Articles informing how much money to give people doing their jobs.

[LanghamP]

How to tip for each and every occasion.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/11/holiday-tipping-guide-2019.html

For example, for cutting dead protein growth...

But that makes a lot more sense for those who have regular, fairly inexpensive cuts with a barber than those who shell out several hundred dollars per visit at a salon for a cut, color and highlight. In the latter case, a tip could be somewhere in the ballpark of $10 to $60, or a gift.

Now there's an unwritten rule to tip people who handle your food 20%. This probably makes a lot of sense, since if you don't pay people who handle your food then they'll spit in/drop your food the next time they see you. 

For the difficult task of pouring you a drink out of a bottle that's been marked up 400%, that's still a 20% tip, according to this article. 

I turn 50 this month and like scotch. I found a place nearby that has a special 40-year-old VERY rare bottle that’s $248 a pour.

Answer: You’ve thought yourself in circles when there’s really only one simple, golden rule to follow: leave a 20% tip. A 20% tip is standard, it’s perfectly polite, and for someone like you, who’s specifically wondering how to navigate a tipping situation, it’s the magic number that will never do you wrong.

[null]

I’m glad to live in a country where you aren’t responsible for random service peoples salaries. Tipping (other than peanuts) is IMO a terribly bad system. 

[RockyTop]

44 minutes ago, null said:

I’m glad to live in a country where you aren’t responsible for random service peoples salaries. Tipping (other than peanuts) is IMO a terribly bad system. 

I agree on the surface. I used to hate tipping. I have learned to look at it differently. Not that either system is better.

You go to a restaurant and they sell food. You want food. The waiter is a third party go between that makes the process easier and more enjoyable. The last thing that I want to see is the angry cook that gets mad because I added A1 to his so called masterpiece.

I start with a minimum of 10% ( very poor service) they still did their job. Unless remarkable either way, I give 20%. If the service is great. ( had a wonderful time) I give 20% + $10- $20. ( for 2 - 4 people)  The tip comes after the meal so you don’t have to worry about spit. .... unless you frequent the place. Then you just give a lower tip. I just hate when they pool the tips and split the tips at the end of the day. Why would the unpleasant person that got everything wrong get an equal percentage? Most people that visit the US tend to agree that you get better service and have a more enjoyable time. If you are in a more stoic daily mood there are plenty of restaurants for that too. You pay a flat fee, no tip. 

On the plus side, it keeps old, ugly, unpleasant people,  like me from ruining your meal. ... .... I can’t live on 30 cents a day. 

[LanghamP]

Here's a greatly expanded videoing tipping.

 

[RockyTop]

27 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Here's a greatly expanded videoing tipping.

 

  I love that guy! .....Right?!   He's F#$@ing  hilarious... Yeah?!  ...... BUT HE'S A F@#&ING COMEDIAN !!!  WHY DIDN'T YOU USE A MORE RESPECTABLE VIDEO FOR YOUR ARGUMENT!!???    Now I am going waist the rest of the day watching his videos again. 

Don't get me wrong. I hate tipping. I just see some positives to it.   

His YouTube Chanel  https://www.youtube.com/user/GradeAUnderA/videos

 

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, RockyTop said:

I just see some positives to it.   

His YouTube Chanel  https://www.youtube.com/user/GradeAUnderA/videos

What could servers really make? That is, could you convince the mostly men patrons to tip severs enough money that servers would pay for the privilege of working at a restaurant? 

Interestingly, that's the model that DoorDash and other delivery companies use. While drivers make a minimum, tips are then applied to that minimum, with the result that the driver often pays DoorDash to work for them.

[RockyTop]

2 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

What could servers really make? That is, could you convince the mostly men patrons to tip severs enough money that servers would pay for the privilege of working at a restaurant? 

Interestingly, that's the model that DoorDash and other delivery companies use. While drivers make a minimum, tips are then applied to that minimum, with the result that the driver often pays DoorDash to work for them.

With services like DoorDash it can be difficult to know how much to tip. Many of the delivery services like DoorDash , Uber and Lyft are just a way to sell your car one mile at a time. 

Back in the 80's Pizza Hut was a big thing in small towns. They had a bar, loud jukebox great pizza. Wow, have things changed. My female friend made $400 a night in tips on Friday and Saturday. That was back in the 80's. 

My daughters friend said she makes about $100 a night at Chill's.  As you suggested woman tend to be better tippers. 

I don't think other countries would be ready for restaurant tipping. 

 

[travsformation]

13 hours ago, RockyTop said:

I don't think other countries would be ready for restaurant tipping. 

It's merely a different approach. Having grown up in Europe, the American model is extremely strange to me. Every time you eat out, you're paying two different bills: one to the business owner, which covers the food, rent, plates, silverware and 80% of the worker's wages, and another to the server, to cover that remaining 20% of their wages. If you think about it like that, it's a very odd approach. Why not simply increase overall prices by 20%, pay a single bill, and have the owner pay their employees like in any other normal job?

