[Garywt]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

My excitement that FMK is opening up an operation in SS goes well beyond getting another quality restaurant in the area. Reading between the lines, we all know the developer won’t disclose to the general public any detailed future plans for the area. On the other hand, it’s highly likely an experienced and successful businesses operator such as FMK wouldn’t sign a lease and commit significant capital to a new business venture without answers to some critical questions about the areas future. I highly doubt FMK would make such a commitment without assurances that things like nightly entertainment and special events like the “Cruise In” are in the long term future plans of SS. Although nobody knows the future, this is no doubt a positive sign!

I agree 100%. Kind of puts to rest some of the many rumors about the square. Hopefully everything will be as it has been plus a few apartments I guess.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

My excitement that FMK is opening up an operation in SS goes well beyond getting another quality restaurant in the area. Reading between the lines, we all know the developer won’t disclose to the general public any detailed future plans for the area. On the other hand, it’s highly likely an experienced and successful businesses operator such as FMK wouldn’t sign a lease and commit significant capital to a new business venture without answers to some critical questions about the areas future. I highly doubt FMK would make such a commitment without assurances that things like nightly entertainment and special events like the “Cruise In” are in the long term future plans of SS. Although nobody knows the future, this is no doubt a positive sign!

I am sure that the owners of FMK have better access to the developer and Villages management than we ever will.

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by walterray1

They should do well there. Assume they will need a new name for the new restaurant. Will be interesting.

Coastal Del Mar a seafood grill.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Skip

That minimum wage does not apply to servers working for tips. There's is $6.98/hour. Many workers would forgo that wage for an opportunity to work at higher tab restaurants like Bonefish, The Chop House, Rose Plantation and others. The larger their station, the more they make. Figure 3 tables in your station, 4 patrons each, $50pp meals, 18% tip, turned 3 times in your shift... You go home with $324 per night in tips (plus that measily $34.90 wage for 5 hours of work).
That's $93K per year!
Restaurant's wages are only $9K of that.

Skip

You forgot that those meals are usually "specials" or happy hour specials, or thursday specials, or b1g1 with coupon specials, and of those 4 people, only 2 of them pay full price. And the people tip on what they were charged, rather than what the regular price is. So if they paid only $10 for their $50 meal they only tip based on the $10 they paid.

Some folks overtip. But they don't make up for those who undertip. You're lucky if you get one table in an entire shift that tips MORE than 20% on the actual charged tab.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Some folks overtip. But they don't make up for those who undertip. You're lucky if you get one table in an entire shift that tips MORE than 20% on the actual charged tab.

On the contrary, we are personal friends with a number of servers and assistant managers here. The wait staff are happy to work in a senior environment. Younger sports bar crowds often stiff the wait staff but not so much retirees.
$20 bills right in their hand (un-reported) is not uncommon for good friendly attentive service on seniors. They appreciate us and like working here even if we are a little ornery at times.

Skip

[Skip]

Originally Posted by JSR22

Coastal Del Mar a seafood grill.

Can't wait. We will be regulars.

Skip

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

You forgot that those meals are usually "specials" or happy hour specials, or thursday specials, or b1g1 with coupon specials, and of those 4 people, only 2 of them pay full price. And the people tip on what they were charged, rather than what the regular price is. So if they paid only $10 for their $50 meal they only tip based on the $10 they paid.

Some folks overtip. But they don't make up for those who undertip. You're lucky if you get one table in an entire shift that tips MORE than 20% on the actual charged tab.

Thinking you are over generalizing

[xNYer]

The tipped minimum wage in Florida is $6.98. Tipped employees have a different minimum wage structure.

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

So true.

If that $15 or so minimum wage is pricing restaurants out of the range of (relatively) affluent Villagers, just think of what it is doing to the people whose ONLY “dining out” option is the burger-and-fries joint? Answer is obvious.

Same dynamic at Wal-Mart and other cut-rate establishments. Most of us visit Wal-Mart from time to time by choice. But for some people it is the ONLY choice, and those establishments are going more and more toward automated services. Most Wal-marts now have far more automated checkout stations than they have live checkout clerks.

What good is a $15 minimum wage if you’re not working at all? Again, answer is obvious.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by xNYer

The tipped minimum wage in Florida is $6.98. Tipped employees have a different minimum wage structure.

