When did tipping become "required".

[MartyMcFly3]

I don't tip because society says I gotta. I tip when somebody deserves a tip. When somebody really puts forth an effort, they deserve a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, that sh!t's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doin their job.

They aren't starving to death. They make minimum wage. When I worked for minimum wage, I wasn't lucky enough to have a job that society deemed tipworthy.

You don't feel the need to tip employees at McDonald's, They're servin ya food, you should tip em. But no, society says tip these guys over here, but not those guys over there. That's bullsh!t.

I'm very sorry that the government taxes their tips. That's fvcked up. But that ain't my fault. it would appear that waiter/resses are just one of the many groups the government fvcks in the ass on a regular basis. You show me a paper says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it. Put it to a vote, I'll vote for it. But what I won't do is play ball. Cause if they're expecting me to help out with the rent, they're in for a big fvckin surprise.

Great movie...

 

[MartyMcFly3]

DP anyone?

 

[Sundog]

How many times is this exact topic going to be brought up?:frown:

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: Vic
But I will guarantee you this, any restaurant that gives me service so poor that I would leave a tip of 10% or less (an extemely rare event which would have to involve purposeful rudeness and poor service without apology, not merely simple accidents or mistakes), is one that I wouldn't be going back to anyway. And I think most people who frequent restaurants would agree with me on that. So don't give me this BS about how I (in that event) wouldn't be welcome back. I wouldn't want their welcome and you can guarantee I'll tell all my other restaurant-frequenting friends about how bad the food/service/etc. is at said restaurant.

Yes, but you forget that some people exist for the sole purpose of making the lives of others miserable. There are some that if they feel slighted in the least by a service worker will raise all kinds of hell with that person's boss and then make it a mission in life to return again and again to said person's work just so that they can b!tch about the service they're recieving.

And while you think you just gave Bennigans some positive advertising, you in fact just told the whole world that they care more about their wait staff than they do about their customers.

Personally, I like the idea. Gives the workers some say in what goes on, does not foster abuse of the resturant by certain types of people. Might lead to abuse by the staff, sure, trying to get like a client list of only the good tippers, but there should be mechanisms in place to ensure agains that. It ensures people understand what they're paying for; someone to serve them, not be their personal slave/whipping boy.

Pimp

-- Jack

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
-- Mark Twain

 

[Noirish]

I'm not sure if this is still true, but don't waiter and waitress get paid minimum wages that most of their income comes from tips?
Also, don't they need to give up a share of tips to the chef?
Anyway, I think they get paid pretty well after tips.
We were at a restaurant last Friday, among the 12 people or so, we ate about $250, and we left a $50-60 tip.
Even though, it's over a span of about 2 hours, I'm pretty sure he had other tables to wait.

Oh, you aren't required to tip.
But when the service is good, I think you should.

 

[miri]

Servers do not make minimum wage. They make $2.13 a hour. Minimum wage is $5.15 a hour. Also servers usually are required to tip out between 3-5% of their total sales no matter what tips they make. So if a server got 0 tips for the night, which doesn't happen much. THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO WORK.

 

[miri]

I think MCdonalds employees make more more than $2.13 a hour.

 

[Zee]

Flamingo's cafe in Northern Blvd, Queens doesnt even pay it's servers. they rely entirely on tip (which they get to keep all of)

 

[Nebor]

A business that cares about it's employees creates happy employees that satisfy the customers. For a restaraunt, you have probably 800 customers a day... you only have 50 people on staff though. Each server makes you about $600 a day. Each customer gives you maybe $15-20. Who's expendable?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: miri
Servers do not make minimum wage. They make $2.13 a hour. Minimum wage is $5.15 a hour. Also servers usually are required to tip out between 3-5% of their total sales no matter what tips they make. So if a server got 0 tips for the night, which doesn't happen much. THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO WORK.

