Tipflation

[MIGrandma]

CC fee, although I can understand it at some level, but I'm guessing they charge more than the CC charges them.

Back of the house fee is also ridiculous, honestly that should be part of the waitstaffs tips.
Some places are starting to do that, but not many.

It's crazy that you go to culinary school and get pretty much minimum wage, but you can walk in the door, be a waitress and make $30-$40 an hour carrying the plate from the person who actually made it to the table. There is a bit more to it, but still ridiculous.

Expecting the customer to pay that on top of the tip - I would not be going back and I'd deduct it from my tip.

There is “a bit more to it?” You’re hilarious, and I’m so thankful I no longer have to wait on customers like you.

 

[mjkacmom]

Nope. I’ve always worked in a field that requires education, training and years of expertise to excel. Work directly customer-facing, on complex issues much more impactful than the temperature of a steak, for people much more emotionally vested and demanding than restaurant guests and where relationships must be maintained for years, not hours.

Hard, thankless work, and yet I’m not curing cancer, caring for the ill or elderly, responding to crisis, fighting crime, educating children or defending my country. Neither what I do, or waiting on tables is heroic. When was the last time you saw someone that actually is, expecting a tip?

Every server, hairdresser, cab driver, valet, bartender, manicurist, masseuse, expects tips, because they are tipped positions. It’s not rocket science. Did you not work in high school and college? My daughter is a year away from her doctorate but she still bartends to pay rent even though she’ll be making 6 figures after graduation.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I haven't gone through all of the posts, but I used to work in a nice restaurant before leaving the food world for corporate America. Back then, 20% was the standard for excellent service and anything over that was uncommon but nice. It also wasn't expected in more casual/cheaper spots unless it was a celebrity dining in that evening. Fast forward to this weekend...we went to a casual place for dinner and the digitally programmed amounts for gratuity went up to 35%. At least this one was basing the amount on the pre-tax total. We've seen some programmed based on the after-tax amount.

 

[tony67]

There is “a bit more to it?” You’re hilarious, and I’m so thankful I no longer have to wait on customers like you.

Me too

 

[Kestryl]

We've pulled back so much on eating out because of increased prices and tipping. You know you can get $6 lobster tails from Kroger? Add some asparagus and potato and ta-dah, well under $20 for two. And I can have a whole bottle of wine for under $20 (though I'm not that fancy, so more likely around $10). Sounds like a good Valentine's special to me.

 

[TippyThomas]

We've pulled back so much on eating out because of increased prices and tipping. You know you can get $6 lobster tails from Kroger? Add some asparagus and potato and ta-dah, well under $20 for two. And I can have a whole bottle of wine for under $20 (though I'm not that fancy, so more likely around $10). Sounds like a good Valentine's special to me.

I'd love to try cooking a lobster tail at home but I don't trust my skills. I envy those of you who have much better cooking ability than I do.

 

[eticketplease]

Nope. I’ve always worked in a field that requires education, training and years of expertise to excel. Work directly customer-facing, on complex issues much more impactful than the temperature of a steak, for people much more emotionally vested and demanding than restaurant guests and where relationships must be maintained for years, not hours.

Hard, thankless work, and yet I’m not curing cancer, caring for the ill or elderly, responding to crisis, fighting crime, educating children or defending my country. Neither what I do, or waiting on tables is heroic. When was the last time you saw someone that actually is, expecting a tip?

I'm happy for you that you had that advantage.

There are people out there that do not have the advantage you did and rather than pile up student loan debt to get into a field that requires education, training and years of expertise to excel they work while going to school.

Of course one of the most popular jobs while obtaining an education is serving.

I think the tipping has gotten out of hand as much as the next person but I'm not going to take it out on the server.

 

[focusondisney]

I think the tipping has gotten out of hand as much as the next person but I'm not going to take it out on the server.

Tipping 15 or 18% on an ever increasing priced meal isn’t taking anything out on the server. If the cost of the meal went up from $20 to $25, the server is already getting more with that 18% tip. There’s no reason for anyone to be offended by 15 or 18% or expect 22 or 25%. If someone thinks they were worth that & want to give it, good for them. But if I choose to tip 15 or 18%, that’s fine too.

Some people like to say, if you can’t afford or don’t want to tip, don’t go out. By the same token, if you don’t like the pay or can’t afford to work for what people are willing to tip, don’t work that job.

 

[NYCgrrl]

By the same token, if you don’t like the pay or can’t afford to work for what people are willing to tip, don’t work that job.

Well that’s not gonna work since we are a nation of take out artists

 

[tvguy]

Every server, hairdresser, cab driver, valet, bartender, manicurist, masseuse, expects tips, because they are tipped positions. It’s not rocket science. Did you not work in high school and college? My daughter is a year away from her doctorate but she still bartends to pay rent even though she’ll be making 6 figures after graduation.

Well, we all bring our life experience here. Yes I worked a minimum wage job in High School, College and briefly after College. An untipped minimum wage job. I was the one washing, vacuuming and doing the safety check on your rental car outside on a 100 degree day. If your kid ralphed in the car, I cleaned it up. No tip. Next to an air conditioned restaurant where the servers were getting minimum wage plus tips.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Well, we all bring our life experience here. Yes I worked a minimum wage job in High School, College and briefly after College. An untipped minimum wage job. I was the one washing, vacuuming and doing the safety check on your rental car outside on a 100 degree day. If your kid ralphed in the car, I cleaned it up. No tip. Next to an air conditioned restaurant where the servers were getting minimum wage plus tips.

Well, if you'd worked at a car wash for minimum wage, you likely would have gotten tips as well. I think the "closer" you are to the customers, the more likely you get tipped in a service job. With a rental car....you drop it off and you're gone and so you don't see the employee who cleans the car after you depart.