Some restaurant owners will stiff their wait staff horribly. There's one in particular near me. Wait staff and bartenders are paid the "tipped" minimum wage of $6.98/hour.

The credit card tips are all pooled, and /most/ customers pay by credit card and include their tip with their card payment.

The pool is then distributed evenly to all employees, including kitchen staff and the hostess who all get paid $10 minimum wage (since they are not considered tipped employees and therefore their minimum wage must be the standard minimum in the state).

Most waiters in this restaurant will end up earning LESS than the $10 standard state minimum wage after the pool has been evenly distributed. The restaurant has to make up the difference between the average hourly pay and the minimum hourly wage of each employee, which means that no matter how amazing your waiter is, he's only going to earn $10/hour if you and everyone else pays by credit card and includes the tips in the card payment.

Most customers don't know this, and don't think about it, don't wonder about it, and don't think to bring the "right amount" of cash to top their waiter if they're planning on paying by credit card.

And then - they don't see any of that tip money til it shows up in their paycheck, with 25% taxes taken out.

This particular restaurant has an insanely high turnover and can't ever get enough people to work for them during any shift, on any day.

They need a different structure, in my opinion. They should pay ALL employees $10/hour, before tips. And then ask the wait staff and bartenders to kick in 10% of their nightly tips to the kitchen staff. Tips should be paid out either the same day, or the next day if it's for a closing shift employee.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Some restaurant owners will stiff their wait staff horribly. There's one in particular near me. Wait staff and bartenders are paid the "tipped" minimum wage of $6.98/hour.

The credit card tips are all pooled, and /most/ customers pay by credit card and include their tip with their card payment.

The pool is then distributed evenly to all employees, including kitchen staff and the hostess who all get paid $10 minimum wage (since they are not considered tipped employees and therefore their minimum wage must be the standard minimum in the state).

Most waiters in this restaurant will end up earning LESS than the $10 standard state minimum wage after the pool has been evenly distributed. The restaurant has to make up the difference between the average hourly pay and the minimum hourly wage of each employee, which means that no matter how amazing your waiter is, he's only going to earn $10/hour if you and everyone else pays by credit card and includes the tips in the card payment.

Most customers don't know this, and don't think about it, don't wonder about it, and don't think to bring the "right amount" of cash to top their waiter if they're planning on paying by credit card.

And then - they don't see any of that tip money til it shows up in their paycheck, with 25% taxes taken out.

This particular restaurant has an insanely high turnover and can't ever get enough people to work for them during any shift, on any day.

They need a different structure, in my opinion. They should pay ALL employees $10/hour, before tips. And then ask the wait staff and bartenders to kick in 10% of their nightly tips to the kitchen staff. Tips should be paid out either the same day, or the next day if it's for a closing shift employee.

Requiring tipped employees to share tip income with non-tipped employees, like the kitchen staff or the hostess, is illegal. If I were a tipped employee, I would not allow the restaurant to give any tip income to non-tipped employees. It is basically stealing.

From lawsuitlegal.com:

"WHEN IS TIP POOLING ILLEGAL IN FLORIDA?
While tip pooling is legal in some instances, some practices are illegal in nearly every state, including Florida. It is illegal when tipped employees are forced to share their tips with non-tipped employees (managers, cooks, bouncers, etc). A valid tip pool allows for contributions to be shared only among other employees who regularly receive tips. Investigating the pooling practice with an employment lawyer is the easiest way to determine if the pooling practices at your place of employment are in violation of the law."

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Requiring tipped employees to share tip income with non-tipped employees, like the kitchen staff or the hostess, is illegal. If I were a tipped employee, I would not allow the restaurant to give any tip income to non-tipped employees. It is basically stealing.

From lawsuitlegal.com:

"WHEN IS TIP POOLING ILLEGAL IN FLORIDA?
While tip pooling is legal in some instances, some practices are illegal in nearly every state, including Florida. It is illegal when tipped employees are forced to share their tips with non-tipped employees (managers, cooks, bouncers, etc). A valid tip pool allows for contributions to be shared only among other employees who regularly receive tips. Investigating the pooling practice with an employment lawyer is the easiest way to determine if the pooling practices at your place of employment are in violation of the law."

Wonder what really happens when you pay cash to server?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Some restaurant owners will stiff their wait staff horribly. There's one in particular near me. Wait staff and bartenders are paid the "tipped" minimum wage of $6.98/hour.

