Gratuity

[luv]

Yet I can still get better service at an IHOP at times than I can from a high end restaurant. Having someone operate a pepper grinder really doesn't justify 4x the tip.

Maybe we should be tipping the COOKs and not the servers.

Everything costs more in more expensive restauarants. If your problem is the money, eat in cheaper places or at home.

If your problem is that our society tips and you don't wish to do that, just don't.

Again, it really is that simple. No reason to rail against the rest of society or decry the whole business. Just stop doing it.

Nobody holds a gun to your head. It is just one of the rules of society, it isn't a law. You are free to stop at any time.

 

[englanddg]

While just about any independent restaruant can source fresh strawberries, Applebees is not a independent restaruant. They have to have fresh strawberries (a highly perishable product) availble in their distribution warehouses, in a consistent product, at a consistent price point, that they can truck to all of their locations, not run out of them, and have a 17 year old high school kid working the salad station who is more concerened ahout how he can get the bartend to slide him a few shots on the QT, prep them correctly. It is the same stuff day and out.

I loved the rest of your post, but I wanted to clarify this. Produce orders are locally sourced by each restaurant, not run out of the central distribution centers. Every store has a relationship with the same local produce vendor that probably services the restaurant down the street. Every city only has a few of them to choose from in the first place...

 

[englanddg]

Perhaps that because people in Florida are notoriously bad tippers even the government has recognized this fact.

4.65 per hour is above the federal requirements for tipped employees (federal law it's $2.13 per hour). Many states (like WA and CA) don't have a "tipped wage".

It's important to note that "tipped wage" does NOT override minimum wage ($7.25 fed, $7.67 in FL). If the difference between the "tipped wage" and "minimum wage" is not met with reported tip income, the restaurant is required to make up the difference to the employee.

Tip reporting is a huge issue in restaurants, especially when it comes to cash tips. Many servers don't report their income, or don't report it truthfully. If it's a cash tip, they generally just stuff it in their pockets and let it be. The restaurants want servers to report all tips, as reporting is required for tax and wage compliance. So, basically, every server that shoves that $20 bill in their pocket and doesn't report it is, technically and legally, committing tax fraud.

That being said, no one is going to go after them. Restaurants try all sorts of tactics to get around the fact that servers don't report tips. They use tip pools, or "assumed credits". Tip pooling is something that servers tend to hate, at least the good ones. Basically, everyone puts into a pot, and at the end of the day the pot is evenly distributed. Sometimes this is limited to the wait staff alone, sometimes it's the whole restaurant. It varies. I find the latter tactic ("assuming credits") rather shady on the restaurant's part, but they get away with it...again, because the whole area is so gray that there is no political will to clamp down on it.

When it comes to "tipping" the cooks, even at the sous/line level, they generally make 2 - 3 times what the wait staff does in terms of base wage, though that changed after minimum wage went up a few years ago...now it's probably closer to 1.5 - 2 times.

Anyhow, I hope this was helpful.

 

[Phonedave]

I loved the rest of your post, but I wanted to clarify this. Produce orders are locally sourced by each restaurant, not run out of the central distribution centers. Every store has a relationship with the same local produce vendor that probably services the restaurant down the street. Every city only has a few of them to choose from in the first place...

But the trick is, when that vendor comes up short on quality strawberries, the local Applebees does not have the option of taking that item off the menu. Expecialy when they are paying franchise fees to a national ad campaign that is advertising the very menu item.

You are right though, most produce is from a local vendor. but a portion is also something like a 10 lb bag of Sysco "salad". Not saying they use Sysco per se, but other food service vendors are out there.

-dave

 

[Phonedave]

Yet I can still get better service at an IHOP at times than I can from a high end restaurant. Having someone operate a pepper grinder really doesn't justify 4x the tip.

Maybe we should be tipping the COOKs and not the servers.

The THEORY is that higher price food requires more knowledge (not always work, but skill) on the part of a server. Depending on the restaurant it could involve wine recommendations, ingredients or perperations that are non-standard, better coordination of service. Does REALITY match the THEORY? Not all of the time, but that is the theory for percentage based tipping.

On the other hand. You and I both order a $30 entree.