This has already been addressed, please read the thread.
First, just how much a server gets hourly depends on where they are at. For example, in many states (including mine), restaurants are required to pay the servers minimum wage (which in my state is $6.50/hr.).
Second, federal law says that an employee can NEVER be compensated less than minimum wage (as determined by the state if greater than federal). This includes all costs of doing business, except transportation to and from place of employment. For example, an employee making minimum wage cannot be forced to buy his/her own uniforms, supplies, etc. because the cost of purchasing the uniforms would force the employee's compensation below minimum wage. With servers that live in states where the hourly is allowed to be below minimum wage, the employer must compensate the server if their combined average income from wages and tips falls below minimum wage. Once again, this is strictly regulated federal law and applies to all non-farm employees, not just restaurant, and even applies to straight commission sales staff like car salespeople and real estate agents. Only agricultural is exempt.

Once again, people should always tip, but it is not required. You should always tip 15% for average service, 20% (or more as you desire) for excellent service), and 10% for below average service. Tipping below 10% would mean that the waitperson had personally and purposefully offended you, that you had attempted to speak with management about it, and either you were denied that opportunity and/or management didn't care. For me to tip below 10% would mean that I have no intentions of ever returning.


Without customers, a restaurant cannot pay its wait staff. I would think that simple business logic would go without saying.

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: miri
Servers do not make minimum wage. They make $2.13 a hour. Minimum wage is $5.15 a hour. Also servers usually are required to tip out between 3-5% of their total sales no matter what tips they make. So if a server got 0 tips for the night, which doesn't happen much. THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO WORK.

you dont know what you are talking about. if tipped employees do not make min. wage with tips their employer is required by law to make up the difference.

 

[Lucky]

For example, an employee making minimum wage cannot be forced to buy his/her own uniforms, supplies, etc. because the cost of purchasing the uniforms would force the employee's compensation below minimum wage.

While this is being challenged in court, it's a very common practice in the retail clothing industry. Even with 50% discounts, employees are required to spend upwards of 500 bucks on up to date clothing.

 

[Eli]

Vic - Minimum Wage in Oregon was recently(Well.. Jan 1st, 2003. ) bumped to $6.90.

Also.. I saw someone say you pay taxes on the tips you recieve. You do?

My brother's girlfriend works at Subway, and they just split the tips at the end of the day.. it's certainly not taxed.

 

[dfi]

I didn't know this for the longest time, but tips means "to insure prompt service". If there's no prompt service, then why give any reward? Usually if the waiter is friendly that is enough to warrant a tip from me, but knowing what tips actually stand for does make me wonder when society forgot that a tip is given for prompt service.

Please stop reiterating that waiters get paid less than minimum wage. That is simply illegal. Please report your employer if he is not making up the difference from tips. Likewise, I'm sure most waiters probably do not report tips, but know that if you don't, you are evading taxes. If I remember correctly, a waiter should report the tips for the previous month by the 10th of the next month. Perhaps this is the reason that the employers do not make up the difference; that there is an unspoken consent that if the waiters don't report the employer, then the employer won't report the waiters for not report tips and thus evading taxes due on tips. Tips is not to be treated differently from regular income.

Being a waiter is a minimum wage job. The incentive is that there is an opportunity to make over minimum wage through the customers, IF they feel so inclined. That is why the government guarantees you minimum wage, and why your employer must make up the difference from tips to make sure you make at least minimum wage. If you are a waiter, and you are find out that after tips, you are not hitting minimum wage, then perhaps being a waiter is not the right job for you. Maybe you don't have a likeable personality, or people just don't like your mug. For whatever the reason, if you think you are busting your hump and tips are not putting you over minimum wage, get a different job. You can always work at a fast food restaurant, or as a bagger at a grocery store. In my mind, the only reason to work as a waiter is if you think you are likeable and friendly enough that you can generate tips in excess of minimum wage. A waiter is not entitled to tips; you have to earn it.

I understand that tipping has, or is becoming, a social norm. That doesn't mean the person that wants to deviate from this norm should never eat out. If greeting people on the street was a norm, and you didn't want to greet anyone, you can still go outside. There's no reason not to. You may upset a few people, but so what?

dfi

 

[miri]

You guys must live in lenient states. In VA servers make $2.13 a hour and are required by law to report 15% of total sales as tips even if they don't make that. In order do make 15% after tip out you need to make close to 20%.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: MaxDepth

Originally posted by: MacBaine

Originally posted by: Viper GTS Hello Mr White.

