Tipped min wage in the US is $2.35/hr, and less in other parts of the world that still tip. The menu price covers about 35 cents worth of service outside of really high end restaurants (and these will invite you not to return if you stiff on the tip). That doesn’t even cover the 4 mandatory visits from staff: seating, orders for 3 max, service, and billing. 15% is the rate for regulars, ie you are in 3+ times per month.
If you can’t afford to pay for service don’t go out to eat, get take out.
I do too well, thanks, but that’s irrelevant. I don’t get what your point is. None of that is anything new. When I worked at a restaurant in the 90s servers made $2.17 an hour plus tips, and it was okay to do 15%. 10% was for below average service, but 20 was if you loved them. 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, always 15%. 25% was considered a really generous tip for great service. Now people expect to 25% though nothing has changed about the business or what waitstaff do.
Cost of living has risen far more than minimum wage, which doesn’t keep up with inflation, and business owners are shifting the burden to their customers in the form of tips rather than set menu prices that reflect real costs and pay servers the real wage value of their services. That trend started in the 80s but especially since the recession has become far more pronounced.
Yes but a restaurant bill has risen more or less EXACTLY at the cost of inflation so if 15%of the bill was okay in the previous decades, it should be okay now.
In fact this system makes hospitality workers among the few that have (the tip part) of their income adjusted to inflation. Everyone else salaried except for CEOs probably only got a 1-4% increase the past few years, not enough to keep up with the increase in cost of blrent, groceries and, well restaurant bills.
But menu prices have been increasing, at least matching inflation (from my experience, eating out seems to have even outpaced inflation in other areas).
A place that 5 years ago was $20 for a couple of people to eat was $40 when I went recently, ignoring tip. So a 15% tip went from $3.00 to $6.00, but the register suggested that we should be tipping 20%, $8.00. Also, they no longer let you order at the table, you order at the counter. They no longer bring the food out, they call out your number to come get your stuff. They no longer came out to provide refills, you had to go and ask for them yourself. About the only thing they did ‘above and beyond’ was bus the table after you left. I wouldn’t have even minded all the ‘self-service’, but it was maddening when combined with a suggested tip that was way higher than when it wasn’t self-service.
Not to mention similar tip suggestions for take out, where you take the mess home with you.
I don’t. I work for an engineering firm and can afford to pay for service so that when I walk into a restaurant I get seated and asked if I want my usual. That costs money and courtesy.
I also know that when someone else stands at the sign waiting to be seated for 2 hrs that happens for a reason. Typically the one I outlined above.
Hopefully your employer will introduce a new salary framework where you get paid what customers think you should be paid for your engineering services, or not. you seem to have good people skills so that shouldn’t be an issue.
People also aren’t entitled to tips. Regardless, I’d happily forego the “service” of bringing over a tray of food for a 15-25% discount, especially when “good service” is considered interrupting your meal to ask how it’s going or refilling your water (again, something I can do myself and it’s not like I’m drinking gallons of water).
I typically tip around 20% when I have to go for an occasion, but otherwise I don’t go to restaurants.
Tipped min wage in the US is $2.35/hr, and less in other parts of the world that still tip. The menu price covers about 35 cents worth of service outside of really high end restaurants (and these will invite you not to return if you stiff on the tip). That doesn’t even cover the 4 mandatory visits from staff: seating, orders for 3 max, service, and billing. 15% is the rate for regulars, ie you are in 3+ times per month.
If you can’t afford to pay for service don’t go out to eat, get take out.
I do too well, thanks, but that’s irrelevant. I don’t get what your point is. None of that is anything new. When I worked at a restaurant in the 90s servers made $2.17 an hour plus tips, and it was okay to do 15%. 10% was for below average service, but 20 was if you loved them. 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, always 15%. 25% was considered a really generous tip for great service. Now people expect to 25% though nothing has changed about the business or what waitstaff do.
Cost of living has risen far more than minimum wage, which doesn’t keep up with inflation, and business owners are shifting the burden to their customers in the form of tips rather than set menu prices that reflect real costs and pay servers the real wage value of their services. That trend started in the 80s but especially since the recession has become far more pronounced.
Yes but a restaurant bill has risen more or less EXACTLY at the cost of inflation so if 15%of the bill was okay in the previous decades, it should be okay now.
In fact this system makes hospitality workers among the few that have (the tip part) of their income adjusted to inflation. Everyone else salaried except for CEOs probably only got a 1-4% increase the past few years, not enough to keep up with the increase in cost of blrent, groceries and, well restaurant bills.
But menu prices have been increasing, at least matching inflation (from my experience, eating out seems to have even outpaced inflation in other areas).
A place that 5 years ago was $20 for a couple of people to eat was $40 when I went recently, ignoring tip. So a 15% tip went from $3.00 to $6.00, but the register suggested that we should be tipping 20%, $8.00. Also, they no longer let you order at the table, you order at the counter. They no longer bring the food out, they call out your number to come get your stuff. They no longer came out to provide refills, you had to go and ask for them yourself. About the only thing they did ‘above and beyond’ was bus the table after you left. I wouldn’t have even minded all the ‘self-service’, but it was maddening when combined with a suggested tip that was way higher than when it wasn’t self-service.
Not to mention similar tip suggestions for take out, where you take the mess home with you.
If you can’t afford to live on 2.35 an hour, don’t work for 2.35 an hour. Asshole.
I don’t. I work for an engineering firm and can afford to pay for service so that when I walk into a restaurant I get seated and asked if I want my usual. That costs money and courtesy.
I also know that when someone else stands at the sign waiting to be seated for 2 hrs that happens for a reason. Typically the one I outlined above.
Hopefully your employer will introduce a new salary framework where you get paid what customers think you should be paid for your engineering services, or not. you seem to have good people skills so that shouldn’t be an issue.
So bribes then. You are happy bribing people.
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People also aren’t entitled to tips. Regardless, I’d happily forego the “service” of bringing over a tray of food for a 15-25% discount, especially when “good service” is considered interrupting your meal to ask how it’s going or refilling your water (again, something I can do myself and it’s not like I’m drinking gallons of water).
I typically tip around 20% when I have to go for an occasion, but otherwise I don’t go to restaurants.