My state just voted against a living minimum wage for restaurant staff, and it seemed like the people most against it were people who work in restaurants.
Because they believe they can make more money from the tips. The guys who make South America bought Casa Bonita, tried raising the base pay, and getting rid of tips, and the employees got mad.
I feel empathy for both sides of the argument. My best friends gf works at a high end restraunt in town, she makes about $400-$600 a night on a good weekend. In this area you're either crazy rich or poor. I'm happy as hell for her. There is no employer in town that would get her that type of money. If that place didnt allow tips, there would be no wait staff because no one wants to do that job long term.
Tipping for someone pouring me a cup of coffee or handing me a sandwich is where I draw the line but if someone is bringing me food, topping my water off, double checking on my frivolous alcoholic beverage I'm gonna tip them because I want them to earn the tip. Disincentivizing the job and just having someone slap a plate on the table for you at a baseline wage isn't something I want. We already have shitty service at fast food.
But why. If it’s a shitty service people will stop going to such places anyway. Why would you tip someone who just did their job? Whatever service it is.
Running a restaurant is expensive. Its extremely toxic and competitive. I like the independent places because you get variety and I want to encourage variety. Small folks trying to make good food because its their passion is something I'm interested in.
The major chains snuff out everyone and its sad as hell pay and overall take home take a hit. So yes, by nature restaurants are crap to work for and run because of them. They've devalued the position and oversaturated it in every way.
I'm a decent cook, I love cooking at home for my family. Going out is a treat, or just when I'm too tired to cook. Thats a privilege that I have that I can pay to go out to eat, have someone seat me, bring things to me and cook up a meal for me. If they get it right 100% of the time and are courteous and prompt I believe all those things together are an experience worth paying for... A service.
And I'm rolling my eyes at myself as I type this but yes, if you cant afford to tip given the context then you shouldn't be going to a place where someone serves you, perhaps the drive thru is better suited.
I dont believe I'm going to change your perspective on tipping and thats okay. I just thought I'd respond to the question. I have no investment in the culture at all beyond that.
This is the exact mindset we are in this situation aren’t we?
A job is supposed to pay fairly. Period. Customer pays for food and service already through their order.
If you can’t pay more to employees, charge more to customers and pay more. No social ambiguity. If tip average out to be 15% of the total revenue, charge 15% more and explicitly say NO TIPS EXPECTED. If someone tips on the top of it, good. Someone really likes your good service that you can go above and beyond.
If big chains snuff out small ones through pricing, so be it? That’s free market at play?
Yes a job is supposed to pay fairly, but they don’t, even if they pay actual minimum wage. But I can go to a place in Paris, spend less than I would at say Outback, get a better meal for less, and service that is at least equal, and not feel rushed, and still get out for cheaper after tipping an extra 10%, that I know isn’t necessary, since they actually get paid a decent wage. And that is also why that aren’t super worried about the turnover of tables, and will let you relax.
lol you're really into this topic huh. Idk man, Im no authority on the matter. These people make $2 an hour no matter what we say on reddit. I choose to tip them and some people dont. Thats on yall.
Totally agree. Which is why I bitched about the chains. They set the standard and gov follows suit due to lobbiest. I dislike it but I also know the reality so I'd rather tip the server and visit the small place than be staunch on the topic. until something gets changed at least.
Massachusetts? yeah all the tipped workers threw a fit because they make so much more money asking for 30% in tips than if they just made minimum wage. So they went up in arms online and harassed people to be against the bill. so now I don't tip anymore unless you do something for me. they all had your chance fix the problem.
You see that is exactly my point. It's not like people voting against their interests is new. But people hate corporations and shit paying businesses everywhere else. But are giving these corporations and businesses a pass, and it's my fault I won't tip a barista 20% for handing me fucking cookie. Don't come at me for not paying you a living wage, come at the fucking employer.
Consider how/why they benefit. If your wages are set not by your employer, but as a percentage of sales, you're immune to inflation. Prices go up? Wages go up.
So American hospitality is one of the ONLY places that has kept up with inflation.
Its not "holy shit they're making too much", it's that they have left all other wages behind.
"But some bartenders make six figures!" Yes, and I think any career you rise to the top of the game at should pay that much
Former bartender. I think all wages should be tied to inflation. The problem isn't that this group is getting it too good, it's that everyone else has been getting run down, and now we have a choice - fight with each other, or take on the people doing that.
