Tipflation

[walt34]

I'm from a country where tips are customary but not required (everyone gets at least minimum salary, usually more, everybody has social security - this is not what I want to discuss) - we usually tip 10% back at home and it has stayed like this for the last 30 years at least. As food prices in restaurants have increased with or above inflation, the 'value' of the tip has basically stayed the same.

As tips in the US have in the same timeframe increased from 15% to 25% or even 30% and the food (the tip is based on) has also become more expensive with inflation, do waiters in the US now make a lot more than they used to in the past?

 

[tony67]

It’s $15.00 PLUS tips here, but in fact many are paid an even higher base wage due to labour shortages. And that’s how it should work on the wage end, based on supply and demand. But the ever-more-outlandish tipping guidelines, when nothing about the job itself (except the price charged for the food on the plate) has changed for 100 years? Nope - it’s totally out of hand.

Yeah most places are paying more than the minimum wage here, not the tipped employee minimum wage, but the full minimum wage. Still they cant get people and are short staffed. Basically $17+ tips.

Unfortunately this also means they have to keep people they should not, because they cant replace them.
Some of the stuff I've seen them put up with is ridiculous.

That said, in the past lost of places treated the waitstaff very poorly and took advantage of them when they had the upper hand, but regardless don't expect me to tip 20%+ when you have a bad attitude and don't even check back to see if we want another drink well I am looking at my empty beer glass.

 

[tasha99]

I leave 20%. I don’t care what they suggest.

Same, except I tip 15% on the west coast and 20% in states that have lower tipped wages.

And free popcorn, if you dared eat it. She also popped a lot of pop corn every Thursday night. It was popped then for the next week. So the popcorn you bought for a Thursday movie, was popped the Thursday before. My wife did have a flashback to that last week when there was a post showing the bags of popcorn stacked in the hall ways and stored a couple of days before the Super Bowl at the stadium in Las Vegas. No fresh popped pop corn there either.

Here's the real crime--popcorn prices! I returned a bucket of popcorn several years ago because it was cold when I got it. I was nice about it and they ended up making me fresh popcorn. I'm not paying movie theater prices for stale popcorn, lol,

 

[tvguy]

really? i think almost every guy i went to high school with who worked was employed at one of the local restaurants-waiter jobs were usualy held by college age or older but the bus boys, dish washers, prep workers were all male. servers at the mom and pops/coffee shops tended to be female but the steak houses, italian places and such were almost entirely male dominated. the most highly coveted (and well paying re. tips) was if you snagged the nights and weekends gig at a place that did banquets-higher hourly pay and a guaranteed cut of the mandatory 20% gratuity (those places wanted males b/c they did'nt think us weak and puny females could carry the big catering trays and 'it looks inappropriate to have female servers wearing pants').

That is why I recall. Asked my wife and her best friend, that is what they recall too. I worked as a security guard. One of the guys I hung out with in high school worked in a car parts warehouse pulling parts and packing them to be shipped. Another cleaned stalls at the riding club. You could always tell the girls who worked as waitresses, any time they had to pay for someone, they paid in quarters!

 

[tony67]

I'm from a country where tips are customary but not required (everyone gets at least minimum salary, usually more, everybody has social security - this is not what I want to discuss) - we usually tip 10% back at home and it has stayed like this for the last 30 years at least. As food prices in restaurants have increased with or above inflation, the 'value' of the tip has basically stayed the same.

As tips in the US have in the same timeframe increased from 15% to 25% or even 30% and the food (the tip is based on) has also become more expensive with inflation, do waiters in the US now make a lot more than they used to in the past?

Depends on the market. But that is one of the big issues I have, Its 15% of a higher price so don't tell me it has to be a higher % because of inflation. Now the minimum is 20% and they are pushing for more. The tip is already higher because the bill is higher.

Lots of places are also having to pay much more than the tipped minimum wage so that rases the prices of the food and drink. So I am paying more for the food and drink, because they are paying you more and you want a bigger tip on that larger amount.

I'd much prefer the European system where people are paid less in tips and more as a base and the prices reflect that.

In my experience a large percentage of waitstaff don't want that.
Most people would be very surprised to find out what good waitstaff makes in a year.

 

[barkley]

I'm from a country where tips are customary but not required (everyone gets at least minimum salary, usually more, everybody has social security - this is not what I want to discuss) - we usually tip 10% back at home and it has stayed like this for the last 30 years at least. As food prices in restaurants have increased with or above inflation, the 'value' of the tip has basically stayed the same.

As tips in the US have in the same timeframe increased from 15% to 25% or even 30% and the food (the tip is based on) has also become more expensive with inflation, do waiters in the US now make a lot more than they used to in the past?

i think it varies depending on the region.

we have this weird (for lack of a better term) migrating waitstaff situation in our area. we live very near the adjacent state's boarder-their minimum wage (no difference for tipped vs. untipped) is $7.25 per hour/ours (again no difference) is $16.26 SO we get lots of people that cross the state line for waitstaff jobs UNTIL the tourist season hits in the touristy places also right by the state line in the lower paying state. the servers can make MUCH more per shift for those handful of months per year even at less than 50% the hourly wage. the touristy places slow down and the servers migrate back to our state (the bulk do live full time here b/c we have no state income tax).

