, it’s rude, but it is not required.
Chris:	No, it’s not required. Just like you aren’t required to hold the door open for an elderly person or offer a beverage to a thirsty house guest. You don’t have to do these things. Most of us do it anyway because we’re civilized and decent. You don’t have to be civilized and decent.
Jessica:	Good point! Tell me, when you were waiting tables, did you notice any correlation between the satisfaction of your customers and the tip size?
Chris:	Frankly, not much. My theory is that there are people who consistently tip well and there are people who don’t, even if they’re very satisfied.
Jessica:	Actually there are studies to support your theory! They suggest that the connection between service quality and tip size is not strong at all. An analysis of 14 different studies found that, indeed, tips did increase with the perceived quality of service, however the relationship was weak enough to raise doubts about the use of tips to motivate servers, measure server performance, or identify dissatisfied customers.
Chris:	Sounds about right!
Jessica:	So, Chris, you say you are a phenomenal tipper, eh?
Chris:	Yeah, I always leave at least 20% as a tip.
Jessica:	Sorry to rain on your parade but that’s not so phenomenal.
Chris:	What?! What’s your definition of a “phenomenal tip?”
Jessica:	A few years ago a waitress at a Waffle House in North Carolina received a $1000 tip.
Chris:	Wow!
Jessica:	Here’s another story. In Rhode Island, a single mom of three was having a hard time providing for her family while working at a pizza place. One day, a couple paid their $42 bill by leaving $500 on the table! At first, the waitress thought they had made a mistake, so she tried to give back the money but the couple assured her that the $458 tip was no mistake.
Chris:	Amazing! That is phenomenal tipping! But they set an impossible standard. I can’t tip like that!
Jessica:	And nobody expects you to, Chris, but there are some people out there who can… and do. To make a long story short, while it’s not uncommon to hear about generous people leaving lavish tips, don’t worry – your 20% tip is certainly much appreciated.

To make a long story short

Let’s get to the point… To make a long story short means precisely that: getting to the point of a story or anecdote, quickly. This expression is most often used right before someone abbreviates a story that would otherwise take much longer to tell. Here is one common way to use the phrase: A person begins telling a story, they say “to make a long story short,” and then jump to the conclusion of that story.

This expression works best when the details which are skipped or abbreviated can be easily inferred by the listener, meaning that they are predictable. It also works when the conclusion provides an overall understanding, so that the information which was omitted from the story is rendered unnecessary.

In England, the phrase used is to cut a long story short, rather than “make.” All over the English speaking world, the abbreviated “long story short” is also common.

As for the origin… The notion of abbreviating long stories is ancient and idioms which express this notion exist in languages all over the world but, to make a long story short, this precise phrase has been used since at least the 1800s. The exact origin is unclear.

Example 1:

First he tried to feed cotton candy to the giraffes. Then he tried to climb into the gorilla enclosure! To make a long story short, we are banned from the zoo for the rest of the year.

Example 2:

I ran out of gas, my phone died, and I was totally lost but – long story short – here I am!

Example 3: INCORRECT USE - Not enough information/unclear correlation

It started raining this morning and, to make a long story short, the pizza is not ready yet.