[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Fastskiguy

This is what I was going for in my post too. If I order a burger and drink water then the waiter gets screwed. If I order a cocktail, appetizer, fancy main, and a bottle of $$ wine then I get screwed. Yeah yeah it's more work but considering the fancy meal is 4X the tip it's not even close to 4X the work.

And sometimes I honestly just want water and a burger!

Joe

I get you. One customer has $10.00 burger and water. Server brings one glass and one plate. Second customer orders filet mignon, with Yukon gold potatoes and roaster asparagus bottle of Chateau du Pape. $ 84. 99. Server brings one bottle, one glass and one plate. Bottle delivery added 50% to servers delivery. 20% tip? For the burger and water, $2. For the steak and wine, $17. An increase of $15. Labor mark up for one bottle. (850% increase)

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I wonder what would happen if tipping simply became illegal, and everyone would have to be paid the minimum wage at the least.

Making things illegal doesn't stop it. Tipping is a habit that needs to be broken, an expectation that needs to be changed, a scam that needs to be exposed, and a business model that need to be replaced.

I see nothing wrong in a simple showing of appreciation. But when a pleasant little gift/surprise turns into an expectation that forms a significant part of a business strategy that demands customers pay a significant part of employee wages, that, in my book is a scam. Devoid of conscience, ethics, honesty.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by Gpsma

I always tip very generously.

I generally tip 20% up to a max of $5.

Those two statements are mutually exclusive.

I refuse to pay some uneducated dolt with limited ambition to do nothing more than bring plates to my table. Its time to build some tuxedo clad robots and get rid of waitstaff.

Nice way to speak about others. Your mother would be proud.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Gpsma

I always tip very generously. I feel i need to be among the wanna-be Frank Sinatras of the Villages.

I generally tip 20% up to a max of $5.

I refuse to pay some uneducated dolt with limited ambition to do nothing more than bring plates to my table. Its time to build some tuxedo clad robots and get rid of waitstaff.

ROBOTS! Cool! 👾🤖

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

…

a business strategy that demands customers pay a significant part of employee wages, that, in my book is a scam. Devoid of conscience, ethics, honesty.

Just who do you think pays all (certainly a significant part) of employee wages for any business?

[Pugchief]

Last night we went to one of our favorite restaurants UpNorth. It's part of a large restaurant group like FMK, but larger.

Back during Covid, they reduced the number of tables by 50% and installed plexiglass in the booths, and obviously business suffered. They added a 4% "surcharge" to the bill to help them cope with the lost profit. It inconspicuously stated on the bottom of the check that you could have the surcharge removed upon request, but most patrons either
1. didn't notice the surcharge was even there, or
2. didn't know there was an option to remove it, or
3. gladly paid it to help support the restaurant during tough times.

#3 was certainly the most common, and the category we fell into. It only amounted to a few bucks on a typical $125 bill, so I was happy to help them cope, even though no one felt the need to help my business during the 3 months we had to shut down, nor the subsequent 4 months where volume was well below normal, but I digress.

Well 5 years later, that stupid surcharge is still on the bill "to help with rising costs". Sorry, not paying it, and I haven't since 2021. If you need to add 4% to every entree, I'm still gonna order what I want, but don't nickel and dime me with BS. I have mentioned how insulting I find it to the manager, but all you get is that it's corporate policy and just ask to remove it if you don't want to pay it.

[jimhoward]

Originally Posted by Gpsma

I always tip very generously. I feel i need to be among the wanna-be Frank Sinatras of the Villages.

I generally tip 20% up to a max of $5.

I refuse to pay some uneducated dolt with limited ambition to do nothing more than bring plates to my table. Its time to build some tuxedo clad robots and get rid of waitstaff.

I went to a restaurant in Taipei last year and they had robot servers to deliver food. It was pretty cool. The kitchen put your food on the robots and they delivered it to your table. But they still had human servers taking orders answering questions and clearing dishes and they still got tipped (at the Taiwanese customary rate).

[Pugchief]

There also seems to be some expectation that if a diner is "needy", the tip should be larger.

Don't be needy. Don't be a jerk.

But keep in mind that
your MD doesn't get paid more for needy patients....
your lawyer doesn't get paid more for needy clients...
your retail sales person doesn't get paid more for needy customers...
etc

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Just who do you think pays all (certainly a significant part) of employee wages for any business?

