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OT: America's Fight Over Tipping at Restaurants Comes to Its Biggest Battleground Yet

BROTHERSKINNY

BROTHERSKINNY

Heisman Winner
Oct 21, 2010
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A national battle over tipping has come to one of America’s culinary capitals.

Servers, restaurant owners and lawmakers in Chicago are debating whether waitstaff and other restaurant workers should be able to earn the city’s minimum wage of $15.80 for larger businesses.

Right now, their wage isn’t that cut and dried. Under the so-called tipped wage system, in Illinois and other states, employers can pay below minimum wage to workers who also earn tips.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...p&cvid=87fcfd3bd31d452abdf0a434338da09a&ei=10
 
I have no problem tipping at restaurants and bars but it seems there are tip jars on every counter for every business these days. Even at my local 7/11's and wawa's there seems to be a tip jar. Its gotten to absurd levels that now almost every business is scraping for tips and it makes it uncomfortable for consumers. To tip or not to tip, that is the question.
 
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BROTHERSKINNY said:
I have no problem tipping at restaurants and bars but it seems there are tip jars on every counter for every business these days. Even at my local 7/11's and wawa's there seems to be a tip jar. Its gotten to absurd levels that now almost every business is scraping for tips and it makes it uncomfortable for consumers. To tip or not to tip, that is the question.
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Bartender at the game, sure.

Regular concession stands, nah.
 
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BROTHERSKINNY said:
Some restaurant owners say a change to the current system would upend their businesses as they are recovering from inflation and pandemic-related sales losses. They say it will force them to hike menu prices for diners, and potentially reduce staff to offset the higher wages.
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I’m not buying this BS. All the local restaurants in my area that survived COVID collected PPP money, jacked up prices, now provide worse service…and are making more money than ever.
 
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DJ Spanky said:
Good servers got good tips, bad servers got another career. So Chicago wants to remove a merit based system and introduce socialism.
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Do other jobs require tips to weed out good from bad?

I'm all for less reliance on tipping for all the reasons BS stated. It's coming to a ....tipping point. Can't just keep digging into people's pockets for every transaction and interaction. Surprised robocalls haven't figured out a way to get tips.
 
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Having been a bartender in Chicago I still thinking tipping in a terrible system. Servers made like 4/hr and barbacks made 8/hr. This was ~2014. Was actually kind of absurd how much money we'd make on a Friday/ Saturday night though.
 
Was in vacation in Maine a few weeks ago and my fiancée noticed something on the menu that I didn't catch. Every bill was charged an additional 4% to support the kitchen staff. For good service I usually tip the server 20%. Not so this time... sorry bud, you get 15% because I'm getting charged an extra 4%.
 
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MURF87 said:
Was in vacation in Maine a few weeks ago and my fiancée noticed something on the menu that I didn't catch. Every bill was charged an additional 4% to support the kitchen staff. For good service I usually tip the server 20%. Not so this time... sorry bud, you get 15% because I'm getting charged an extra 4%.
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Sneaky fees like that should be illegal if they're not clearly denoted on the menu or somewhere.

Businesses need to cover their own expenses and raise prices if needed. What's next, a sub-fee for rent, office expenses, back taxes ...
 
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MURF87 said:
Was in vacation in Maine a few weeks ago and my fiancée noticed something on the menu that I didn't catch. Every bill was charged an additional 4% to support the kitchen staff. For good service I usually tip the server 20%. Not so this time... sorry bud, you get 15% because I'm getting charged an extra 4%.
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I wonder how much the servers had to kick over to the kitchen staff under the old system. You might have none a no change, and the restaurant is probably hoping they miss the add on.
 
RUevolution36 said:
Do you think the servers should get minimum wage though?
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If minimum wage is high, let’s say 15/hr
and the owner is forced to pay that, that will raise menu prices to the customer

Because the waiter is getting more pay, and I am paying that through the menu price, the tip should be less

I would think maybe ten percent as a guess, tip to the waiter
 
You can't demand the minimum wage go higher and at the same time demand tips go from 15% to 18% or 20%., or more. Restaurants are definitely way too expensive already. They're losing my business.
 
