Quote:
Originally Posted by Nisses
I've worked as a waiter for a 2 years here in Belgium... If I made the equivalent of $1 each hour in tips, then I was lucky. There is no 10% or 20% tipping around here. I can only agree with Mr. Pink on the whole expected tipping idea that runs rampant in the US.
Expect to not get a tip at all unless both the customer feels like tipping, AND you work your butt off for him.
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Nisses, I think you're missing one of the points host made in the OP--not all servers in the United States make minimum wage (it varies widely from state to state, depending on local labor law). The way it's set up is that servers in a lot of states make less than minimum wage--the tips they receive are meant to make up what they're not paid by the restaurant. So imagine getting a few tables that don't tip or don't tip well, and only getting paid $2-3/hr. Tipping is so rampant that local labor laws are based around the expectation that servers are getting at least 15% in tips per table they serve.
I had the great fortune when I did kitchen work to work somewhere where I was paid minimum wage and got a share of the tips. But I understand that's not the case everywhere in the United States.