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I agree with the OP, tipping is out of control. However, understand that tipping a "barista" in a cafe is generally accepted.
I tip great BTW, especially restaurants and cab drivers but I think tip cups are popping all over the place and people expect it too.
Next thing we know UPS and FedEx will want tips for delivering a package, don't forget that cashier at the grocery store will want a tip too..
Now see, I wouldn't even buy coffee at a place where they use some ten-dollar word like "barista" for the person who puts your coffee in a paper cup.
I'm still annoyed with spaghetti/macaroni/noodles suddenly being renamed "pasta" so they could charge higher prices, hehehe, and that's been at least 25 years!
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 12-13-2010 at 11:58 AM..
Would you buy a sandwich from a place that calls their employees "sandwich artists"? (Subway)
LOL, are you kidding me? Do they really? I've never been to one. I live in NJ and work in NYC, so there are lots of regular delis and sandwich places around. No need to go to a chain.
I'm not sure you understand what you are talking about.
It doesn't really make any difference if the minimum wage is 2.13 or 7.25.
With the lower minimum wage the customer pays a higher tip. With the higher minimum wage the customer would pay less, or no, tip.
The total bill would be similar and the restaurant and employee would receive about the same amount of income.
Actually the customer tips a percentage of the total bill.
There is no server worth a crap who is going to work for min. wage.
Some states do have to pay their servers at least minimum wage. Alaska is one of them, Oregon is another, and I'm not sure about the rest. But restaurants survive there, and though it's been a long time since I've worked front of the house, the customers didn't seem to think that they didn't have to tip just because we were making min. wage.
It's a tough call for businesses. Like I said in an earlier post, before my son started his little restaurant, we were both against putting out a tip jar. It seemed too much like putting the customer on the spot, I guess. But then he started getting a pretty large amount of take out orders and the customers were asking "where's your tip jar?" after they'd been given their food and had paid.
I'm not sure you understand what you are talking about.
It doesn't really make any difference if the minimum wage is 2.13 or 7.25.
With the lower minimum wage the customer pays a higher tip. With the higher minimum wage the customer would pay less, or no, tip.
The total bill would be similar and the restaurant and employee would receive about the same amount of income.
Not exactly. If the restaurant has to pay wages that are 3+ times as high, they will raise prices to make up the difference. If the servers are given $7.25/hour, and no tip, they are making probably $5/hr less than they normally would. Nobody would want to do that job anymore. So while the customer is paying higher prices (which may or may not equal what they would have paid including tip before the wage hike) and no tip, they likely won't get very good service. Eating out would become a thing of the past and sit-down restaurants would be non-existent.
There are some businesses that are out of control with this. Here in San Diego we have a sport fishing fleet. They have what is considered a jackpot on the boats. Well, after entering it the first year I was on one I won. Right afterwards everyone is telling me it's customary to give the jackpot back to the crew. ? What? Then why enter it.
Then after the trip the said it was customary to tip 25% of your overall trip expense to the crew. What? I didn't use any services and the food was self serve with a tab sheet. They wanted 25% of what I spent on food and drinks? To give to the crew so the cheap owner wouldn't have to pay it?
I had a discussion with one of the crew and I mentioned to him that the owner of the boat was screwing the crew by not paying them a decent wage. He wasn't making min wage he said which I thought was illegal?
Anyway, if there needs to be any extra fee it should be forthright in writing and part of the price so no one gets hood winked.
I take it you've never gambled at a casino then. It is customary to tip the dealer a portion of your winnings, sometimes you can do it per hand or you can do it at the end if you place in the money.
Not exactly. If the restaurant has to pay wages that are 3+ times as high, they will raise prices to make up the difference. If the servers are given $7.25/hour, and no tip, they are making probably $5/hr less than they normally would. Nobody would want to do that job anymore. So while the customer is paying higher prices (which may or may not equal what they would have paid including tip before the wage hike) and no tip, they likely won't get very good service. Eating out would become a thing of the past and sit-down restaurants would be non-existent.