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Government is trying to rid banks from charging what they call junk fees. Unnecessary tips are also junk fees. So are all the crazy extras on hotel bills.

I’m All for tipping well at restaurants. But the girl pouring coffee. No way. I used to wash dishes, stock freezers and wash bathrooms for 4.15 an hour in 1996. No one tipped me a thing.

You do crap jobs and move up through life.

For whatever reason I do tip the people at ice cream parlors. Not sure why. Haha.
 
brgRC90 said:
You can't demand the minimum wage go higher and at the same time demand tips go from 15% to 18% or 20%., or more. Restaurants are definitely way too expensive already. They're losing my business.
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You could sure change the rule that allows owners to pay everyone minimum wage. Nobody brought up changing the minimum wage, just having everyone gets the current minimum wage.
 
WhiteBus said:
You could sure change the rule that allows owners to pay everyone minimum wage. Nobody brought up changing the minimum wage, just having everyone gets the current minimum wage.
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Having been a waiter, I honestly don't have much sympathy for the issue. The situation is or was pretty good: you got a sub-minimum wage and made your money on tips. But you were taxed assuming you got only 8% of the value of sales in tips instead of 15%, which meant half of your tips weren't even taxed. Your paychecks were usually zero or almost nothing but you kept all of your tips, which turned out to be $10/hour or more for me in the late 80s/early 90s, a good wage for an unskilled part-time job, more than double minimum wage. Raise the minimum wage for wait staff and most of it will just go to taxes.
 
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brgRC90 said:
Having been a waiter, I honestly don't have much sympathy for the issue. The situation is or was pretty good: you got a sub-minimum wage and made your money on tips. But you were taxed assuming you got only 8% of the value of sales in tips instead of 15%, which meant half of your tips weren't even taxed. Your paychecks were usually zero or almost nothing but you kept all of your tips, which turned out to be $10/hour or more for me in the late 80s/early 90s, a good wage for an unskilled part-time job, mote thsn double minimum wage. Raise the minimum wage for wait staff and most of it will just go to taxes.
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That why I said they can get the minimum and still get tips. Best of both worlds.
 
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Tipping etiquette certainly has changed dramatically since the pandemic. People were asked to tip on take out orders to help the businesses. But when the pandemic went away, the rules didn't change back.

At the risk of sounding cheap, I don't tip more than a dollar on a take out order. Your not supposed to earn a tip for being a cashier in a supermarket, so why should a cashier at a takeout counter get a tip? But that tip jar is always front and center.
 
brgRC90 said:
Having been a waiter, I honestly don't have much sympathy for the issue. The situation is or was pretty good: you got a sub-minimum wage and made your money on tips. But you were taxed assuming you got only 8% of the value of sales in tips instead of 15%, which meant half of your tips weren't even taxed. Your paychecks were usually zero or almost nothing but you kept all of your tips, which turned out to be $10/hour or more for me in the late 80s/early 90s, a good wage for an unskilled part-time job, more than double minimum wage. Raise the minimum wage for wait staff and most of it will just go to taxes.
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I used to wait tables too. Difference was, most tips were in cash, if you want to read between the lines there. Now most everyone pays via card or electronic payment. I worked in a touristy area. If it was a bad week for visitors, there were nights i would walk away from a 6 hour shift with $20-25 in hand after tipping out the bartender and bussers. Busy nights with a bunch of golfers, it was $200. if we were to move to the model around the world where the wages for the waitstaff were already baked in to prices, it would be just fine. whatever the minimum wage is in the state should be the base pay for wait staff. expectation for tips if that were ever to happen, would be on the merit of the level of service received. not as an obligation.
 
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LeapinLou said:
Tipping etiquette certainly has changed dramatically since the pandemic. People were asked to tip on take out orders to help the businesses. But when the pandemic went away, the rules didn't change back.