Company offers a product/service for $. I give them $, they give me product/service. Company makes profit. Profit is divided to cover cost of business, such as materials, rent, employee wages or salaries. Successful busines survive, unsuccessful business closes.
Only restaurant not pay some employee proper. Expect pass rresponsibility for covering employee full pay to be "tip/gift" from customer. Embarrassing customer by defamation. "Tightwad, cheapskate, unsympathetic to poor, underpaid employee, no good meannie ahole". Shame shame business owner cheat employee and make customer look bad. Shameless business owner cheat employee and guilt trip, defame customer.
Yes, I do go out on occasion and I tip. Nut I still think it's wrong. Roboserice? I hope my accent doesn't screw up my odaa.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Whatnext

We had a whole lot more responsibility and stress as well. Delivering plates and drinks, is not the same as delivering babies, wreck casualties, fire victims etc.

You were also not making minimum wage with no benefits, paid only for the hours you actually work, no breaks, no life insurance, and no opportunity for full-time work or promotion unless someone quit or died.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

To clarify, Federal law states that any tip received by a "tipped" employee, as defined by the IRS, is the property of the tipped employee. If any of that money is required to be shared with any non-tipped employee or management it is theft and a violation of Federal law. It is legal for a restaurant to require tipped employees to pool their tips to be shared with other tipped employees, but no one else can receive the pooled money.

The bolded part of what you state is incorrect. Here's the actual paragraph pertaining to that point:

Employers that do not take a section 3(m)(2)(A) tip credit. An employer that pays its tipped employees the full minimum wage and does not take a tip credit may impose a tip pooling arrangement that includes dishwashers, cooks, or other employees in the establishment who are not employed in an occupation in which employees customarily and regularly receive tips. An employer may not receive tips from such a tip pool and may not allow supervisors and managers to receive tips from the tip pool.

So yes, employers may absolutely require tip pooling with the bussers, cooks, hostess, and other employees who normally wouldn't get tipped, as long as the wait staff is paid the federal minimum wage (which is $7.25/hour), before any tipped income is applied. The employer and shift supervisor and shop manager can't receive any of that pool, but all the other non-management employees can, as long as the minimum wage requirement is met pre-tip.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

The bolded part of what you state is incorrect. Here's the actual paragraph pertaining to that point:



So yes, employers may absolutely require tip pooling with the bussers, cooks, hostess, and other employees who normally wouldn't get tipped, as long as the wait staff is paid the federal minimum wage (which is $7.25/hour), before any tipped income is applied. The employer and shift supervisor and shop manager can't receive any of that pool, but all the other non-management employees can, as long as the minimum wage requirement is met pre-tip.

I understand the rule, but the IRS has a special tax rule for tipped employees. They are only required to pay income tax on 8 percent of the gross income of the business as pro-rated by the employer on the W-2. I am not sure how the IRS views this situation, but I think the tipped employees may no longer be eligible for the 8 percent rule. Also, how would the employer report the pooled tip income received by the non-tipped employees, who are not eligible for the 8 percent rule? It sounds like the tipped employees may lose their special status as tipped employees. Very confusing. As a restaurant server, I don't think I would work for an employer who shared my tip income with non-tipped employees.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I understand the rule, but the IRS has a special tax rule for tipped employees. They are only required to pay income tax on 8 percent of the gross income of the business as pro-rated by the employer on the W-2. I am not sure how the IRS views this situation, but I think the tipped employees may no longer be eligible for the 8 percent rule. Also, how would the employer report the pooled tip income received by the non-tipped employees, who are not eligible for the 8 percent rule? It sounds like the tipped employees may lose their special status as tipped employees. Very confusing. As a restaurant server, I don't think I would work for an employer who shared my tip income with non-tipped employees.

Tip sharing, from a tax stand point is a nightmare. From a business stand point is a basket of worms. From a personal stand point can create hard feelings and animosity among co-workers. From a customer stand point, it bothers me that my gift to the one person that most impacted my dining experience may be robbed of some, if not all of the gift meant for that individual. Tipping, as practiced, is an onerous and odious way of getting service workers properly compensated for their work.

[thelegges]

Simple solution, Uber Eats. Give the waitstaff a break from those who consider them lower class.

Since Uber Eats prices are listed at a higher price, customer happy that no tip is required (even though the price is 15-25% higher than eating in).
Zero tip to Uber not a big deal, (they know where you live).

I bet most will eat right out of the container instead of plating. Win for all

[Rainger99]

Question.

Two waitresses and the service is identical.

Do you tip based solely on service? Or if one is really cute and the other is not very attractive, does that impact the tip?