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I wonder what would happen to a resturant that posted a sign that said "NO TIPPING ALLOWED" but charged about 20 to 25% more for their food... then paid wages based on the resturants income....
I wonder first if people would go there.
I wonder if they did go, if the owner would end up making the extra $$ or if the employees would....
I wonder what would happen to a resturant that posted a sign that said "NO TIPPING ALLOWED" but charged about 20 to 25% more for their food... then paid wages based on the resturants income....
I wonder first if people would go there.
I wonder if they did go, if the owner would end up making the extra $$ or if the employees would....
it would be an interesting experiment.
Increase it by 15%. A plate of 12$ would then go to about 14$ (slightly under). It looks worse but in reality you end up paying the same amount. Most people don't tip 20-25%. Maybe upscale restaurants, where service is a huge deal, could do that.
I don't understand the use of the word 'system'. Tipping isn't a system, it's a custom. How does one "do away" with a custom?
It's a system because restaurant owners are legally allowed to pay waitstaff much less then federal minimum wage (usually $2.xx/hour). Waitstaff also have to share their tips with the hostess, bartender, bus people, etc.
This is a system that GREATLY benefits the restaurant owner. It moves a large percentage of their salary obligations off their books.
Most folks also don't realize that when they stiff that waitress because they really like Mr. Pink's monologue in Reservoir Dogs, they are genuinely, legitimately, screwing that person because he/she will STILL have to pay out a percentage of the tip you didn't leave her, to the other staff (ie. make it up with tips from other tables)
Just to preface, I spent 8 years in the food business, and I am a generous tipper.
That said, Yes, the entire system should be done away with BUT you can expect the price of a meal out to increase dramatically as the restaurant owner will now have to pay his servers a fair wage, as well as up the pay on other staff (hostess, bartender, busboy) because they, too, get "tipped out" at the end of the night under the current system.
Now that being said, I don't know many GOOD waitstaff who would choose that because as much as they all like to complain about it, they all know they make more in that Tip system then the owner would pay them if the system didn't exist.
My wife was a waitress at a popular seaside lobster place in Maine for many summers and she could rake in $500 in tips over a weekend... that was 20 years ago. It is how she paid her way through college.
If it wasn't for tips neither my wife nor I would have made it through college... I have a feeling 80% o the people posting int his thread have never worked in the service industry where you survive off your tips to live.
I don't mind tipping at all because first of all, customer service is one of the worst jobs on the planet & customers are generally a bunch of jerks.
But why do some customer service jobs typically get tips and others don't?? Retail clothing stores, fast food, movie theater staff, grocery clerks --- some of these people work incredibly hard too, and have to deal with customers who, as you said, can be jerks. Why do they not deserve tips for doing their job?
To reiterate (because I don't want to get slammed by someone jumping in mid-thread) I DO tip waitstaff and my hair stylist very generously, and it's not that I resent it. I just don't get it. I would prefer the price of the food or salon services simply be set at a price such that staff was paid well, and that tipping be reserved for TRULY TOP-NOTCH service....not just doing the basic job.
To me, a server's basic job is to deliver the correct food, in a timely fashion, with a cheerful attitude, with an occasional checking in on us, and timely presentation of the bill. That's basic, just like a grocery clerk or fast food worker has basic elements that we expect to be performed correctly.
Oh well, as long as this is the system we have, I'll keep over-tipping to make up for people like the pastor I spoke of in my original post.
Last edited by kayanne; 02-01-2013 at 04:29 PM..
Reason: typos
But why do some customer service jobs typically get tips and others don't?? Retail clothing stores, fast food, movie theater staff, grocery clerks --- some of these people work incredibly hard too, and have to deal with customers who, as you said, can be jerks. Why do they not deserve tips for doing their job?
...
To me, a server's basic job is to deliver the correct food, in a timely fashion, with a cheerful attitude, with an occasional checking in on us, and timely presentation of the bill. That's basic, just like a grocery clerk or fast food worker has basic elements that we expect to be performed correctly.
Yep.
Imagine if you needed legal service. Your lawyer performed everything required of him/her and then you decided not to pay him because you thought it was a bit rude to you.
Y'all know its a federal law that servers are paid at least minimum wage if they don't make it up in tips,right? They get $2.XX an hour plus tips, but if the tips don't bump their average up to minimum wage, the employer must pay the difference. If you or your friend or whoever wasn't paid at least minimum wage with tips, your employer was breaking the law.
I'm not going to pay anyone to be a jerk to me just because they carried a plate 30 feet. I tip for good service, not the bare minimum.
Y'all know its a federal law that servers are paid at least minimum wage if they don't make it up in tips,right? They get $2.XX an hour plus tips, but if the tips don't bump their average up to minimum wage, the employer must pay the difference. If you or your friend or whoever wasn't paid at least minimum wage with tips, your employer was breaking the law.
I'm not going to pay anyone to be a jerk to me just because they carried a plate 30 feet. I tip for good service, not the bare minimum.
I'm sure people in the US know this. I can understand why foreigners might be puzzled when they read about the tipping system here and see that tipped wages are low.
Why is such a simple thing like tipping such a big deal now when in the past it was just a given and no big deal?
Why are people who traditionally did not get tipped beginning to want or expect a tip?
And I've seen this also. For example the barber shop now has a tip jar, the sea food place at the counter WHERE YOU PICK UP YOUR OWN FOOD and some other places like this.
I'll tell you why. Devalued currency combined with inflation in almost all necessities. People at the bottom are becoming more and more desperate and dependent on every penny. And it's only going to get worse. There's literally no end in sight for this.
Y'all know its a federal law that servers are paid at least minimum wage if they don't make it up in tips,right? They get $2.XX an hour plus tips, but if the tips don't bump their average up to minimum wage, the employer must pay the difference. If you or your friend or whoever wasn't paid at least minimum wage with tips, your employer was breaking the law.
I'm not going to pay anyone to be a jerk to me just because they carried a plate 30 feet. I tip for good service, not the bare minimum.
This was brought up on another board. I provided the link to the IRS and stated I believe the workers are getting screwed if that is the case. A guy PMs me asking me to remove the link because they don't declare tips and it was all cash under the table. "Trying" to keep it on the downlow but still complain about bad tippers.
So these people were calling everyone cheap and what not but are breaking the law. I really didn't feel bad for them at all after that.
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