I agree with most of this, though I'm not sure that sit down restaurants would become a thing of the past...at least not in this economy.
But service...especially in the better places...would become somewhat sub standard.
Fine dining servers are skilled workers in their own right. Try going out for a nice meal and requesting wine guidance from a Subway quality employee.
Back to the original topic though...it does rather seem that everyone's got their hand out these days.
I agree with most of this, though I'm not sure that sit down restaurants would become a thing of the past...at least not in this economy.
But service...especially in the better places...would become somewhat sub standard.
Fine dining servers are skilled workers in their own right. Try going out for a nice meal and requesting wine guidance from a Subway quality employee.
Back to the original topic though...it does rather seem that everyone's got their hand out these days.
I agree. I don't know jack about wine (I don't like the taste so I never became familiar with it) and that kept me from getting a job at a nice restaurant I applied to once. I agree that fine dining is a whole different animal than serving at a place like Chili's or the like, they definitely require skills that are beyond what I developed working at "normal" restaurants.
I tried to rep you but it wouldn't let me. But I wanted to say I agree with basically everything you've posted on this thread (imagine that! LOL). I think the restaurant industry is something everyone should work in at least once in their life, then we'd see tips jump across the board.
I think the bottom line with this thread is that while tipping service workers who survive on tips, like servers, delivery drivers, hair stylists, massage therapists, etc. is the proper and expected thing to do, you don't need to tip anyone else just b/c there is a tip jar out or a tip line on a credit card slip. But there is also no reason to be offended by these things, either, and no need to try to make the employee feel bad when it's usually not up to them.
the pizza delivery guy may get some of the delivery charge paid to him, but please do keep in mind that he's using his own car and gas, which results in wear and tear on his car. Standard IRS deduction is now about 55 cents per mile, isn't it? when I worked for mr gatti's in 84, we received minimum wage + tips + 75 cents per delivery as "auto expense". The average tip was $1. Naturally, I preferred deliveries that were close to the store so that I could "keep" more of the mileage allowance. My heart goes out those delivery guys and I tip them well in the rare times where I have them deliver.
I understand that the life of a delivery driver is not all wine and roses. I get it wholly. But the moment a "delivery fee" shows up on my bill, the tip is 0. That's the rule.
Ironically, in the days before those delivery fees, I would usually give the driver 5 bucks - significantly more than the delivery fee. If it was a particularly nasty day in terms of weather (and in Boston, it happens a lot), I would give them upwards of 20. The fee is a complete turn-off, though.
I don't know of a single corporation that mandates delivery fees. These pizza joints are all franchises, which means the franchise owner is the one implementing them. The drivers need to have a talk with their bosses about why the bosses feel it's acceptable to take money out of the drivers' pockets. That's not my job.
Not exactly. If the restaurant has to pay wages that are 3+ times as high, they will raise prices to make up the difference. If the servers are given $7.25/hour, and no tip, they are making probably $5/hr less than they normally would. Nobody would want to do that job anymore. So while the customer is paying higher prices (which may or may not equal what they would have paid including tip before the wage hike) and no tip, they likely won't get very good service. Eating out would become a thing of the past and sit-down restaurants would be non-existent.
LOL...no
Let's see an example
A server works at Applebee's. The server makes $2.13 an hour. The server waits on 3 tables per hour and the average ticket is $25. 3 tables X $25 per table = $75. Figure a 15% tip (some people tip good, some tip less) and you get $11.25 + $2.13 = $13.37 per hour
The typical customer at Applebee's would expect to pay $25 + 15% or $28.75 total
The food costs are constant
If the restaurant wanted to keep the same wait staff they would have to offer a salary of around $13.37.
If the wait staff were paid $13.37 and nobody tipped then the wait staff would make $13.37 an hour and the average customer would pay $28.75 just like before.
The restaurant would spend no more since the cost of their product would be the same.
*This ignores some differences due to different taxes (payroll, business income, tip reporting) but the general premise is the same
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