Thats all you get - so you tip $6 - %20

I get my water glass refilled 3X, I also order a $8 glass of wine that I make the server recommend, I also order a $8 app, a $6 dessert, and ask for a refill on my $2 cup of coffee. - My bill comes out to $54, so my %20 tip is $10.80

I made my server work a lot more, and quite likely took an extra 45 minutes to an hour for dinner, and I tipped $4,80 more.

Sometimes percentage based tipping does not work in the servers favor either.


-dave

 

[luv]

Servers in more expensive restaurants also take on fewer tables, so they can devote more attention to the ones they have.

 

[flynnibus]

My last stint working hourly... I worked two jobs.. usually 2-12 or 12-12.. trying to hit my goal of clearing $200 each pay cycle. Meanwhile my roommate was a waitress.. she worked 6-midnight.. and made $100-120 dollars a night. That was almost 20 years ago. She worked hard for a bit.. I worked a lot everyday.

 

[Sofiesmom]

I always tip what I think the waitstaff deserves. If it is a buffet and they came to my table once and not again to refill drinks, clear plates, etc, they will get a smaller tip. Otherwise, i do tip 18-20%. While I dont like that Disney took out the gratuity from the dining plans, it is a fact of life. Especially for the CMs at disney. Most of them are so nice and bend over backwards that I dont feel bad tipping them 20% even if it was a buffet. Now if they suck, that's a different story.

 

[ScoutN]

The person is working for their living. They have my respect. Pay them a higher rate? Sure, expect it to be reflected on menu pricing.

 

[Phonedave]

My last stint working hourly... I worked two jobs.. usually 2-12 or 12-12.. trying to hit my goal of clearing $200 each pay cycle. Meanwhile my roommate was a waitress.. she worked 6-midnight.. and made $100-120 dollars a night. That was almost 20 years ago. She worked hard for a bit.. I worked a lot everyday.

At that point, why didn't you get a job as a server as well?

-dave

 

[ddbowdoin]

My last stint working hourly... I worked two jobs.. usually 2-12 or 12-12.. trying to hit my goal of clearing $200 each pay cycle. Meanwhile my roommate was a waitress.. she worked 6-midnight.. and made $100-120 dollars a night. That was almost 20 years ago. She worked hard for a bit.. I worked a lot everyday.

having certain FEATURES also helps my friend...

I know women who pull in 300 a night in some of the bars here in Boston...

 

[psukardi]

having certain FEATURES also helps my friend...

I know women who pull in 300 a night in some of the bars here in Boston...

I love how men fall for that. The bartender is NEVER leaving with you....so tipping extra isn't doing squat minus padding their pocket.

 

[stlbobby]

I love how men fall for that. The bartender is NEVER leaving with you....so tipping extra isn't doing squat minus padding their pocket.

I think you mean the bartender is never leaving with you.

But it is true getting the hot waitress or bartender to go home with you isn't about the tip.

 

[flynnibus]

At that point, why didn't you get a job as a server as well?

-dave

Because I wanted nothing to do with kitchens And while I worked more, it still fit my schedule of beach, work, party, sleep, repeat

 

[Phonedave]

Because I wanted nothing to do with kitchens And while I worked more, it still fit my schedule of beach, work, party, sleep, repeat

Ah see, there was a job (server) that paid more, but you did not want it because of what it involved (schedule and work environment). That is part of the reason that it pays what it does. Your whole argument is that servers should be happy with what they have, or get off their duffs and get another job. By the same token, you should not complain about the two jobs you worked, because you could have gone and worked as a server, you just chose not to.

I understand that it is not a hard job from the standpoint of a skill set. But it is a hard job from a standpoint of being on your feet and having to be "on" for the customer. All through high school and college I worked in a grocery store. I started out as a cashier and then ended up working in just about evey other department. Cashier was pretty easy (of course this was back in the day before scanners, so there was some manual dexterity involved) but you were interacting with customers on a continous basis. Produce on the other hand was a pain. You had to break down deliveries, stack crates, re-bag produce, shock leafy greens in ice cold water, all while working in a refrigerated back room. Everyone who worked produce ended up sick at one point or another. However, there was no shortage of people who wanted to work in that department - because you rarely interacted with customers.