 

[Rehab1]

18 minutes ago, travsformation said:

Why not simply increase overall prices by 20%, pay a single bill, and have the owner pay their employees like in any other normal job?

Unfortunately some owners that would just pocket the extra 20%. Additionally adding 20% to the customer’s bill would not increase a waiter/ waitress’s wages by very much as most make minimal wage. Tips are a huge incentive for the staff. 

[Planemo]

1 hour ago, Rehab1 said:

 Tips are a huge incentive for the staff. 

Granted, but no one is forcing them to do the job either.

I don't see it as any different to tipping the milkman, postie, garbage man or any other number of jobs where someone personally attends to you but no one (generally) does it in those professions.

I never understood the whole tipping thing. Same as bell-boys. I will carry my own bags thanks. Maybe if I were elderly and didn't fancy carrying my bags, then yes I fully understand a tip as a thankyou gesture but I don't expect to tip after having paid what is a lot of money (relatively) for my restaurant meal. I am sure some will strongly disagree with this but then I rarely eat out either tbh as I can't justify the cost, let alone be expected to tip on top of it.

It should not be down to the 'tippers' to keep waitresses afloat. If the job doesn't pay enough money to start with and as a result staff become hard to recruit, the vendors will need to increase their wages like any other industry. How they do that (increase meal costs or reduce the fat cat wages) is up to them.

 

[Rehab1]

2 hours ago, Planemo said:

Granted, but no one is forcing them to do the job either.

Unfortunately not everyone in the US is college educated so they get by with jobs that are available. Many single mothers I’ve spoken to in my practice use waitress jobs as a second income. 
 

I was picked up by Uber a few weeks ago and the female driver was divorced and had herniated disks. She could not perform any measurable  lifting activities and her skill set was minimal. The job just helped pay her bills.

You don’t have to tip Uber drivers as the 20% is suppose to be built in to the tab but I find satisfaction in putting smiles on those that are less fortunate. My upbringing taught me that a bonus/ tip conveys a ‘job well done’. 

[meepmeepmayer]

5 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

Unfortunately some owners that would just pocket the extra 20%.

Scummy owners keeping tips for themselves is a common occurrence.

So it's low wage (guaranteed) + tips (potentially stolen) versus higher wage (guaranteed) + smaller tips (potentially stolen).

[RockyTop]

5 hours ago, travsformation said:

80% of the worker's wages

If a waiter can service 4 tables of 4 in an hour. And If each party of 4 leaves a small tip of $5 than you are paying 80% of the waiters wages. Back to Pizza Hut in the 80's. My friend would pay her coworkers $100 to swap nights so she could work Friday night. She would get $400 in tips in 6 hours.  She was well liked.   

I can see how it may seem strange. Not all restaurants in the US have tipping. Not even all of the more fancy. We have fast food. no tipping. We have non formal family style. ( You order at the front, pay in advance and they bring your food to the table. usually get your own refiles) no tipping. 

I eat at a lot of "meat and three" restaurants for lunch. They are not fancy, just good home cocked style food. I walk in, most of the time the table is set with my favorite beverage before I open the door. (They see me drive up) On Tuesdays I don't even need to order my food. They know what I want. I get kind friendly service. They Know my preferences better than my Mother. The meals are about $8.50. When I pay for my bill I hold up two fingers and they add a $2 tip to my card. This sure beats a McDonald's, Wendy's or other fast food $8.50 meal where you don't have to tip.   

[Planemo]

12 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

Unfortunately not everyone in the US is college educated so they get by with jobs that are available. Many single mothers I’ve spoken to in my practice use waitress jobs as a second income. 
 

I was picked up by Uber a few weeks ago and the female driver was divorced and had herniated disks. She could not perform any measurable  lifting activities and her skill set was minimal. The job just helped pay her bills.

You don’t have to tip Uber drivers as the 20% is suppose to be built in to the tab but I find satisfaction in putting smiles on those that are less fortunate. My upbringing taught me that a bonus/ tip conveys a ‘job well done’. 

There are lots of people in lots of countries that have to 'get by' on minimal wages as a second income. Virtually all of them do not come with tips. That's my point.

It doesn't matter which way you cut it, tipping is, to me, nonsensical for the select few jobs that appear to command it. When I say 'command' I mean it, as it would be taken as rude or 'tight' in many places not to. It's this lack of free choice and the expectation which disturbs and irritates me.

If I may be so bold, I would suggest that your tip to the Uber driver was based on your benevolence to her circumstances, not the fact that she drove amazingly.