 

[kymom99]

Like I noted, don't recall restaurants hiring males as servers in the early 1970's.

My brother was a waiter in the 70s. He graduated high school in 74. Started as a bus boy and ended up a waiter.

 

[Lumpy1106]

The minimum wage in CA is going to $25/hr on April 1. For those of you from outside CA that are shocked by that, in the recent Senate candidate debate, one of the candidates (will omit the name to keep this from being political) insisted that the minimum wage be $50/hr (!). Now how much tip do you think they should get?

My hard and fast rule; I do not tip for take out. I doubt we'll go out much at all after April 1. No way am I paying $20 for a Big Mac, fries and a soda, but that is exactly where prices are headed.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I have never gotten nor given an attitude for not tipping. The only attitudes that i have seen are from the people that don’t believe in tipping.

Only once did I encounter that. I was at a hotel bar in Tahiti and the bartender picked up the tab and was like “uh, no tip?” to which I straight up laughed and said I know tipping is not customary in Tahiti. Guess I wasn’t as dumb as I looked

 

[disneyseniors]

Well, I've read all 8 pages on this subject, so here's my 2 cents worth: (no tipping) LOL

I always tip with cash directly to the server at restaurants. I never add it to a credit card because how much does the server actually get of this tip?

I had my first experience with automatic adding a tip on my credit card at the SubWay!!! I was so shocked to see the screen come up asking for 15%, 20%, 25% or custom tip! I just hit the less tip but on thinking about it, I could have put zero on the custom tip, maybe? I really don't think there should be tips for fast food servers, and in the future I will check out how to delete the tip from those preprogrammed machines. I think this tipping thing is getting out of hand and I won't tip for fast food!

 

[shh]

My brother was a waiter in the 70s. He graduated high school in 74. Started as a bus boy and ended up a waiter.

Actually, there were quite a few fine dining places in my area that ONLY hired men as servers in the '70s/early '80s- no women. They perceived waiters as a pro-level, higher class of hospitality service. I can think of several in my area that ended up losing lawsuits when the tide finally turned, due to their discriminatory policies.

I will say it was extremely difficult landing a job at any of those places - they had their pick of experienced applicants and those who made the cut were true pros, with skills far above the vast majority of servers I see today - even at the "fanciest" places. Plus, turnover was very low: staff rarely left - most were long timers.

Their level of tableside expertise is a lost art these days: from start to finish, impeccable timing, attention to detail, knowing when to approach, when not to approach; how to time the courses, friendly, but not overly familiar, checking on every detail before anything reached the table, anticipating a need/request before the guest even needed to ask. On and on. It was impressive. No detail was too small.

They made a good living, due to high priced menus and SO MANY bottles of top-tier wines sold- in those days people bought bottles way more frequently than a single glass (and often 2 bottles per couple on a multi-course meal, more for bigger groups). So even at 10-15% tip, the dinner checks were high and they made out.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Well, I've read all 8 pages on this subject, so here's my 2 cents worth: (no tipping) LOL

I always tip with cash directly to the server at restaurants. I never add it to a credit card because how much does the server actually get of this tip?

I had my first experience with automatic adding a tip on my credit card at the SubWay!!! I was so shocked to see the screen come up asking for 15%, 20%, 25% or custom tip! I just hit the less tip but on thinking about it, I could have put zero on the custom tip, maybe? I really don't think there should be tips for fast food servers, and in the future I will check out how to delete the tip from those preprogrammed machines. I think this tipping thing is getting out of hand and I won't tip for fast food!

As someone who worked their way through college, sweating it out in restaurants (90's), here are a couple of observations;
Servers in high volume restaurants are taxed on their tips. At the time I was doing it, the best servers would actually get a bill for tax owed rather than a paycheck. Don't feel bad for them; I bussed tables at a big steak house and I would commonly get $40-$50/night, and that was a small percentage of their tips.

As stated above, servers tip out the supporting staff - bussers, cooks, dishwashers, then report they are doing this so they don't pay tax on that. The supporting staff is supposed to report these tips and pay tax on them - I never did. I won't say nobody does, but nobody I worked with did that I know of.

How does the restaurant know how much they are getting in tips? It's on the receipt if you pay by CC, but if you pay cash (rare) they estimate 15% - and we all know that is low.

What do you do if your server is awful? Tip the bussers direct if you can (they would get more that way than they will for the server, even if you tip them 10% instead of whatever you would have given the server), and let the manager know you are stiffing the server - then do it! If they are awful for you, it is rarely an isolated incident. Some people just should not be waiting tables.

