Food the service industry, "if you dont like it then..."

If you read the story the server was a Marine who saw active duty in the Middle East. Bet that family was all for her "saving them from those evil Godless brown people."

 

No more Auto Grats...

The IRS is reclassifying automatic gratuities as taxable wages that the employer must pay payroll tax on. They will no longer have to be reported by the employee.​

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Businesses will no longer continue to add the automatic gratuity since they will have to pay taxes on the charge instead of the employee.​

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Most restaurants here in New Orleans have discontinued the policy.​

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And once again the IRS mucks up a perfectly workable system. Thanks guys, really.

...and is anybody surprised that, just like literally every single other recent instance of the "hateful kiss-off tip receipt," this one turned out to be a scam? By a person described by acquaintances and friends as a pathalogical liar- including lying about her service record AND donating her proceeds to Wounded Warrior, no less? Come to think of it, I've never heard of a single one of these that turned out to be true. The whole "religous/political tract tipping" thing, however, happens far too frequently.

 

Well, whatever. Somebody wants attention, obviously.

When I go to a sit-down restaurant, my minimum tip is eight bucks. Even if the meal cost $5.50.

 

Just out of curiosity, how did you arrive at that specific number?

 

Maybe it's because I'm Canadian, but I find that ridiculous.

 

(1) In Mexico in 1968, the tipping instructions in tourist guides said, "never tip less than a peso." A peso at the time was eight U.S. cents. I took that number and arbitrarily multiplied it by 100.

(2) In Chinese numerology, eight is a very positive number. Notice that almost every Chinese restaurant phone number has 8's in it? (The one down the street has a number ending in '888'.) I frequently eat in Chinese restaurants. An eight-dollar tip is a culturally sensitive way to wish the server well.

Maybe in Canada, restaurant servers are paid adequately. Here in the U.S., they get $2.13/hour, and are assumed to make up the rest in tips. That might work in expensive restaurants, but not elsewhere.

If a waiter works 2000 hours per year, that comes to $4260. If he or she gets an equal amount in tips, that is only $8520. And customers in low-price restaurants tip very little, if at all.

Imagine being a single parent trying to get by on that. Gack.

Around here, rent on a minimal apartment would be around $800/month, or almost $10,000/year.

 

How likely is that? Who else do you know who tips the way I do?

Note that the $2.13 minimum has not been raised in more than 20 years. Restaurant servers are doing steadily worse every year. Or, to put it differently, they are more and more dependent on the kindness of strangers.

 

How about the large percentage (in low-price restaurants) who tip nothing?

Right -- the $5.50 is entirely irrelevant to how much work they did. So why calculate the tip based on that?

How about paying for rent and day care and feeding children? You make it sound like the server is at the restaurant to have fun.

Due to deliberate government policy, a restaurant server's ability to make enough to live on is left to me and other restaurant patrons. A typical full-time minimum wage worker works much, much harder than most people I know, and makes about $14,000/year. I personally make more than seven times as much. The difference between $8 and $1 (in your example) means a lot more to the server than it does to me.

 

I have stayed in many fine hotels. You really don't need to tip.

Americans tip way too much.

 

It still feels like it's more than just that.

Taxi drivers, hairdressers, food service, bartenders, bag carriers, room cleaners, baristas etc.

A short list. It just seems to me that you have to tip everyone who provides a service, regardless of the level of their wage.

 

for hotels, I typically tip the maid $1 per day of stay. I never even thought of this until a few years ago my asked if I left something for the maid. That confused me as I ran through my mental list of used cups, dirty towels etc. Some people ask what does it get me ? Maybe it's just a polite acknowledgement for services rendered.

I never ask for my luggage to be carried to the room as I rarely have cash on hand. I also self serve to taxis and don't approach the concierge. Again because I use my credit card for practically all purchases and what little cash I do carry tends to be for emergency situations where I can't make a food or transit purchase by card.

Yes, Americans (and Canadians) are expected to tip waaaaay too much. It was a relief to spend some time in the UK this summer and not be expected to tip (much). Although the almost 2X cost for EVERYTHING more than made up for that!
--- merged: Sep 18, 2014 12:23 PM ---

$2.13??? what the hell is that about? Are you saying that this is consistent across all the states? That min wage is controlled federally? Who would work for that? (a lot of people obviously - judging from the number of servers in the last Steak & Shake I went to) No wonder they depend on tips.

As BG said, minimum wage here in Ontario just increased to $11/hr but it is controlled provincially, not federally. Also, I think the food service industry has a lower scale because of the tipping involved. Oh here's a chart for Ontario from

Minimum Wage | Ministry of Labour :

Current Wage Rates as of June 1, 2014

General Minimum Wage $11.00 per hour
Student Minimum Wage $10.30 per hour
Liquor Servers Minimum Wage $9.55 per hour
Hunting and Fishing Guides Minimum Wage $55.00 Rate for working less than five consecutive hours in a day
$110.00 Rate for working five or more hours in a day whether or not the hours are consecutive
Homeworkers Wage $12.10 per hour