Many people do not want jobs where they have to "behave" all the time, or in you case the hours and an aversion to kitchens If cashier paid more, I might have taken then role back, but everyone was on the same pay scale, so I was happy in grocery, HABA, dairy, produce, deli, frozen, and an occassional stint butchering.

-dave

 

[flynnibus]

Ah see, there was a job (server) that paid more, but you did not want it because of what it involved (schedule and work environment). That is part of the reason that it pays what it does. Your whole argument is that servers should be happy with what they have, or get off their duffs and get another job. By the same token, you should not complain about the two jobs you worked, because you could have gone and worked as a server, you just chose not to.

I wasn't complaining about working two jobs - I was illustrating that a waiter (or waitress in this situation) can actually make quite good money for their type of skills/worker, and actually made several times the amount of money I was making as a similarly skilled person.

And I never said 'should be happy with what they have' - merely that if you aren't happy, it's YOUR responsibility to do something about it.

I understand that it is not a hard job from the standpoint of a skill set. But it is a hard job from a standpoint of being on your feet and having to be "on" for the customer

The two jobs I was working instead were counter service on the boardwalk. I was on my feet the entire time (chairs didn't even exist in the stores). I served lines of customers that would not break for over 4 hours. At Auntie Annes (store #101 - the first in Maryland), I worked all the stations, from making the pretzels, to working the ovens, the register, the fountain stand, everything. Once the evening rush started, it did not relax until about 11pm. We were in highest concentration portion of the boardwalk. I also worked Candy Kitchen, serving customers ice cream, all the confectionaries, and refilling the serving stations. Both jobs were 100% serving the customer on my feet the entire time. The main difference really was she was a tipped role, I was not.

All through high school and college I worked in a grocery store. I started out as a cashier and then ended up working in just about evey other department. Cashier was pretty easy (of course this was back in the day before scanners, so there was some manual dexterity involved) but you were interacting with customers on a continous basis. Produce on the other hand was a pain. You had to break down deliveries, stack crates, re-bag produce, shock leafy greens in ice cold water, all while working in a refrigerated back room. Everyone who worked produce ended up sick at one point or another. However, there was no shortage of people who wanted to work in that department - because you rarely interacted with customers.

Produce also paid significantly better something you left out In union grocery, pretty much anything directly handling food products paid better. I too worked grocery stores (Superfresh and Giant).. back when we were expected to wear dress shirts and ties as cashiers. I also worked grocery stocking shelves. I worked at Giant #216, one of the busiest in the state. Our busy time would last till midnight. We had to have 4 cashiers active until midnight every night. God forbid there was snow in the forecast... that was non-stop madness for two shifts straight.

Many people do not want jobs where they have to "behave" all the time, or in you case the hours and an aversion to kitchens If cashier paid more, I might have taken then role back, but everyone was on the same pay scale, so I was happy in grocery, HABA, dairy, produce, deli, frozen, and an occassional stint butchering.

Most people prefer the roles besides cashier because of pay and the freedom of movement/pace. As a cashier you are trapped and your pace is not under your control. When you work grocery or another department, you are free to move around. It's the same reason many people actually prefer custodial at WDW.. they are not trapped and have some freedom of movement.

 

[Phonedave]

Produce also paid significantly better something you left out In union grocery, pretty much anything directly handling food products paid better.

Most people prefer the roles besides cashier because of pay and the freedom of movement/pace. As a cashier you are trapped and your pace is not under your control. When you work grocery or another department, you are free to move around. It's the same reason many people actually prefer custodial at WDW.. they are not trapped and have some freedom of movement.

I was United Food and Commerical Workers Union and all part timers were paid the same, no matter where you worked. All that mattered was how long you were there.

Meat cutting got more because that was a skilled trade (and a different union) but I worked in that department too (on the QT)

We had to wear dress shirts, ties, and slacks - no matter where you were working, including hand unloads of grocery trailers. We were an old store and we did not have a loading dock. The entire trailer had to be unloaded peice by peice, restacked on pallets, and then brought out to the floor for the night crew to stock shelves with.

My favorite job was deli. Just enought customer interaction to be interesting, but then you got down time to make platters and things like that. Grocery receiving was cool too because I used to like catching the vendors trying to short us.

-dave