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Post by
MyTie
They pay the waitress like 4 bucks an hour. They do that because the industry is based on tipping. If they paid them a full wage, they'd just add the pricing on to the menu. The purpose of making it optional is to ensure good service. Unfortunately, there are people who take advantage of the system and don't tip, or don't tip the accepted amount, regardless of the service being fine.
EDIT: Luckily, enough people tip more than 15% that the servers end up doing fine. It's kind of a welfare system where good tippers cover what should be paid by people who are cheap and/or inconsiderate.
You are telling me that waitresses make less than minimum wage? Isn't that illegal?
Post by
Azazel
I think it's pretty selfish if you don't tip, unless the waiters are like really rude or something.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
They pay the waitress like 4 bucks an hour. They do that because the industry is based on tipping. If they paid them a full wage, they'd just add the pricing on to the menu. The purpose of making it optional is to ensure good service. Unfortunately, there are people who take advantage of the system and don't tip, or don't tip the accepted amount, regardless of the service being fine.
EDIT: Luckily, enough people tip more than 15% that the servers end up doing fine. It's kind of a welfare system where good tippers cover what should be paid by people who are cheap and/or inconsiderate.
You are telling me that waitresses make less than minimum wage? Isn't that illegal?
No- it's not illegal because it's a tipping based industry. They expect that all tables leave somewhere between 12 and 15%, and as such they tax waitstaff based on their 4 bucks an hour, plus that percentage of their sales. If you don't tip a waitress, they end up paying out of pocket for the privilege of having served you dinner.
There is a clause that if a waitress doesn't have enough sales to make that 12-15% equal out to minimum wage, the restaurant has to make up the difference. But there's no recourse for having a cheap table.
Post by
MyTie
There is a clause that if a waitress doesn't have enough sales to make that 12-15% equal out to minimum wage, the restaurant has to make up the difference. But there's no recourse for having a cheap table.
Exactly. They get paid either way.I think it's pretty selfish if you don't tip, unless the waiters are like really rude or something.
Like I said, I tip if the service provided calls for it.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
No- they get paid if they have no sales. If they have sales, but the people don't tip, they don't get it made up to minimum wage, and they have to pay taxes on money they never made.
If I was waiting tables at a restaurant, and I had no customers for 2 hours, the restaurant would have to make up the couple of dollars per hour to make it minimum wage. If I was at a restaurant, and had 3 tables with 600 total sales, and they tipped me $10 each, I would have to pay $5-6 to the bar, $3-4 to the busboys, and then income tax on the $80 dollars the government expected me to have been paid in tips. So, it's quite likely that I will end up paying out more than I was tipped.
Post by
Nathanyal
I know some places add on gratuity for large groups. If its a group of 8 or more they tend to do thatThey usually have that somewhere on the menu when you order, but my family tends to split it up when we pay. Or try to anyway, it doesn't always happens.
But if we go to a buffet place, we normally just tip $1 per person. Since all they do is come clean up the plates and refill our drinks, we don't believe they should get 15%. But at a place where you sit and they bring it out to you, we try to do 15% or close to it. I know that waiters get paid less, usually under minimum wage, at most places. But I would think at the more expensive places they try to pay the wait staff better.
Post by
donnymurph
93 bucks? 93 bucks? 15 bucks gratuity? WTF! Who could afford that? If I ever visit NY, I'll pack lunch.
It costs me like $30 to eat for one at Pizza Hut. And Brisbane is one of the cheapest places in Australia.Ugh. I'd rather spend 100 bucks on groceries and learn how to cook that food myself.
Hat, if you ever come to western oregon, you'll have to come over to my house for some quality home-cooked food. It'll be free for ya, but cost me somewhere around 2 dollars a plate, and would taste delicious.
Wow... I always imagined you as a Utah or Idaho.
Post by
MyTie
I worked as a waiter once. It was a horrible job in this Greek restaurant. I couldn't understand the owner/cook, because his accent was so think. He was so rude and angry. His wife was this fat angry hag that treated me like a slave. I had to work that job in addition to my other jobs to make ends meet. I worked my ass off. I worked so hard. The other waiter was this lazy peice of crap that treated his customers as if they were inconveniencing him. I picked up a lot of his slack. We ended up making about the same in tips. At that point I decided I wouldn't tip people if they didn't work for it.