The credit card tips are all pooled, and /most/ customers pay by credit card and include their tip with their card payment.

The pool is then distributed evenly to all employees, including kitchen staff and the hostess who all get paid $10 minimum wage (since they are not considered tipped employees and therefore their minimum wage must be the standard minimum in the state).

Most waiters in this restaurant will end up earning LESS than the $10 standard state minimum wage after the pool has been evenly distributed. The restaurant has to make up the difference between the average hourly pay and the minimum hourly wage of each employee, which means that no matter how amazing your waiter is, he's only going to earn $10/hour if you and everyone else pays by credit card and includes the tips in the card payment.

Most customers don't know this, and don't think about it, don't wonder about it, and don't think to bring the "right amount" of cash to top their waiter if they're planning on paying by credit card.

And then - they don't see any of that tip money til it shows up in their paycheck, with 25% taxes taken out.

This particular restaurant has an insanely high turnover and can't ever get enough people to work for them during any shift, on any day.

They need a different structure, in my opinion. They should pay ALL employees $10/hour, before tips. And then ask the wait staff and bartenders to kick in 10% of their nightly tips to the kitchen staff. Tips should be paid out either the same day, or the next day if it's for a closing shift employee.

If you're getting paid "$10"/hr", there is no way you're paying 25% in taxes...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Requiring tipped employees to share tip income with non-tipped employees, like the kitchen staff or the hostess, is illegal. If I were a tipped employee, I would not allow the restaurant to give any tip income to non-tipped employees. It is basically stealing.

From lawsuitlegal.com:

"WHEN IS TIP POOLING ILLEGAL IN FLORIDA?
While tip pooling is legal in some instances, some practices are illegal in nearly every state, including Florida. It is illegal when tipped employees are forced to share their tips with non-tipped employees (managers, cooks, bouncers, etc). A valid tip pool allows for contributions to be shared only among other employees who regularly receive tips. Investigating the pooling practice with an employment lawyer is the easiest way to determine if the pooling practices at your place of employment are in violation of the law."

Like paper beats rock, facts beat "opinions"...

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Requiring tipped employees to share tip income with non-tipped employees, like the kitchen staff or the hostess, is illegal. If I were a tipped employee, I would not allow the restaurant to give any tip income to non-tipped employees. It is basically stealing.

From lawsuitlegal.com:

"WHEN IS TIP POOLING ILLEGAL IN FLORIDA?
While tip pooling is legal in some instances, some practices are illegal in nearly every state, including Florida. It is illegal when tipped employees are forced to share their tips with non-tipped employees (managers, cooks, bouncers, etc). A valid tip pool allows for contributions to be shared only among other employees who regularly receive tips. Investigating the pooling practice with an employment lawyer is the easiest way to determine if the pooling practices at your place of employment are in violation of the law."

Just because something is illegal doesn't mean people won't do it. Do you know of anyone who will hire a lawyer and take a restaurant owner to court for illegal tipping practices? I don't. They have a rapid turnover, and there are lots of other places hiring. It's much easier to take the job, find out it's lousy, quit, and go somewhere else where your time and work is better appreciated.

Also most of these employees don't KNOW that it's illegal. They don't know it's even something they need to look up. They take it at face value because it's their first job, or their first job since they retired in another state 20 years ago, or they just plain don't know any better.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

You forgot that those meals are usually "specials" or happy hour specials, or thursday specials, or b1g1 with coupon specials, and of those 4 people, only 2 of them pay full price. And the people tip on what they were charged, rather than what the regular price is. So if they paid only $10 for their $50 meal they only tip based on the $10 they paid.

Some folks overtip. But they don't make up for those who undertip. You're lucky if you get one table in an entire shift that tips MORE than 20% on the actual charged tab.

While I do generally tip 20%, I abhor what the practice has become. What was once a nice little "thanks" for doing your job, is now an expected duty to supplement wages to the tune of 20% of your order. The cost of your order bears little on the amount of effort to write down your order, pick it up and bring it to your table. One has the $10 spaghetti. Tip $2. Another has spaghetti w/lobster at 35. Tip $7. 350% more for the same job??? I'm not complaining because I can't afford $5.50, I just think the tip system is broken.
A gratuity was a hoped for but not expected monetary "thank you". (remember "keep the change"?) Now, if the wait person doesn't get 20% of the bill they will just as likely tell their associates what a cheap a$$ b@$tard you are you 18% tipstick.