Do i still have to tip servers in the California? (2015, buy)

[AngelWing]

I'd feel bad about myself if I didn't tip a minimum 20%...I know what their job is like.

[roodd279]

The OP may be mildly confused on the difference between servers and FF workers - but the point remains:


If CA servers are still making 2 or 3$ an hour - then a tip is still appropriate.


Some of you seem to be saying that EVEN IF they are now making the min $16 - I should still tip. Nonsense. The point of the tip was to make up for the crappy wage. If that wage is gone - so is my tip.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by roodd279

The OP may be mildly confused on the difference between servers and FF workers - but the point remains:

If CA servers are still making 2 or 3$ an hour - then a tip is still appropriate.

Some of you seem to be saying that EVEN IF they are now making the min $16 - I should still tip. Nonsense. The point of the tip was to make up for the crappy wage. If that wage is gone - so is my tip.

The last time California servers were making $3 an hour was 1981.

Were you tipping last year when they were making $15.50/hour? Is $16 so much more than $15.50?

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by roodd279

The OP may be mildly confused on the difference between servers and FF workers - but the point remains:


If CA servers are still making 2 or 3$ an hour - then a tip is still appropriate.


Some of you seem to be saying that EVEN IF they are now making the min $16 - I should still tip. Nonsense. The point of the tip was to make up for the crappy wage. If that wage is gone - so is my tip.

But do we know that the below-minimum wage is gone for servers, porters at the airport, and other service employees? I'm assuming they're still making below-minimum, and that their employers are still exempt, as before, from paying minimum, until I see info confirming otherwise.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

But do we know that the below-minimum wage is gone for servers, porters at the airport, and other service employees? I'm assuming they're still making below-minimum, and that their employers are still exempt, as before, from paying minimum, until I see info confirming otherwise.

Virtually all the workers you are likely to encounter are covered by the California minimum wage law of $16/hour. These are the only exceptions:

While the minimum wage laws cover nearly all California employees, certain groups of people are exceptions to the rule and are subjected to a lower pay rate, and in some cases, no wages at all:

Outside sales employees
Certain non-profit employees
Immediate family members of an employer
Camp employees
Disabled employees
Learners

https://blackstonepc.com/is-it-legal...in-california/

There is clearly a widespread misunderstanding about this. There is a federal minimum wage, which has lower pay rates for certain tipped employees, but that is superseded by state law. Many states including California have a minimum wage which is (much) higher than the federal minimum and does not single out tipped employees, so the federal laws are irrelevant in this state. And this has been the case for years, it is not new.

[MechAndy]

I see and understand your frustration with tipping.
I tip well when I get a good meal at a sit down restaurant.
Not so much at a fast food place.

I do get offended when a fast food worker hands me a tablet that asks what amount of tip I’m leaving.
One guy even took my order while I was in my car and had a tip request on his tablet and he could see if I declined before he handed me my food.
The local walk up window baker up here even begs for tips with a tablet and she owns the business.
I think I need me one of those tablets .

If it is not a special event or travel reason I no longer go out to restaurants like I did when prices were more reasonable.

That walk up window baker cost me $12 w/tip for a loaf of bread.
I am now a baker because of that day.
It took a while but I can now make a top notch loaf of sourdough bread.

[TaxPhd]

Originally Posted by JGC97

You never needed to tip. Tipping your server is the way you show your appreciation. If you're dining in, a good server will make sure your glass is filled, you have everything you need, basically doing their job. It's not easy being a server. You may be the most congenial customer but you should see how some people treat servers and the things they say to them. Those people shouldn't be allowed in restaurants, imo. If you don't have the money to tip someone, you still have the option of cooking your own meals.

Whether or not you have the money, whether or not you choose to leave a tip, you still have the option of going to a full service restaurant.

[steiconi]

I think it's interesting that a standard tip went from 15% to 20%. The explanation was that inflation meant workers needed more. But the restaurant prices went up due to inflation, so tips went up at the same rate, even if the percentage stayed the same.

for instance, if your meal cost $20, you left a 15% tip of $3.
When the meal price rose to $25, the 15% tip rose to $3.75, matching the rise of inflation.
A 20% tip on $25 is $5. The server is still providing the same level of service, why are they getting 30% more money?

I can afford it, so do usually tip 20%, more if they're really good, less if they're exceptionally bad.
But counter service where they assemble my order while I stand there just gets a couple of bucks, and a plain cashier gets nothing.

[evening sun]

Originally Posted by TaxPhd

Whether or not you have the money, whether or not you choose to leave a tip, you still have the option of going to a full service restaurant.

Of course, but if you can only afford to drive a Honda, don't buy a Cadillac. Leave a smaller tip, but do leave a tip, tips are considered part of the price of the meal.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by roodd279

The OP may be mildly confused on the difference between servers and FF workers - but the point remains:


If CA servers are still making 2 or 3$ an hour - then a tip is still appropriate.


Some of you seem to be saying that EVEN IF they are now making the min $16 - I should still tip. Nonsense. The point of the tip was to make up for the crappy wage. If that wage is gone - so is my tip.

I have never considered tipping as making up for low wages, in fact I have never known how much the servers are being paid. The tip has always been to reward the server for their good service. We always tipped 10-15% based on the level of service, less if really bad, Since Covid, however, with so many restaurants closing due to lack of help or financial reasons, we have been tipping at least 20% for good service, in order to help the restaurant help good people stay there.

As others have said, the $20 minimum in CA is fast food, no one ever tips there. Here in Seattle it's $18.69 but that applies to fast food and high end restaurant servers.