Tipping in restaurants
 

Have you noticed the food prices in restaurants have gone up dramatically. I'm not sure everybody knows this but last fall, 2024. Florida enacted a law mandating restaurants pay a base wage of $9.98 to their wait staff and a guarantee of $13/hour when combined with the tips.The law gave restaurants time to change their menu prices so they could pay the base wage.
So, why are we continuing to pay 20% tip when there is already a built in tip in the menu prices?
NOTE: the base wage is also going to go up to $10.98 this fall

In what way is a tip built into the menu prices? The minimum wage was increased but there is still a lower tipped minimum wage in anticipation of the servers receiving tips in addition.

When there is no longer a tipped minimum wage and all employees receive the same minimum wage then I will reconsider tipping.

Tipping
 

Great information. Clearly, that additional $3.02 will more than compensate for any tips any server could gain in an hour. No more tipping necessary at all!

I have zero doubt that, when the "No tax on Tips" is passed and active... that restaurants will decrease prices. So workers will have more $$$ in their pockets, restaurants will lower their wages, and costs - then pass that on to the consumer...

....sure

recently went to TooJays with a $15 off $40. Their prices are much higher than before. But the coupon made it nice. Other than the terrible service in BW location. One server for the entire restaurant. slow. Couldn't blame her (April) - she was running her butt off. Apparently the other server (who was there when we arrived) left - leaving April to cover 12 tables. We did leave a nice tip for her.

To clarify, the server receives at least $13 per hour, even if they receive no tips. The $13 is the minimum wage, and if the server receives no tips, the restaurant is required to make up the difference, but the server still receives $13 per hour. The reason for the $3.02 difference is that, if the server receives at least $3.02 per hour in tips, the restaurant does not need to make up the difference.

Tips aren't supposed to be part of a server's paycheck from their employer. They're supposed to be in ADDITION to it. As a "thank you" from the customer directly, for doing a good (or better) job. There are people with extreme views in either direction:

People who think it's good to give at least 20%, and up to 40% of their tab, usually because they want to show off how generous they are. Those are the people who think they can buy their way into heaven.

People who think that they shouldn't tip at all, because the boss is paying the employee, and the employee is owed nothing by the customer. Those are the people who don't think they have to earn their place in heaven.

And then the people in the middle like me: old-fashioned. Traditional. If service is adequate, no complaints but nothing spectacular, I tip 15%. If service is good, but not great, they get 18%. If service is outstanding, they get 20%, plus one penny, plus a compliment to the manager to let them know their employee was responsible for maintaining high standards for their restaurant. If service was BAD, they get no tip, and a complaint to the manager.

I tip curb-side folks if they have to come out in the rain. I toss the change into the tip jar when I buy something at a take-out joint that has one - sometimes. Those are people who are already earning minimum wage or better, they are not "tipped employees."

Tipping is for good service
 

My opinion is that tipping is for the good service of the wait staff - not "my" attempt to pay their wage. Wages and menu prices will adjust based upon market conditions and is not my concern - I can choose to pay the menu price or not. However, I am careful not to calculate my tip on the bill total which includes tax, only calculate on the total before tax. I tend to tip a smaller percentage at high dollar restaurants If you look at a $70 bill and tip 20% - that's $14. If you then consider that a server can probably take care of 4 tables in an hour - that's a total tip amount of $56 - not too bad.

Edited

When wait staff is overpaid, this sends a message to the manager that the manager doesn't have to pay them what they're worth because the manager will instead rely on customers to pay it.

Then you end up with underpaid wait staff and high turn-around, who get angry when they're not overtipped, because their manager refuses to pay them what they're worth.

I know this because I've worked in restaurants that operated like that. As a former server, I expect my boss to pay me a fair wage, whether I get tipped or not. If I do a BAD job, I expect to be fired. If I do my job, or better than my job requirement, then I expect my boss to pay me my worth, and allow those tips to be a bonus - and not my expected pay.

Every person who overtips their server is actually hurting them, and giving their boss an excuse to not pay them well.

Also - always pay your tip in CASH.

That is very true.

Because the restaurant now has to pay the server a minimum of $9.98 instead of the $2.13/hr they've increased the menu prices.
This being the case, I've reduced the amount that I'm now tipping. What irritates me is they still have the 18, 20, 25% tip suggestions at the bottom of the receipt.

Wow! This doesn’t mean that at all. I assume you “jest”? Some of us might have a wife/husband who worked their way through college working in
a restaurant. Maybe an Aunt who only received S.S.and she supplemented income by waiting on tables. I could go on but by now you can see where I’m going. “Money is like manure, it does little good unless it’s spread around.” Anonymous

I honestly don’t know how people can survive on $13 an hour.

And to have to deal with the “General Public” , no thank you! You couldn’t pay me enough!

Ya’ll ain’t right !

If the rent goes up and the owner has to increase prices then you'll tip more.
If the price of food goes up and the owner has to increase prices then you'll tip more.
If the cooks get a raise and the owner has to increase prices then you'll tip more.
If the owner wants to go on another cruise and he has to increase prices then you'll tip more.

But if the owner has to increase prices so that the lowest paid employee can have an increase equivalent to about one month's rent ($1/hour) then that's a bridge too far and you will penalize the employee. Got it.

Fortunately, not everyone will share that opinion. Regrettably, some will.

I worked as a first responder for many years. No one ever tipped us for saving their lives.