The only place tipping even makes sense is at a sit down restaurant, and only after excellent service has been given. Tipping for simply completing your defined job responsibilities is absurd.
Yes their hourly pay is extremely low because of the expectation of being tipped. But if their hourly wage plus the tips they received do not bring them up to minimum wage, their employer must pay them the difference. Waitstaff always make at least minimum wage no matter what.
Granted, minimum wage in most states is far too low but a lot of people believe waitstaff doesn't make minimum wage, which just isn't true
"Exactly what they're told to do" is a pretty broad swath.
It makes the most sense when you're a regular. You're literally paying them more to give you better service but you don't establish that until after the service has concluded.
yeah i agree, the only reason to tip big is to get free shit. employees basically are losing the business' profit for their own gain. this is why you buy your bartenders etc shots until they just start bringing out random booze every time you come, on the house
its really not complicated, the incentive is perverse, moral hazard is universal, and everyone wants to earn more and pay less
Yes but the quality of service can range wildly between restaurants and even between specific employees. When you sit down at a table and are being waited on it's different.
Correct, but how many times have you gone to eat somewhere and people are just "doing their job." Every once in awhile a waiter/server elevates the entire experience.
Ha. I might if they actually knew how to do their jobs anymore. I feel like any time I have to call any of them nowadays, I have to hold their hands through their own jobs.
In most States in the United States the server minimum wage is less than the minimum wage. In my State it's 5.50/hour. If you don't tip then they're not making enough money to live.
What the fuck, how is that legal. In Australia the minimum wage here is ~$24, which is about $16 usd, and you’d only be allowed to pay an absolute minimum of ~9 aud (6 usd) if they’re under 16, PLUS an additional 12% paid directly into the workers retirement fund (superannuation)
Former server who made $2.13/hour here. Tipped employees are legally allowed to be paid less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour as long as the tips the employee makes are enough to equal out to at least the federal rate. If the tips aren’t enough, the employer is obligated to cover the difference but it’s never not enough, even just barely. I would receive a paystub for my 30-40 hours worked, but would never have any money on there as it all went to taxes and then some. So I truly was living off other peoples generosity at that point. Now that I’m home in Canada, servers make the provincial minimum wage and tips are expected but optional.
If they don't earn enough tips to make a full minimum wage the employer has to cover the difference. This system only exists because it benefits both the employer and the employee by offloading the wage costs onto the customer.
That’s the restaurants problem, not yours. They also get the normal non-tipped minimum wage too. The tipped wage + tips still need to hourly equal the non-tipped wage at the end of the day or the restaurant has to pay the difference. So if the minimum wage is $8, and the tipped wage is $5, if no one tips at all, the the restaurant has to make up that extra $3/hr out of their own pocket or their breaking the law.
The thing is most servers in the US would much prefer the existing system than a fixed hourly rate with no tips. With tips their ceiling of income earning is much MUCH higher, it’s ridiculous. Trust me, most American waiters and waitresses would be against the idea of no tipping even if they’re guaranteed $20 an hour.
What are you talking about? You pay for the food when you pay for the food…the price on the menu factors in ALL business expenses.
Restaurants set their prices too, just like tattoo artists. And they both have the same business expenses: rent, utilities, licensing/permitting, insurance, federal/state/city taxes, labor, supplies, maintenance/repairs, etc.
I tip in only one situation: I've eaten at a restaurant, and caused more trouble for the staff than normal. If I bring my baby, for instance, I've taken to throwing in a "sorry about the mess" tip.
No, they always deserve to be paid. But their salary assumes a certain level of inconvenience per customer. If I cause more than that, the tip bridges the gap.
You miss the fact that the servers aren’t doing work for me… they are employed BY the restaurant… not by me… they are doing work for the restaurant not for me… the main factor is that I’m assigned a server by the restaurant… not by my own choice… therefore in terms of business and money transactions the restaurant is the middle man making sure I get serviced and I pay back the restaurant the expenses for that service (based on the prices they set…)
Do you go out of your way and find a way to tip developers/customer support of any live service software you use after every patch/update or when you have issues and contact them?
It onlymales sense in that one context specifically to you because you were raised with it in mind. But in reality it's about as sensical as any other job asking for a tip.
Other places will attempt fishing just to see if their customers are stupid enough. The more they get confused fish taking the bait / tipping, the more fishing / tipping will be normalized.
What was first? The obnoxious "excellent service" or the tipping? Where I am we dont really used to have tipping for the American infection and the "best" service is generally no service. I sit down somewhere, you bring me the menu ask me if I already know what to drink. Next interaction is you taking my order and bringing the drinks. Then you bring the food. Eventually you take it away, bring me the bill and we leave. In total maybe 4-5 sentences.
It doesn’t actually even make sense when you consider that what you think of as a good restaurant experience is the result of at least half a dozen people and you’re only tipping one.
Like even if they tip out the other people from that, the whole amount basically hinges on your waiter being cool that day.
Restaurant tips are so fucked, I worked as a line cook in many restaurants and the kitchen staff who actually make the food that you go out for maybe get a few percent of the total tips.
Servers act like they're an ER nurse saving people's lives with how they expect tips. At the end of the day they bring food and drinks to the table.
Hey just adding some first hand experience here. My wife is a tattoo artist and there's a lot of hidden costs to the work. (Drawing the piece, conversations that turn into mini therapy sessions).
No one at her shop requires it, but it's certainly a job that pays terribly, and it's appreciated when people can, as a thanks for the extra work.
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u/slowch33tah 10h ago
The only place tipping even makes sense is at a sit down restaurant, and only after excellent service has been given. Tipping for simply completing your defined job responsibilities is absurd.