Celebrity tippers..........

[Mr Nobody]

Here's an unpopular opinion: I don't agree with tipping. I mean, I'm already paying over the odds for the food, why should I also subsidize the bulk of the waiter's wages?
Of course, if a waiter/waitress goes out of their way to be helpful, etc, then there's a tip - but I only tip at 5% even then (so on, say, a £75 meal, I'd leave a £3.50-£3.75 tip; ten of those a night, working even 4 nights...not bad with wages on top).
(Doesn't help that a lot of places here put a service surcharge onto their prices in the first place, then still expect generous tips.)

 

[Moderator]

In the US, wait staff is paid far below minimum wage and they are expected to make up the difference through tips. The argument employers make is that they couldn't afford to pay higher wages without having to raise the price for the meals.

 

[Mr Nobody]

In the US, wait staff is paid far below minimum wage and they are expected to make up the difference through tips. The argument employers make is that they couldn't afford to pay higher wages without having to raise the price for the meals.

Presumably while they live in their nice big houses and take several overseas holidays a year.
In that situation, fair enough (and I'll have to bear it in mind if I ever find myself dining out in the US). I'd probably get kicked out of a few places for calling BS on the owners' claims, though.
As far as I know, the only people who get paid way below the minimum wage here generally tend to be illegal immigrants. But then they don't pay taxes (for obvious reasons), so...
Paying 'legal' workers below NMW does go on...but it's not widespread and woe betide the bosses if HMRC finds out! (Because, even if they pay their workers below the rate, the rate per worker has to go through the books as NMW.)

 

[bobledrew]

I just did a quick check, and in New York State, someone working as wait staff gets a WHOPPING $5.65 per hour + "tip credit" which, as of 2016, can take their wage up to $9.00 per hour. that's $360 per week or just under $19K per year without tips. I wouldn't want to live on that.

 

[Moderator]

I just did a quick check, and in New York State, someone working as wait staff gets a WHOPPING $5.65 per hour + "tip credit" which, as of 2016, can take their wage up to $9.00 per hour. that's $360 per week or just under $19K per year without tips. I wouldn't want to live on that.

In Maine it can legally go as low as $3.75/hour. Granted cost of living probably isn't as high as in NY but it's still not a wage most people could live on especially as the tips to make up the difference aren't a guarantee.

 

[bobledrew]

$3.75 works out to less than $8K per year before your tips. What would you DO with all that money? I'd roll around in it nekkid, personally. And then decide whether I'd prefer starvation or hypothermia as my means of death.

 

[Sigmund]

Someone help me here, please. One of the servers at Cracker Barrel worked a week (40 hrs) but his tips had been so poor, his paycheck was virtually nothing. The IRS assumes a server will get 10-15% tip on a check and ...what ...deducts that much from your check?

Many servers are college students working their way through school but some are people who do serving for a living. They depend on their job to support their family.

What I don't understand is, why would some people would decide to flex their monetary muscles in regards to a server? Just because they can? (I can so not see them telling the electric company, the grocery store, the police officer, they were not satisfied and won't pay what they owe. ) I don't think that's right. When I go out to eat I automatically include at LEAST 15% tip of what I plan I'm going to spend.

 

[Sigmund]

$3.75 works out to less than $8K per year before your tips. What would you DO with all that money? I'd roll around in it nekkid, personally. And then decide whether I'd prefer starvation or hypothermia as my means of death.

You should eat. Rolling around nekkid on a handful of quarters and dimes should warm you up.

 

[Out of Order]

Someone help me here, please. One of the servers at Cracker Barrel worked a week (40 hrs) but his tips had been so poor, his paycheck was virtually nothing. The IRS assumes a server will get 10-15% tip on a check and ...what ...deducts that much from your check?

Many servers are college students working their way through school but some are people who do serving for a living. They depend on their job to support their family.

What I don't understand is, why would some people would decide to flex their monetary muscles in regards to a server? Just because they can? (I can so not see them telling the electric company, the grocery store, the police officer, they were not satisfied and won't pay what they owe. ) I don't think that's right. When I go out to eat I automatically include at LEAST 15% tip of what I plan I'm going to spend.

Wiser Waitress : Wise up on your pay check

 

[Alexandra M]

In Ontario (Canada) the normal tipping policy is 15% which is in addition to whatever the restaurant has added on as a service
charge. But 20% is expected as a tip one should leave. Should say though that many restaurants require that wait staff give
40 to 50% of the tip to the kitchen staff.

I have not been out to a restaurant, yet, in Kelowna so I don't know what tip amount is considered normal. In previous
years when I was visiting in B C many areas were much less than 15% and if a service charge is attached to the bill there seems
to be no additional tipping.

 

[Kurben]

I always find that out when i go to a country. How is the tiupping supposed to be, In Sweden there are tips of course but they arent that important to tghe salary. There is a decent minimal salary in the bottom. But if i am in, for example, the us i always take care to tup appriately. It is kind of difficult when you come from a country where you don't tip automatically since it is estimated in the price. (it is called serving costs

 

[Sigmund]

Wiser Waitress : Wise up on your pay check

Thank you! (Servers have it bad.)

My son, my other kids, students, start working and when they get their first paycheck they all say basically the same thing, "Who the he11 is FICA and why are they taking half my money?"