It's good money, especially for the flexibility of hours I needed going to school. The big thing I learned is that I don't want to work in restaurants. It is NOT, I repeat, N-O-T a place you should be working if you are trying to support a family! The hours are usually sporadic and the management (at least the places I worked at) would purposely keep your hours below the threshold where they had to offer benefits. I hear you, but people do support families busing and waiting tables. Well, they shouldn't. The push for minimum wage to be a living wage only puts states like CA in a death-spiral of inflation, and that hurts minimum wage earners more than anyone. The millionaires that own the restaurants just raise the prices so they get their cut first. Raising the minimum wage does not hurt them one bit.

 

[tony67]

I have never gotten nor given an attitude for not tipping. The only attitudes that i have seen are from the people that don’t believe in tipping.

It would have to be really bad for me not to tip at all in a restaurant. I mean really bad to not leave at least 10%.

That said, if you don't tip you will be remembered the next time you come in, even if its a year later.
Also after you leave, they will bash you to the rest of the servers and the regulars.

The only places I regularly see attitude direct to the customers for not tipping is takeout stuff..
Have a jar out and I will leave a few dollars, but don't expect me to tip 15-20% for pickup of a sandwich.
I just don't go back to those places.

I've said this before - but even worse they expect you to tip on line in advance when you enter the order - if there is not an option to pay when I pick up the order and they are automatically prompting for a tip, I order elsewhere..

 

[mjkacmom]

really? i think almost every guy i went to high school with who worked was employed at one of the local restaurants-waiter jobs were usualy held by college age or older but the bus boys, dish washers, prep workers were all male. servers at the mom and pops/coffee shops tended to be female but the steak houses, italian places and such were almost entirely male dominated. the most highly coveted (and well paying re. tips) was if you snagged the nights and weekends gig at a place that did banquets-higher hourly pay and a guaranteed cut of the mandatory 20% gratuity (those places wanted males b/c they did'nt think us weak and puny females could carry the big catering trays and 'it looks inappropriate to have female servers wearing pants').

I lasted one day as a cater waiter, too bad because it’s a great gig if you can carry heavy trays and not drop food.

 

[jimmymc]

The best advice I've heard is to consistently hit the "No Tip" button. It feels awkward at first, but over time you'll realize no one is judging you.

 

[mylilnikita]

It would have to be really bad for me not to tip at all in a restaurant. I mean really bad to not leave at least 10%.

That said, if you don't tip you will be remembered the next time you come in, even if its a year later.
Also after you leave, they will bash you to the rest of the servers and the regulars.

But why would the customer care about the above? And let’s not forget the internet now is a powerful tool to get to the masses if a place isn’t up to par. The waiter make talk crap to a few, but the customer can reach more with a bad review and people will name names of crappy workers

 

[Sykes]

The minimum wage in CA is going to $25/hr on April 1.

Not that the difference matters much but it isn't quite $25--starting April 1 the statewide minimum wage will be $20/hour only for Fast Food workers. Other workers will have a $16/hour minimum wage except for healthcare workers that will have a minimum between $18 and $23/hour depending on the facility. A few cities have higher local minimum wages, with the highest being West Hollywood at $19.08/hour.

 

[tony67]

But why would the customer care about the above? And let’s not forget the internet now is a powerful tool to get to the masses if a place isn’t up to par. The waiter make talk crap to a few, but the customer can reach more with a bad review and people will name names of crappy workers

Writing a review for a bad waiter is a mixed bag, especially if the food is very good and the issue was with the service.
People will tolerate sub par service if the food is really good, and hopefully the service will work it way out.
More often than not you will see that bad review for a specific person followed by a bunch of "reviews" about how great they are. So that gets gamed.
Also, its so hard to get staff , so not much will happen unless its a very aggreges situation or maybe a chain restaurant.
I gave up on Yelp many years ago.

BTW - I was talking about people who don't tip in general in the second sentence.

As for the not caring, if its a neighborhood place, or near your work, you probably don't want your neighbors or coworkers knowing you don't tip the wait staff. You also don't want to walk in to a place and the staff know you as the guy that does not tip or have a previous waiter tell your current waiter that you don't tip.

 

[dpswift]

It would have to be really bad for me not to tip at all in a restaurant. I mean really bad to not leave at least 10%.

That said, if you don't tip you will be remembered the next time you come in, even if its a year later.
Also after you leave, they will bash you to the rest of the servers and the regulars.

The only places I regularly see attitude direct to the customers for not tipping is takeout stuff..
Have a jar out and I will leave a few dollars, but don't expect me to tip 15-20% for pickup of a sandwich.
I just don't go back to those places.

I've said this before - but even worse they expect you to tip on line in advance when you enter the order - if there is not an option to pay when I pick up the order and they are automatically prompting for a tip, I order elsewhere..

I am an EXCELLENT tipper. I was referring to tips in counter service and fast food. I work in fast food most people do not tip, which is fine. I normally tip a dollar or 2 at the pizza counter but I know most people don’t

 

[PPFlight75]

No you can tip them but I think the limit is $20.

We tip our mail carrier and sanitation person at the holidays really just a way to say merry Christmas and thanks for what you do. I know it’s not necessary and they make good money, we just want to do it and only started a few years back. I think that practice is very mixed. Oh and I’m glad we tip$20 and aren’t over the limit!