I wonder if people realize...

[LogGrad98]

What is the lowest someone tips? Even for terrible service I can't give less than15. I just can't. I can't believe someone give 1,2 percent. Some humans are just ****ty ones.

I will tip as little as zero. It depends on lots of things. Primarily simply the attitude of the server. If they have a decent attitude, and aren't surly and rude or extremely negligent I tip generally in the 20% range. But that can slide pretty quickly if they are bringing an attitude, whether a bad attitude or an I don't care attitude. There is a restaurant in Fernley NV I will never visit again because of the lackadaisical attitude of their servers.

 

[♪alt13]

The reason it shouldn't is because customers will become more resistant to tip if the percentage gets too high. Imagine if the custom gets to be 50%, and that's "needed" due to cost of living expenses. All of a sudden one has to pay $30 out of pocket for a $20 plate, and psychologically I don't think many people are willing to do it.

Of course I'd prefer to see servers make $10-20 an hour (in 2015 dollars) and just get a buck or two there if the table feels the service was worth it.

In my experience, the people who "cannot afford" to tip are the ones that eat out the most.

Dead serious.

There was this real Redneck family from Payson that would come into Provo and eat out nearly every week. There were 4 adults and 5 kids. Their bill would be over $100 each time. Yet each time they'd tip $1-2 or nothing at all. We servers would just cringe when they'd come in. Sometimes we experienced people could dish them off to a noob who didn't know the family.

Sorry, but we've got to make money!

Anyways, so they had enough money to drive 30 mins from payson. Had enough money for food and drinks. Yet didn't have enough money for tips?

On the regular I'd see BYU students roll in nearly every week. Sorry Colton, they were far worse than college students from other universities. The same young families, eat us all out of food, stay forever (preventing us from flipping tables), not order any booze, and screw us over.

Many Utah families, sadly, will "eat out" paying like they would at McDonald's or Taco Bell. Yet the food they receive is Olive Garden, macaroni grill, Applebee's, Tucanos, worthy.

The biggest challenge IMO was the weekend. Since restaurants are really cheap, they'll hire and train as few servers as possible. So on the weekend, it's all hands on deck working what are called "doubles." Which essentially means you work from open until close with no break in between. So if your restaurant doesn't open until 11 (and you have to be there 1 hr early to set up) and it doesn't close until 11 at night (and you must stay 1 hr to clean up) well do the math...

To me, that's what made restaurant life thee worst. You'd often times work 10+ hrs per day, no break, and still only avg perhaps $7-10 per hr. Even worse in the summer. If it hadn't sucked so bad I probably would be in law school right now. But since I just wanted to be done I hurried and finished my education in education and am working for $30k in Utah. Hmmmm...

So keep that in mind next time you show up late Saturday night. Your server, in all likelihood, has been working since at least noon with little to no break.

It sounds great until you realize that less people going out to eat means fewer waiters and fewer restaurants. It might not be that big of a deal somewhere else but here where so many people have more children than they can afford this would mean people lose their jobs.

Tipping well subsidizes the meal of someone that otherwise could not afford it. That person that tips poorly helps keep the margins in the black. Forget about the 20% and put yourself in the waiters shoes. If you can afford to leave a big tip do it.

 

[Deleted member 365]

The bolded is a fairly political statement. I was stressing the fact that either you subsidize through tips or higher costs. Either way the consumer bears the cost. And market forces, augmented by legislation, drive what people get paid. If an employer can find people to hire that will accept $2.13 per hour, and plenty of them, and is not required to pay more than that, then what is the incentive for the employer to pay more?

You're the one that believed that I was attacking "evil right wing stuff" when Iade no mention of that. let me be clear, I don't see democrats proposing to do away with our tip system. So I think we can all assume that both major parties are fine with maintaining the status quo.

Which is paying servers $2.13 per hr and making your tip become the primary salary of the server. Is that fine with you?

 

[Deleted member 365]

It sounds great until you realize that less people going out to eat means fewer waiters and fewer restaurants. It might not be that big of a deal somewhere else but here where so many people have more children than they can afford this would mean people lose their jobs.

Tipping well subsidizes the meal of someone that otherwise could not afford it. That person that tips poorly helps keep the margins in the black. Forget about the 20% and put yourself in the waiters shoes. If you can afford to leave a big tip do it.

Scare tactics to maintain poor pay and the continued "passing the responsibility of compensating employees" from employer to customer never has and never will work for me.

 

[LogGrad98]

You're the one that believed that I was attacking "evil right wing stuff" when Iade no mention of that. let me be clear, I don't see democrats proposing to do away with our tip system. So I think we can all assume that both major parties are fine with maintaining the status quo.