Viper GTS

Why do I have to be Mr. Pink? Why can't I be something cool like...Mr. Black

Joe: Cause you're a f@ggot, ok?

All jokes aside, was using that word really necessary? :frown:

ahh sensitive people...it was a movie quote. A very popular and well respected movie at that.

If my service at a restaurant is terrible, I won't tip them. However, this has never happened, the worst that's happened is I left a 10%.

 

[dfi]

Btw, some people are saying it's not fair that waiters get taxed on tips. Why not? Tips is income, not to be treated any differently from any other forms of income.

For example, a waiter is paid 2.13 an hour, and he averages tips of 3.02 an hour. So his average pay is 5.15, the minimum wage in his state. An employee at McDonald's also makes 5.15 an hour. Now, why shouldn't the waiter and the McDonald's employee pay the same amount of taxes? If the waiter feels he works harder than the McD employee to only get 5.15, then he shouldn't be a waiter. He should go work at McD.

Piecemeal workers (those that get paid per unit produced) are taxed by the quantity of their work. If they make more units, they get more earned income and therefore pay more taxes. Similarly, a waiter gets paid by his friendliness and ability to please customers. The more customers he pleases, the more earned income (tips) he gets, and the more he is taxed. Nothing unfair about it.

Please, only work as a waiter if you feel you are friendly and personable enough to exceed minimum wage through tips, which is still taxable income.

dfi

 

[Jugernot]

Sorry, but that is BS. I tip if I get good satisfactory or good service. If they suck, they get no tip.

If they can't make a living on a waitress's wage, they need to find another job. Unskilled labor is everywhere....

Joe

 

[miri]

Like I said I don't know where you guys are from but where I am waiters pay taxes on all their tips. The law is you have to report at least 15% even if you made say 10%. Anyway most tips are from credit cards, at least in the restaurant I work at. So even if the law isn't you have to report 15%, the tips are shown on the credit card report so, servers pay their taxes.

 

[miri]

I don't think anyone here says you should tip for bad service. Even if you get great service, if you don't want to tip then don't tip.

There is no law saying you have to tip.

 

[dfi]

Originally posted by: miri
You guys must live in lenient states. In VA servers make $2.13 a hour and are required by law to report 15% of total sales as tips even if they don't make that. In order do make 15% after tip out you need to make close to 20%.

Ok, this is what I know of it. It is assumed that large restaurants which regularly employ 10 or more people in a given day, will have REPORTED tips of 8% of the gross receipts for a period. If this does not happen, the employer must allocate the difference between reported tips and 8% of the gross receipt to federal income tax, which has to be at least 10% of sales. This is if NO ONE reports any tips, then 10% is charged to the establishment as tips. Maybe the percentage is different now, or different in VA (say, 15%). I'm not sure. Now, if NO ONE is reporting tips, then the employer is still required to allocate that amount of tips to taxes. However, the employer can only withhold employee taxes on tips reported! What do you do if you are an employer, and not a single waiter is reporting tips, and you are stuck paying their income taxes for them? Well, maybe you assume tips of X dollars and ask for that percentage to pay their taxes? I don't know, just speculating.

dfi

 

[miri]

At the restaurant where my wife worked, during paycheck time everyone would get $0 because of taxes. On top of that, the waiters had to pay the restaurant for taxes witheld during every paycheck haha. Some people had to pay like $200-$300 to the restaurant every 2 weeks because of taxes witheld, that was funny.

 

[dfi]

Originally posted by: miri
At the restaurant where my wife worked, during paycheck time everyone would get $0 because of taxes. On top of that, the waiters had to pay the restaurant for taxes witheld during every paycheck haha. Some people had to pay like $200-$300 to the restaurant every 2 weeks because of taxes witheld, that was funny.

I'm not sure of the circumstances, but that sounds illegal. The employer is ONLY allowed to withhold taxes on a waiter's reported income. It is the employer's responsibility to make up the income taxes withholding to meet state requirements.

dfi

 

[miri]

 

[miri]

Well that was in NC, and NC can be a very shady place. I lived there for 1 year and will never go back.