The other day I went to this Thai restaurant and had some spicy food, and never got my water refilled. I actually had to stop eating because I had nothing to drink. 20 minutes later the waitress brought me a doggy bag, and the wrong check. Yeah, I didn't leave a tip. My wife did, but that's her. She's too nice.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
I'm not saying you should tip well when they suck at their job. But you made a statement that you didn't tip more than 10% even when it was, because you thought it was on top of a normal salary. I was correcting the perception about how waitstaff gets paid.
Post by
MyTie
I'm not saying you should tip well when they suck at their job. But you made a statement that you didn't tip more than 10% even when it was, because you thought it was on top of a normal salary. I was correcting the perception about how waitstaff gets paid.
10% in this economy is usually about right. I round up, though, so it's usually between 10-15, depending on what bills I have in my wallet, and it really depends on the service.
It's also hard for me to gauge people's service because I'm so cynical. I get bothered by people pretty easily.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
My opinion is always that if I can't afford to tip, I can't afford to eat out.
Post by
MyTie
My opinion is always that if I can't afford to tip, I can't afford to eat out.
What I mean is, if the tip calls for, and the service deserves 12.50, and I have a ten and a five, I'll give 15. If the same situation arises and I have a ten and 5 ones, I'll tip 13. It's not that I can't afford the service, it just matters the bills in my wallet sometimes, which takes me from 12% to 15% or more.
Post by
Patty
Well this is on topic...
Post by
hatman555
93 bucks? 93 bucks? 15 bucks gratuity? WTF! Who could afford that? If I ever visit NY, I'll pack lunch.
An 85 dollar check? WTF is that.
Ugh. I'd rather spend 100 bucks on groceries and learn how to cook that food myself.
I'm kinda sad now that I put a picture of the check in there. It wasn't to flaunt extravagance or anything like that, It was really just me taking a picture of everything that hit the table.
The food there is amazing, I go to that place maybe once a year, if that. Some of the ingredients are hard to find local, but I a sure you that there is no unsteadiness in my hand when it comes to cooking an amazing meal. My house is always open for the Wowheader to crash, eat, and relax. I learned how to cook from my father who learned from his father and mother who all grew up in Spain in the 1950's. So yes, a 100 dollar check might seem like an extravagance, but for a person that mostly eats home cooked meals its those small occasions where when I go out, I'll enjoy myself to the fullest, and won't worry about what it costs.
Hat, if you ever come to western oregon, you'll have to come over to my house for some quality home-cooked food. It'll be free for ya, but cost me somewhere around 2 dollars a plate, and would taste delicious.
I would appreciate that. Not sure when I will be out to the west, but its always good to have options.
I'm not going to go into the purpose of tips, or their intention. Tipping, in my case, is not automatic.
Reservoir Dogs - Tipping Scene
- Audio is NSFW and Rated R.
Cheers,
Hat
Post by
MyTie
Reservoir Dogs - Tipping Scene
- Audio is NSFW and Rated R.
Cheers,
Hat
Yeah, I thought of Buscemi when I brought it up.
Post by
Sas148
I should point out... not all states pay less than their usual minimum wage for tipped employees. I know for certain California waitstaff get paid the same minimum wage as someone who doesn't make any tips at all. Here, serving jobs are very much in high demand.
However, even with that being the case, I always tip 20% when the server is polite and does their best, sometimes more depending on the extremity of their "best." It is EXTREMELY rare that I won't tip something, I mean that person would have to be ridiculous, beyond incompetent to lose my tip entirely. I've been a server, I know they sometimes have off days and I've been in situations where the server is understaffed and taking care of way too many tables (and it usually is not their fault).
So, I take all elements into consideration with my tip, but I don't care what their base wage is... to me that's irrelevant to the issue.
Post by
204878
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
ElhonnaDS
What are all of these mark-ups and hidden service charges you're talking about? Or are you referring to the fact that a business charges more for food than they pay for it because they're, well, a business? There is a price for the food, and an expectation of a tip for the service. If you order and pick up, you just pay for the food and no tip.
Post by
Patty
Surely it should be the other way around? An expectation of service resulting in tips if you're pleased or your expectations are exceeded - rather than feeling pressured by the fact that there's a likelihood that you're making up a significant portion of the employee's wages, not tips as a bonus, but their actual wage. At least I think that's what DoctorLore's trying to put across.
Post by
204878
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
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