At the risk of sounding cheap, I don't tip more than a dollar on a take out order. Your not supposed to earn a tip for being a cashier in a supermarket, so why should a cashier at a takeout counter get a tip? But that tip jar is always front and center.
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can't blame them for trying.
 
brgRC90 said:
But the price of restaurants goes through the roof and people stay away. I barely eat out anymore. It's a rip-off to pay $80 or $100 for a very middle-of-the-road meal. It's way overpriced.
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cost of running a restaurant right now is pretty terrible. cost of living for the staff who are underpaid is also terrible.

my wife and i eat out plenty. typically to enjoy something we can't execute well on our own at home, or to just have some time out where we don't have to worry about food prep. its obviously a personal choice, but i don't find paying $100 for a dinner for 2 to be excessive in any way. for me, the utility/benefit of a meal out generally exceeds the actual dollar cost.
 
BROTHERSKINNY said:
I have no problem tipping at restaurants and bars but it seems there are tip jars on every counter for every business these days. Even at my local 7/11's and wawa's there seems to be a tip jar. Its gotten to absurd levels that now almost every business is scraping for tips and it makes it uncomfortable for consumers. To tip or not to tip, that is the question.
Click to expand...
My favorite is the self serve kiosk at EWR asking if I'd like to leave a tip. Am I tipping myself?
 
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Don't know about the rest of the world, but in Cali servers in any decent restaurant make $300 or more on a busy night. Less on slow nights. With great tax advantages for cash tips.
 
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So many restaurants have gone absolutely bonkers with price increases. And I'm skeptical about what's real vs what's gouging/greed. I'm typically seeing 25% to 35% price increases since '21. Sometimes more. And those added fees have creeped in. And the customer is expected to tip 20%+ on that inflated cumulative total? Service is still the same as before. Right? So why inflate the tip? Tipping needs to be scaled back for inflation. 20% or 25% tipping needs to be rethought, as do the whole restaurant pricing and staff pay models. We'll see many restaurant closures very soon.
 
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RUinPinehurst said:
So many restaurants have gone absolutely bonkers with price increases. And I'm skeptical about what's real vs what's gouging/greed. I'm typically seeing 25% to 35% price increases since '21. Sometimes more. And those added fees have creeped in. And the customer is expected to tip 20%+ on that inflated cumulative total? Service is still the same as before. Right? So why inflate the tip? Tipping needs to be scaled back for inflation. 20% or 25% tipping needs to be rethought, as do the whole restaurant pricing and staff pay models. We'll see many restaurant closures very soon.
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Grocery store prices have gone up a similar amount. it's everywhere.
 
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MURF87 said:
Was in vacation in Maine a few weeks ago and my fiancée noticed something on the menu that I didn't catch. Every bill was charged an additional 4% to support the kitchen staff. For good service I usually tip the server 20%. Not so this time... sorry bud, you get 15% because I'm getting charged an extra 4%.
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Yes, this practice is becoming more common in restaurants! The restaurant will quietly add a 10-15% Tip without telling the customer that the tip is already included. Another new practice that is becoming more common is the venue charging a 3% fee for using a credit card. Back in the old days, the restaurant bar would eat the cost of processing the transaction.
 
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Rutgers Chris said:
My favorite is the self serve kiosk at EWR asking if I'd like to leave a tip. Am I tipping myself?
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This does not happen, does it? I can believe it. My dry cleaner has a tip jar on his counter. Dude, just charge me the fair amount for cleaning my shirts. Sheesh!
 
For all those saying Europe does it better, I traveled a lot on business in Europe in my past. The waiters told us to never tip because it goes to the owners. That being said, when the staff is only paid a wage, there is no incentive over there to keep the restaurants/pubs open at times (whether early or late). For example, we would be out at the pubs and they would be crowded at 10 PM. Bartenders would call last call since they wanted to go home. Since they were being paid a wage, there is no incentive for them to stay open. We used to try to convince them to stay and we would tip them directly. Usually never worked. Those pubs could have stayed open until 2-3 AM and the servers would have done much better in a tip culture. If the US switches, get used to restaurants/bars closing early.
 
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Rutgers Chris said:
My favorite is the self serve kiosk at EWR asking if I'd like to leave a tip. Am I tipping myself?
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For most of those food kiosks, a server is still bringing you the food. If you are talking about the food court kiosks, then I agree.
 
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