I mean, we can make all jobs based on ％ of sale. Tip your teller when you make a deposit. Tip your cashier when you run in for a carton of eggs. Tip Amazon for your online purchases. Now everyone is immune to inflation!
Like why shouldn't your wage be set to inflation too? That, no matter what happens, you make however much more as inflation did. This isn't a raise, it's just holding the buying power you agreed to in the first place.
Instead, as inflation and thus revenue increases, we continually have to negotiate just to break even. And what we've seen is, without unions, it's all we can do to barely keep up.
The idea that all wages should be tied to inflation is better than you listing a bunch of jobs you use that you think should make low wages.
I mean fuck, I ain't complaining. Transactions in my group usually close in the hundred mil to bil range. I'll take a 15％ tip on that happily
Btw you can cut the BS on "oh so you think X group doesn't deserve Y wage", it's a completely pointless way to argue usually found in kindergarteners pointing fingers at each other. 1) I didn't say that 2) you can in fact have a setn livable wage without forcing people to pay extra on top of what they're already charged. In most anywhere else in the world I can walk into a restaurant, see 15 on the menu, pay 15, and walk out. America does not have to make it so complicated
How many on the team? Like the idea of a base salary that gets you by, plus a set percent on your actual production, would both protect workers and incentivize them for more success.
Instead we feebly ask for a 4% raise at risk of them just flipping us for someone new for a few dollars less.
Exactly, every time I do the math servers are making easily more than 20 dollars an hour as long as their joint isn't overstaffed and gets decent traffic. What's fucked is it's becoming like a career for people in their 20s and 30s when it should have been a way for high schoolers and college students to make ends meet or pay for a car. Now those high schoolers are working like actual difficult jobs with a lot of responsibilities, working kitchens in fast food joints and restaurants for minimum wage, working night shifts at grocery stores and shit while people who should have real jobs are raking in money doing unskilled labor.
They’re not voting against their interests. They’re making way more than they would anywhere else under the current system.
I was devastated when I worked at a hotel and found out our waitresses at the fancy rooftop bar were pulling in six figure salaries. Like what the actual hell.
The tip culture being what it is leads to many of them getting paid well.
It's just that it requires this... mildly infuriating social coercion for it to work to their benefit, and of course, at the expense of the consumer to some degree.
I did a little bit of bartending. My base wages were $8/hr in 2007. For evening shift tips brought my average up to $25 hr. During an annual live music party weekend cash tips were about $400 per night. This was in remote Alaskan fishing village during the summer fishing season.
So when you say “almost every person I know that works in a restaurant prefers tips” you’re specifically talking about bartenders and servers.
I’m thinking I know more people who work in restaurants and OWN them. And for a fact the only people who want to keep the tipping system are owners and wait staff.. these are the only people benefiting from the current system. Not EVERYONE in the restaurant.
I just wish restaurants added 20% of the cost onto food and just redistributed that amount to the servers and then they could still be tipped if they did an amazing job. It would save the step of calculating tip and we’d pay the same
Maybe they were against it because if tipping culture persists, they’ll be able to make more money than if it disappears with the presence of a minimum wage
I've seen a few cases at high end restaurants where tipping can lead to really high earnings. Had one friend.who was in student teaching with me who worked at the old Hudson's on the Bend in Austin. He realized he usually made more in a weekend than he would after a week of teaching.
That's certainly the exception, not the rule.
My wife also waited tables at an upscale restaurant and would bring home a couple hundred dollars in cash after a decent shift. (She was in her 20s and modelled for some local photographers as well, so I'm sure that helped with her success)
That's because tips can mean more cash in hand than minimum wage. Some waitresses can really make bank from tips. That's why they're against minimum wage and pro mandatory tips.
To them it's money out of their pockets.
This. Servers do not want minimum wage and fewer tips. I managed a restaurant and my best bartender made almost double what I did in half the hours. It's a skill in its own, I don't think it's necessarily undeserved but Ive always been a firm believer in your tip legitimately depends on your level of service.
I find that to be truly baffling. Tipping is optional and should only exist for excellent service, so even if a business pays their employees a fair wage, I should be able to tip if I feel like it. If a server was being paid $20 an hour I would never know, but I would still tip for excellent service. And any business who does pay a fair wage but bans tipping can get fucked.
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u/bobisbit 11d ago
My state just voted against a living minimum wage for restaurant staff, and it seemed like the people most against it were people who work in restaurants.