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Norse
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A peculiar question I was posed lately - why do you tip a waitress or waiter for doing their job.
I know that tipping is big in the cities of the states, it is non existent here in UK. It is almost an affront to someone's dignity if you tip them a pound at the bar for pouring you beers.

My bird and I go to Spain often and the tipping culture is there as well - just on a micro scale to the usa. There's no set rules, you could have a 100 euro meal and leave 50 euro cents and it would not be frowned upon, whereas in England we say every other round of beer 'have one for yourself' which, means either take a couple quid or run a beer through the till for yourself... and we'll all pretend you didn't take the money.
Edited by Norse on Dec 12, 2020 13:59:34
 
slughead42
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Here in Texas (in the United States), it's because servers don't have to be paid minimum wage, I believe the lowest base rate a server can be paid is $2.13 an hour, unless it's been raised. Anyway, they rely on tips to bring their salary up to a more sane, livable level.

The reason I mention that this is in Texas is that each state can make their own rules regarding minimum wages allowed, it's not the same throughout our whole country.
 
Theo Wizzago
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What slughead42 said plus this as well. It wouldn't surprise me to find your waitresses and waiters make more money per hour than those in the US. Many of the menial 'service' jobs make either minimum or less wages. Some places pay less than minimum but allow tips. Some places pay more and include tips in the bill. Mostly the 'tip' is supposed to be a performance based 'statement' allowed in some cultures to show an appreciation to someone giving high quality service. No tip generally means you did your job adequately... or less so. Trouble is it also is subject to other influences such as the financial quality of your customers (the poor generally tip more often, but less gregariously)... or simply the type of establishment the tip occurs in and how their 'waitresses look'. Aka, pretty and busty wench at the local tavern probably collects a lot more tips than the skinny, homely one in the same place... even if she's the better waitress.
 
thermon
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In some ways it's monkey shit, but in others it makes sense.

If restaurants were forced to pay servers more, they would just raise the cost of food to maintain profit margin anyway. Tipping is basically cutting out the middle man, and paying the server directly.

It's high risk for the server though... they're not allowed to have a bad day, and a simple mistake very often directly affects their income. Not to mention, if the cook screws something up, which is completely beyond the server's control. Then there's the whole working on slow days thing... where there's just not enough customers to make decent money, but they're stuck there for 8+ hours anyway.



 
Seric
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Originally posted by thermon
In some ways it's monkey shit, but in others it makes sense.

If restaurants were forced to pay servers more, they would just raise the cost of food to maintain profit margin anyway. Tipping is basically cutting out the middle man, and paying the server directly.

It's high risk for the server though... they're not allowed to have a bad day, and a simple mistake very often directly affects their income. Not to mention, if the cook screws something up, which is completely beyond the server's control. Then there's the whole working on slow days thing... where there's just not enough customers to make decent money, but they're stuck there for 8+ hours anyway.





not to mention having to split the tips with the cooks and those who bus the tables. So yeah it definitely sucks. On top of that, some restaurants go further and screw their servers more by taking a chunk for themselves (the tips done through credit cards).
Edited by Seric on Dec 13, 2020 08:07:24
 
reddogrw
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I expected there to be more discussion about cows when I opened this thread
 
Mauler
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Originally posted by reddogrw
I expected there to be more discussion about cows when I opened this thread


LOL.....Exactly what I was thinking!
 
BigRatUno
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If the waitress brings me a condiment,
it's only fair for me to at least give her the tip.
If she's pretty I'd probably still give her the tip anyway, without the condiment.
Hopefully when the tipping culture comes back to my Dr. it's negative.
 
bigtisme
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Originally posted by reddogrw
I expected there to be more discussion about cows when I opened this thread


 
Theo Wizzago
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Originally posted by reddogrw
I expected there to be more discussion about cows when I opened this thread


TBPH, so did I. So did I.
 
yomanpopo
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The restaurant where my daughter was manager 5 years ago, the best tippers routinely walked away with 1000 dollars in tips a week and made 13 bucks an hour... they claim maybe up to ten percent of the tips here for taxes so that 1000 is more like 1400 gross so almost 2000 dollars a week serving food.. not bad.

Now they are recommending 20 percent for tips and rarely will a family eat for less than 100, usually 150 So big tips getting bigger. Used to be to supplement but in nicest restaurants,it's getting quite high. I still tipm though unless dumps coffee on my head or just plain miserable
Edited by yomanpopo on Dec 13, 2020 20:59:22
 
sewinston
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Originally posted by thermon
Tipping is basically cutting out the middle man, and paying the server directly.


Actually we came pretty close to allowing restaurant owners to seize tips from their employees for themselves. Thankfully Trump didn't get his way on this one.
https://www.eater.com/2018/1/31/16955620/tip-pooling-laws-whats-next
 
The Kingpin
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Spent time in Swansea, family is from there as well as friends, and I went to Beer Riff. They were puzzled when I left a quid after every beer, four quid pints, left a fiver on the table and told them I was good.. The older guy at the end completely knew what I was doing and when I explained it to the gal working there as well as the other guy, they understood real quick it wasn't a slight at their ability, more as it is American culture. Ended drinking there for about 6 hours one night and had a blast. When I left 20 quid at the end, after I paid for a few pints and was given a few pints, the lady and owner smiled and she hung it up behind the bar with a note that said: "From our American Jack Bastard".

I believe, in the hospitality industry, if you go above and beyond, you should be tipped accordingly and they were more than gracious for it. Can't wait to get back since I was supposed to go in the Spring but then the Rona hit and here we are.
Edited by The Kingpin on Dec 14, 2020 10:50:54
 
Norse
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Hehe... the Swansea Jacks... they liked you if they called you a Jack bastard. Well done.
 
TheBear
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Originally posted by sewinston
Actually we came pretty close to allowing restaurant owners to seize tips from their employees for themselves. Thankfully Trump didn't get his way on this one.
https://www.eater.com/2018/1/31/16955620/tip-pooling-laws-whats-next


Interesting article. I can see both sides to this argument. Where my daughter works they share tips with the back and support staff. They also rotate duties (except the cooks) so it balances out. Even with sharing she makes more in tips than salary.

And please don't make this political.
 
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