Does anyone else believe that the tip system in the US food and bev industry is a bad model? I wish that the servers were paid a regular (fair) wage and that tipping was removed from the server/customer relationship. I think it prevents people from remaining in the business and perfecting their craft, thus it's bad for the customers. I think the fluctuation in server wages interferes with making concrete life decisions (based on the job). I've also seen a lot of servers who were extremely irresponsible with their money because, IMO, of the fact that it is given to them every night in cash. They'd leave the restaurant with $300 and get home with $30 after a night of drinks and video poker to "unwind". If it came as a check every other week, I think they wouldn't dispose of so much of it.
Anyway, just a thought.
As for the OP, my tips are always based on the quality of service. I dine on my terms. If the conversation is good and we stay longer because of the ambiance, well we are more likely to come back - good for the restaurant and the server. We tend to request servers when we find a good one.
---------- Post added at 12:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratman
Liquor costs should be around 17-20%, beer 22-25%, and wine 35-50%. Liquor is by far the most profitable, especially for "well" or "rail" drinks. Wine is tricky as the more expensive the bottle is wholesale, the less you can mark it up. Example: Hess Select; wholesale 10.00 on the menu at 25.00 vs. Leonetti Cabernet; wholesale 75.00, on the menu for 125.00. If you're camping and drinking wine, tip on the check including the wine at full price, especially if the waitron has recommended a great bottle (many people will tip on only 25.00 or so of the wine because it takes the same effort to open an expensive bottle as a cheap one). For taxes, your waitron is responsible for a percentage of total sales, which don't discriminate between food or beverage. This is really only a concern at high-end restaurants that have those expensive bottles. At Perkins... not so much.
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At the fine dining restaurant I worked at, we charged a straight markup for all wine of wholesale cost plus $9, for the exact same reason you described above. It doesn't cost any more to buy an expensive bottle, ship it, store it, serve it, etc. We got a lot more business because of that. People could get great wine for $50/bottle less than the restaurant down the street.