[magellan]

Originally Posted by tecpatl

Well, I can understand that if they were waiting on you....
Just kidding.....
As was said earlier, if you think the average waiter makes 15 to 20 k a year, you also believe that the people you know who clean houses or do massage declare and pay taxes on all their wages.
Will you get rich waiting on tables? Gee, I doubt it....but many people who ARE rich did those jobs on the way to something else. Call it "making a living" and not sucking on the public teat. It's work, it's honorable and decently paid work, with lots of voluntary flexibility in hours, etc. that suits many people to the degree that they continue those jobs for many years.
The notion that this is menial or poorly paid work is nonsense.
I wish the working people of Michigan were in such a position as to be able to turn up their noses at jobs without retirement plans and benefits. Maybe there were people who could do that...but where are they now?
The days of just getting by in high school and then settling into a 30 year career on the line at GM or Ford or Chrysler are GONE..and aren't coming back, ever. No matter how much people whine and cry about it.
People who have enough guts and brains to work hard for a good education and compete for a good job, or exercise their entrepreneurial right to work for themselves (thus working for the toughest, most unreasonable and tight-fisted boss EVER) deserve everything they get. So do the people who do less, accomplish less, settle for less, blame everyone but themselves, and sit and whine...they get what they deserve. I think that's a shame, but that's the real world.

I waited tables for 3 years in college, basically full time. I knew a lot of other people who waited tables back then, at other places than I did, so I know all about claiming and not claiming tips. You can certainly make a "living" waiting tables, but not a good living. Otherwise everyone would be fighting for server jobs. Plus, most servers get no benefits, or can buy into a health insurance pool for a pretty expensive premium (last I knew).

But I'll give you $500/week on average, $25,000/year, assuming there are servers who make less than that and a "few" who make a lot more than that (working like dogs more than 40 hours week). Especially in this economy, when I see a lot of chain restaurants half empty most of the week during the normal dinner rush.

Unless someone can find me stats (not anecdotal evidence) that shows that servers in Michigan make more than that. Keep in mind that even though many don't claim all their tips, you do have to pay taxes on a certain portion of your sales (last I heard I thought it was 8 or 10% of your sales), so at least a big chunk of your tips are claimed if you average 15% on your tables.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by magellan

I waited tables for 3 years in college, basically full time. I knew a lot of other people who waited tables back then, at other places than I did, so I know all about claiming and not claiming tips. You can certainly make a "living" waiting tables, but not a good living. Otherwise everyone would be fighting for server jobs. Plus, most servers get no benefits, or can buy into a health insurance pool for a pretty expensive premium (last I knew).

But I'll give you $500/week on average, $25,000/year, assuming there are servers who make less than that and a "few" who make a lot more than that (working like dogs more than 40 hours week). Especially in this economy, when I see a lot of chain restaurants half empty most of the week during the normal dinner rush.

Unless someone can find me stats (not anecdotal evidence) that shows that servers in Michigan make more than that. Keep in mind that even though many don't claim all their tips, you do have to pay taxes on a certain portion of your sales (last I heard I thought it was 8 or 10% of your sales), so at least a big chunk of your tips are claimed if you average 15% on your tables.

We are not talking about " chain restaurants" , .With Michigan being a tourist destination and a few classy resorts, places where booze flows and people have cash to spend, who are big tippers. Same goes for big city hot spots, business folk on an expense account will spend big time.... granted , no one gets rich catering to day trippers and working stiffs.

[scolls]

Too bad my wife went to school to be a RN when she could've made more waiting tables.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by scolls

Too bad my wife went to school to be a RN when she could've made more waiting tables.

Speaking of which scolls. Is she done with school yet? There should be plenty out there for her to pick from.

[scolls]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Speaking of which scolls. Is she done with school yet? There should be plenty out there for her to pick from.

Yea. She works at St Johns.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by darstar

We are not talking about " chain restaurants" , .With Michigan being a tourist destination and a few classy resorts, places where booze flows and people have cash to spend, who are big tippers. Same goes for big city hot spots, business folk on an expense account will spend big time.... granted , no one gets rich catering to day trippers and working stiffs.

..for four months a year.

[Drover]

I have to admit, the latest Pure Michigan commercials are pretty convincing:

[Drover]