 

[tvguy]

Well, if you'd worked at a car wash for minimum wage, you likely would have gotten tips as well. I think the "closer" you are to the customers, the more likely you get tipped in a service job. With a rental car....you drop it off and you're gone and so you don't see the employee who cleans the car after you depart.

Exactly. And I worked AT LEAST as hard as a server, if not harder in worse conditions.

 

[Crescent_Lake]

Exactly. And I worked AT LEAST as hard as a server, if not harder in worse conditions.

If everyone working at the restaurant next door had it so nice and easy, why didn't you go work over there instead of vacuuming vomit in the heat?

 

[dvcgirl67]

Exactly. And I worked AT LEAST as hard as a server, if not harder in worse conditions.

I get that, but we all kind of know which jobs are tipped, and which jobs aren't. I always knew, even as a kid, when I was going to earn tips and when I wasn't.

 

[MamaLema]

With prices crazy high and tipping out of control we no longer eat out. Even on vacation we buy/bring our own food.

Yep same here.

 

[ronandannette]

Every server, hairdresser, cab driver, valet, bartender, manicurist, masseuse, expects tips, because they are tipped positions. It’s not rocket science. Did you not work in high school and college? My daughter is a year away from her doctorate but she still bartends to pay rent even though she’ll be making 6 figures after graduation.

Yes I did, a little, but not to support myself, exactly. And the jobs I took paid a wage that I agreed to work for. They were all customer-facing and neither employee, employer or customer would have ever dreamed of considering tips/tipping.

I'm happy for you that you had that advantage.

There are people out there that do not have the advantage you did and rather than pile up student loan debt to get into a field that requires education, training and years of expertise to excel they work while going to school.

Of course one of the most popular jobs while obtaining an education is serving.

I think the tipping has gotten out of hand as much as the next person but I'm not going to take it out on the server.

Then what are you going to do? Just continue to pay more and more, no matter how ridiculous the expectation becomes? Or stop going out? I'm sincerely asking.

And as for my "advantages", well, my early jobs were entry-level and I worked my way up from fairly low wages to 6-figures. It took almost 40 years.

 

[tvguy]

If everyone working at the restaurant next door had it so nice and easy, why didn't you go work over there instead of vacuuming vomit in the heat?

I got a better paying, untipped job.

EDIT: Thinking about, I don't recall having any male friends who worked as servers, only female when I was in High School in the early 1970's. Guys all got the untipped jobs. I do remember a couple of the girls in High School complaining that they didn't get a lot hours as servers where as most of my male classmates got as many hours as we could legally work as High Schoolers. The pay with tips, probably was similar though in total.

 

[eticketplease]

Tipping 15 or 18% on an ever increasing priced meal isn’t taking anything out on the server. If the cost of the meal went up from $20 to $25, the server is already getting more with that 18% tip. There’s no reason for anyone to be offended by 15 or 18% or expect 22 or 25%. If someone thinks they were worth that & want to give it, good for them. But if I choose to tip 15 or 18%, that’s fine too.

Some people like to say, if you can’t afford or don’t want to tip, don’t go out. By the same token, if you don’t like the pay or can’t afford to work for what people are willing to tip, don’t work that job.

I’m not telling anyone to tip one way or another. I was replying to someone that never had to work as a server to further their education that many people are required to do so they are not in debt from Student Loans.

I certainly did not state anything about going out to eat nor did I reference not affording to work the job.

Servers provide a flexible way for those going to school to earn money to pay for their education.

I’m not going to take inflation out on the server and will continue to tip the same percentage range based on the quality of service I receive.

 

[barkley]

I think the "closer" you are to the customers, the more likely you get tipped in a service job.

i think it greatly depends on the industry. take hospitality for instance-generaly speaking, a hotel guest is more likely to have more person to person/phone interactions with front desk staff yet back in the 80's when i worked in the industry as well as in the 2020's when a famly member did-these service workers receive far fewer tips than

-the bellmen (who see guests generaly one time only/twice if they happen to work the departure shift),

-housekeepers (whose generaly never have face to face interactions with guests),

-the concierges (depends on how much guest opts to engage).


the same issues exist today in the industry that exsisted when i worked in it back then-new hire front desk staff would do the job just long enough to realize that the bell staff were getting at or near the identical wage but pulling in WAY MORE on tips. front desk staff had to do bell duties when bell staff were unavailable (yet their jacket and tie dressier uniform seemed to infer they did'nt need to be tipped) so.... high turnover b/c they very frequently opted to transfer to bell duty (or valet-which made insanely good tips) at the first opportunity. LOTS of transfers from front desk TO true tipped positions, almost never saw anyone from one of those tipped positions transfer in (many in fact cited their lack of desire to have greater face to face guest contact).

 

[eticketplease]

Yes I did, a little, but not to support myself, exactly. And the jobs I took paid a wage that I agreed to work for. They were all customer-facing and neither employee, employer or customer would have ever dreamed of considering tips/tipping.

Then what are you going to do? Just continue to pay more and more, no matter how ridiculous the expectation becomes? Or stop going out? I'm sincerely asking.

And as for my "advantages", well, my early jobs were entry-level and I worked my way up from fairly low wages to 6-figures. It took almost 40 years.

We certainly don’t go out as often as we did before but when we do we continue to tip the same way we did before.

The you phrased your previous post it certainly sounded like you never needed to work while you were perusing your education. If it was truly an entry level position that would be on equal footing of a server. The exception would be your pay was predetermined my a corporation whereas servers pay rate is variable as it relies so heavily on tips.