Which is paying servers $2.13 per hr and making your tip become the primary salary of the server. Is that fine with you?

I have already stated I would prefer something closer to what they have here in Germany. Servers are paid a real wage, and tips are truly only for exceptional service. I would prefer that. I was commenting on your implication that evil employers were gouging workers and we were unwittingly allowing it through support of the tipping system in place in the US now.

 

[Deleted member 365]

I have already stated I would prefer something closer to what they have here in Germany. Servers are paid a real wage, and tips are truly only for exceptional service. I would prefer that. I was commenting on your implication that evil employers were gouging workers and we were unwittingly allowing it through support of the tipping system in place in the US now.

I never said evil. I never called them right wing. Nor did I make it political.

You did.

But you're right, they'll take advantage and gouge workers as much as they can. If they can pass the responsibility of paying their workers onto customers via tips rather than pay them living wages, give them breaks, honor their schedule requests, etc they will. Until you work in this industry as I did, I think it's safe to say that I know a hell of a lot more about this than you do.

 

[Deleted member 365]

I remember once we had a huge party show up. 200 people ordered food, drinks, and deserts. A bill over $7,000. They left no tip (probably without noticing). The restaurant owner? Shrugged his shoulders and said, "darn." To him it didn't matter. His restaurant got the money they wanted. To hell with the employees.

The 12 employees who worked 3 hrs? Left pissed making min wage and dreaming that their college degrees couldn't come fast enough.

Sadly, 2 of those 12 are still there even with their college degrees! Ouch!

 

[Maneesh]

I will tip as little as zero. It depends on lots of things. Primarily simply the attitude of the server. If they have a decent attitude, and aren't surly and rude or extremely negligent I tip generally in the 20% range. But that can slide pretty quickly if they are bringing an attitude, whether a bad attitude or an I don't care attitude. There is a restaurant in Fernley NV I will never visit again because of the lackadaisical attitude of their servers.

Yeah you know, if the have the attitude I can't take it. I would probably be tehe same for rude behavior and not want to give the tip. That is a good reason not to do it. I hope I don't see one of these people. I think it should be like Europe. But when i go there sometimes I forget that they don't expect so i still do it. They might think I'm rude or they might like me even more?

 

[LogGrad98]

Yeah you know, if the have the attitude I can't take it. I would probably be tehe same for rude behavior and not want to give the tip. That is a good reason not to do it. I hope I don't see one of these people. I think it should be like Europe. But when i go there sometimes I forget that they don't expect so i still do it. They might think I'm rude or they might like me even more?

The like you more. There is a place here that we frequent for decent "american" food, meaning a minor selection of BBQ and burgers. We tip enough that now the wait staff offer us drink refills without question and without charging. And we are not huge tippers, but for here it is. Here tipping 1-2% is good. I tip generally in the 3-5% range and it makes me a superstar.

 

[♪alt13]

Scare tactics to maintain poor pay and the continued "passing the responsibility of compensating employees" from employer to customer never has and never will work for me.

It's not a scare tactic. I have no vested interest. I am not a restaurant owner, I do not work for a restaurant, I have already said that I tip more than 20%. It is honestly what I think would happen. As much as waiters may hate serving broke people they need their business for the sake of their job.

The idea that waiters could all be payed 10-20$ an hour without drastically reducing the number of waiters is wrong. Maybe it would be better to have fewer waiters that made more money. Maybe it would be better to have fewer restaurants. That is what would happen and pretending that it wouldn't is in my view foolish.

 

[Deleted member 365]

It's not a scare tactic. I have no vested interest. I am not a restaurant owner, I do not work for a restaurant, I have already said that I tip more than 20%. It is honestly what I think would happen. As much as waiters may hate serving broke people they need their business for the sake of their job.

The idea that waiters could all be payed 10-20$ an hour without drastically reducing the number of waiters is wrong. Maybe it would be better to have fewer waiters that made more money. Maybe it would be better to have fewer restaurants. That is what would happen and pretending that it wouldn't is in my view foolish.

First of all, we have literally every other industrialized country to look at. I've never heard of a restaurant or server shortage due to the high costs of dining in any of these countries.

Secondly, the negative effects on the economy of wage increases in the food industry are vastly overblown. I believe they could pay McDonald's workers $15 per hr and only increase the cost of a Big Mac $0.25. I highly doubt people will refuse to eat Big Macs because it costs a whole quarter more.

At this point it's more about maintaining a certain image or perception of superiority than anything based on economics.

 

[LogGrad98]

You legitimately think a company can increase their single highest cost by >25% and have about a 2% increase in prices? Wow the depth of your ignorance of economics and business is unlimited.