Greed strikes again...

[Felix/FFDS]

I'm not going to comment on other localities, but in Florida, it is legal for waiters to be paid less than minimum wage per hour, since the difference - and more - is covered by tips.  This is not just in "fancy" restaurants.

For a time, my son worked at an upper class restaurant, for about US2.50/hr, with the difference made up by tips (either direct or assigned).

In some establishments, tips are pooled and assigned to waiters according to sales generated, and proportionately less to other staff (busboys, kitchen staff, etc).

It used to be that first time British tourists would be lousy tippers, leaving about 2% tip (if any at all) but I believe that most are now "advised" on their way in (as are signs at the airport  to "look to your left" when crossing the airport drive to the parking lots...

Note that the article referenced by Kevin indicates that some waiters at that establishment can make US75K a year, mostly on tips...

And yes, income received as tips is taxable.

[Hagar]

[quote]It used to be that first time British tourists would be lousy tippers, leaving about 2% tip (if any at all) but I believe that most are now "advised" on their way in (as are signs at the airport

[Felix/FFDS]

I believe the reverse is true over here. .....

PS. I haven't visited London for some time but I've never seen notices warning American tourists about over-generous tipping.

When I went to Spain (then again, this was 1994), I was "advised" not to tip too much ...

[BFMF]

[quote]I'm not going to comment on other localities, but in Florida, it is legal for waiters to be paid less than minimum wage per hour, since the difference - and more - is covered by tips.

[TSC.]

So whats the point in actually having a minimum wage then??

TSC.

[BFMF]

So whats the point in actually having a minimum wage then??

So people can actually make some money. Here in Idaho, minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. The lowest in the entire US. I believe there's only a couple states in the entire country that's this low. Without a state minimum wage, who knows what wages would be in some areas

But with waiters/waitresses, they can easily make up for it with tips

[Hagar]

But with waiters/waitresses, they can easily make up for it with tips

I think TSC's point is that if they were paid a decent wage for the job & charged realistic prices for the product there would be no need for tipping.

[legoalex2000]

if you think about it, leaving a tip beforehand would "insure promptness".....

but i only under stand the cases of required tip in parties over 10, but then they kept lowering the "group limit". I have refused to pay tip a couple times.

bu this is how bad it gets, my unle was paying for dinner (not that good) and decided not to leave a tip. the waitress then said shee wil not run his card through without the tip. so we did what i thought was the smartest thing, pay with cash. this ensures exact payment for exact service.

Ramos

PS:Peggy Kinane's is a good irish restaurant near Arlington Int'l Racecourse, they always get good tips!

[Wing Nut]

I would have just said "Screw it, you don't get paid for the meal then..." and walked out.  ::)

[TSC.]

[quote]So people can actually make some money. Here in Idaho, minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. The lowest in the entire US. I believe there's only a couple states in the entire country that's this low. Without a state minimum wage, who knows what wages would be in some areas

[Felix/FFDS]

TSC - minimum wage was never intended to be a "living wage" for a family of four, etc.

However, that argument aside, wait staff that get tips  usually make much more than minimum wage (reference - I do payroll reports for a couple of restaurants).

Tips are a reflection of performance, so in effect it is a "performance based" payment, much akin to sales staff in many department stores who are paid on commissions based on sales.

Caveat - if a waiter/waitress does not report enough tip income the owner/operator has to make up the difference, so in essence, the waiter/waitress makes at least minimum wage.

[TSC.]

Tips are a reflection of performance, so in effect it is a "performance based" payment, much akin to sales staff in many department stores who are paid on commissions based on sales.

Absolutely, thats the way it should be - you get tipped if you do a good job, but this automatic 'service charge' is another matter.

Cheers,

TSC.

[Felix/FFDS]

Absolutely, thats the way it should be - you get tipped if you do a good job, but this automatic 'service charge' is another matter.

Cheers,

TSC.

My opinion on the issue is that generally you can see beforehand (stated on a sign or on the menu) if the service fee /forced tipping policy is to your liking - or not - before you start ordering.  If you don't like the policy, then YOU have the immediate choice to go elsewhere, before you order anything.  Once you've ordered something, then you've agreed with the terms (as stated in the menu).

[beaky]

I will never give a tip to a waiter/waitress or anybody else. You know why? Because it's their job. They get paid by their employer. And if they think they don't make enough money, find another job.

Crash

Seems perfectly logical, until you consider their base pay. It's based on the assumption that they will be tipped- without that, for the amount of work they do, it's not enough. Try it sometime, and you'll understand everything after your first shift- especially if some cheapskate burns you even after you did your very best to make their experience enjoyable.
If you really will never tip, don't plan on visiting the same establishment twice... At bars especially, starting off with a nice tip does miracles.Get a reputation somewhere for being a non-tipper, and you'll find yourself getting the cold shoulder.
  If a waiter/waitress or bartender makes an effort to be prompt, courteous, and efficient, I'll tip lavishly; I have a soft spot for tip-dependent workers, as my mother was a waitress for a while when first entering the workforce after her divorce... and I was a busboy for a while myself.
 And I've also been a cab driver... another difficult, thankless occupation where, without tips, you'll be living on crumbs.
 But as I often say: if I get lousy service, I'll feel no guilt stiffing somebody.
 

[Omag 2.0]

I have this little rule...

Snackbars and cheap restaurants, i'll tip if the personel makes a special effort for beeing nice, attentive, etc. Otherwise, no thanks.

Fancy restaurants, one word: VISA... I hate those waiters that bring back the change and start putting the coins down one by one really slow... on the other hand I'm a very patient man in that case...  ;D ... that's right sir, you count em really good, cause they end up in MY pocket. I didn't pay