20% tip is too generous for CA's minimum wage waitstaff (buying, school)

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by johnrex62

I tip to reward service. If I get service that adds to the experience I tip accordingly, and if I get service that detracts from the experience I also tip accordingly. I usually tip 20% or more at my regular haunts because I get good service and keep going back. I have had one visit where service was so bad I tipped zero and told the manager exactly why I was not tipping and he should be happy I am even paying my bill.

To those that complain that tipping should be set because the poor server cannot make a living without it. Do you tip 20% extra when you rent or buy a house to help compensate all those construction workers who make minimum wage doing MUCH more exhaustingly labor intensive work or the off the books day workers who may not even make minimum wage? Are you tipping the poor Walmart clerks who are forced to work part time to avoid benefits? Have you added a 20% premium to the cost of a car to help out the janitorial and clerical staff working at minimum wage? What about tipping the convenience store staff that stay open all night risking robbery and assault to be sure you can get your beer whenever you need it?

I worked for many years working in the general construction field doing menial labor and never saw a single tip. I put in many a 12 hour day working in the sun stoking a fire, walking on a white concrete slab and getting sunburned from the reflected heat, working outside in winter and rain and sleet. I never saw a tip and I worked MUCH, MUCH harder than anyone waiting tables in an air conditioned restaurant walking on carpeted floors. I carried load after load of 100+ lbs from one spot to another for months on end. How heavy is a full table of plates, and how many times a day did you have to carry them. I can count many days where I carried 500 plus full loads on lumber on my shoulder distances of 75-150 yards and then had to come back the next day to move it all back where it came from. How many waitresses can claim that? I never saw a single tip from any of you and I was working for minimum wage just like you. I even tipped my 15% at the lunch counter when I got a break from carrying my loads on my back. You never tipped me for helping build your restaurant or home or carport or garage or barn or road.

You say I MUST pay you at LEAST 20% because you cannot live your desired lifestyle on less and I am the bad guy if I dont? You guys come up with 40 years of back tips for me and then we can talk.

you nailed it

[Charles22]

How do I know how much my server is making, hourly? If I eat at a rated restaurant, and it costs hundreds of dollars, the tip is going to be outrageous, too.

How am I supposed to know if the expensive restaurant compensates their wait-staff appropriately?

Does it make any difference?

[bigdumbgod]

Cook your own meals. Problem solved.

[johnrex62]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Cook your own meals. Problem solved.

How Mean! You want all those poor servers to starve when their shops close down for lack of business?

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by johnrex62

How Mean! You want all those poor servers to starve when their shops close down for lack of business?

Yes. They should be busy learning how to turn all those useless brown lawns into productive gardens, and what to do with the produce, instead of bothering with these wretched ingrates fouling their restaurant dining rooms.

[TheFlats]

Originally Posted by johnrex62

I worked for many years working in the general construction field doing menial labor and never saw a single tip. I put in many a 12 hour day working in the sun stoking a fire, walking on a white concrete slab and getting sunburned from the reflected heat, working outside in winter and rain and sleet. I never saw a tip and I worked MUCH, MUCH harder than anyone waiting tables in an air conditioned restaurant walking on carpeted floors.

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

you nailed it

Yep. I have plenty of friends who are servers and do well (some very much so). They tip well and I tip well because hey, we know what it's like being on the service (servant) end of things.

There are jobs that people work very hard at with low wages and no expectation of tips and the disdain for anything less than 20% that I heard from many, many servers completely turns me off. I like that it's a well paid job and think that some of California's culinary reputation comes from the fact that we tip well in this state. But god damn, no need to be so insufferable about it. The cooks rarely get tipped out more than a few percent and they are the one's who really should be getting the lions share of the tips.

Serving is really not that hard of a job, even in the fine dining places. But most servers wouldn't know because they've never had to work those backbreaking manual labor gigs or that stressful office job with tons of responsibility beyond 'don't p*ss off the customer'. Dealing with angry people sucks but try being a Comcast call center rep or an IRS agent. Now that's some customer abuse (and no tips!).

[payutenyodagimas]

Originally Posted by TheFlats

Yep. I have plenty of friends who are servers and do well (some very much so). They tip well and I tip well because hey, we know what it's like being on the service (servant) end of things.

There are jobs that people work very hard at with low wages and no expectation of tips and the disdain for anything less than 20% that I heard from many, many servers completely turns me off. I like that it's a well paid job and think that some of California's culinary reputation comes from the fact that we tip well in this state. But god damn, no need to be so insufferable about it. The cooks rarely get tipped out more than a few percent and they are the one's who really should be getting the lions share of the tips.

Serving is really not that hard of a job, even in the fine dining places. But most servers wouldn't know because they've never had to work those backbreaking manual labor gigs or that stressful office job with tons of responsibility beyond 'don't p*ss off the customer'. Dealing with angry people sucks but try being a Comcast call center rep or an IRS agent. Now that's some customer abuse (and no tips!).

theres an article recently cant remember if its was WAPO or NY Times and it said that cooks are just paid barely above minimum wage.

so if the waiter get paid minimum wage + tips, and some even proudly say that they get something like more than $25 (incl tips), this would be unfair to the kitchen staff who really do the hard work and make the dining experience truly memorable

[Elliott_CA]

Originally Posted by johnrex62

I worked for many years working in the general construction field

Originally Posted by payutenyodagimas

you nailed it

Heh heh... I see what you did there

[Radical347]

For standard restaurants in CA (and the handful of other states where servers are required to be paid a minimum wage before tips), I tip about 10-15%. Not less than 10% unless the service is horrible...but in order to get 20%, the service has to be above and beyond, the food has to be outstanding and it can’t be overpriced.

In theory, I’d like to tip a lower percentage at fancy restaurants because the waitstaff does pretty much the same thing as at any restaurant but they get more money solely because the food’s overpriced. That isn’t really fair. But usually I just don’t go to these types of restaurants.

My main issue is that the cooks aren’t allowed to share the tip pool. Often times cooks and waitstaff are paid the same minimum wage, before tips, but it isn’t right that the waiters end up making more with tips but not the cooks. (If I know for certain the cooks are paid a much higher base wage then I’m more inclined to tip...but I can’t really ask what everyone’s paid.) I go to restaurants for good food, so that’s where I want my dollars going. If the food is bad I will not be back. On the other hand I don’t usually mind so-so service is as long as it’s not completely horrible.

On the other hand, if it’s a cheap, family-run restaurant (or even better, a one person show) I often tip well above 20% because I know all the money stays with them.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by LoriBee62

This whole post could have been shortened down to: "I'm too cheap to tip and have found a way to feel justified in screwing someone over."

bunch of cheap az folk on this thread. Who believe wait people should stay poor and not make decent living cuz they don't want to leave a tip on their $120-$160 dinner. Shame on you!!

Don't eat out if you don't want to support the restaurant staff.