My upbringing also taught me to help others, but my point is that for someone to command it in a restaurant rather than for example the poor sod collecting garbage bags (who is also on the same/less wage) in freezing conditions makes zero sense to me. Now you could say that everyone in low paid jobs should be tipped which would be great, but people don't. They instead justify what they consider to be their amazing generosity by thinking that the excellent waitress is somehow worth more to them than the multitude of other low paid workers who also service them.

Rocky Top's example only serves to show how out of hand it can get. $400 in 6 hours is more than I take home in 3 days, and that's in 2019, not 1980. I guess that some people think that satisfaction of their gullet is where their generosity should be directed.

It might sound like I begrudge it all, I don't in the slightest as I wouldn't do the job, but I can think of plenty more occupations where people are struggling but would never conceive of expecting a tip. I feel the mentality of tipping should be eradicated (and certainly the expectation) and that everyone should simply be paid what they are worth. 

[Rehab1]

2 hours ago, Planemo said:

If I may be so bold, I would suggest that your tip to the Uber driver was based on your benevolence to her circumstances, not the fact that she drove amazingly.

Her story warmed my heart so yes.

[esaj]

I guess it's a cultural thing, there is no tipping-culture in Finland, in restaurants you pay what it says on the menu, and that's it. Waitresses don't expect to be tipped, but I guess some people might still tip them every now and then, vast majority won't, and it's considered totally normal. Nobody will spit in your food because you didn't tip (but I guess they might if you're an asshole otherwise )...

Nowadays since most people pay everything with plastic, it would be even more "difficult", as instead of giving cash you'd need to tell beforehand that you want to tip them so they can add it to the bill. DipJar was created originally for tipping with cards, but nowadays it looks like they've expanded to (or found better market in) fundraising:  https://www.dipjar.com/

Edited December 15, 2019 by esaj

[Rehab1]

1 hour ago, esaj said:

Nobody will spit in your food because you didn't tip 

That could very well be my phobia. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Rehab1

[travsformation]

I'm not against tips, they're common-place in Spain when dining out---a token of gratitude for good service---but not something you're expected to do or deemed cheap for not doing. What I don't agree with is compulsory tips, where not tipping involves cutting a small portion out of someone's wages. Servers' minimum wages should be enough for them to make ends meet without relying on tips.

Moreover, the tipping system is a double standard where servers are held to a level of scrutiny that people in other professions aren't: having to smile & (in appearance) be in a good mood all day long, going out of your way to be extra attentive so your tips don't suffer...very unfair if you ask me...

[RockyTop]

2 hours ago, travsformation said:

having to smile

I'M OUT!! ....  I can't imagine having to smile all day. I would be the worst waiter ever. 

I had to smile twice the other day, My face still hurts.

[travsformation]

1 hour ago, RockyTop said:

I'M OUT!! ....  I can't imagine having to smile all day. I would be the worst waiter ever. 

I had to smile twice the other day, My face still hurts.

Having worked as a waiter in the past, I can tell you that there are a lot of obnoxious customers out there for whom it can be hard to force a smile...

There are tons of different professions that involve dealing with people all day, but it's included in their paycheck; failing to be at their very best from time to time doesn't directly affect their wages. Waiters (and particularly waitresses) have to put up with a lot of rude, inappropriate $#¡7 on a daily basis and still put on a big smile and treat said patrons as if they were the Queen of England if they don't want to lose their tip, which is the equivalent of having part of their pay docked. Think flight attendants, bus drivers, cashiers, etc.: it's included in their pay check, it's not something that's put in the customer's hands...

From my point of view, providing the service they provide as detailed in their job description should make up 100% of their wages; that makes going the extra mile to be friendlier/more attentive much more of a choice and not so much of an obligation, which is particularly relevant in the case of rude patrons: one doesn't have to put on a forced smile and be extra friendly to a party of drunk and obnoxious frat boys; doing one's job (bringing their orders, etc.) professionally is enough. Worst case scenario, you don't get a tip, but said tip is a bonus and not receiving it doesn't subtract from the server's wages. Just my take though...

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by travsformation

[LanghamP]

12 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

That could very well be my phobia. 

I don't eat out or go through drive throughs because of that. I only eat where I can see the cooks and cashiers.

Eating out is stupid. Stupid expensive, stupid waste of time, stupid waiters that keep asking you questions, stupid germs everywhere, stupid low quality food that's just salt and sugar bombs. What's even the benefit of eating out? Maybe socializing? Can I bring a board game or a jigsaw puzzle with me? Is there a dance floor? And why are the alcoholic drinks so expensive? Worst yet why do you keep asking me if I want a drink?

Sometimes I do like stupid, like that $12 Taco Bell variety pack that's cheap and delicious. I tell them to make it without paper wrappings, because who can be bothered to unwrap every single taco? Then I give the cook a tip. 

[Rehab1]

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

What's even the benefit of eating out?

It keeps my wife happy which allows me to buy more EUCs. 

[RockyTop]

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

What's even the benefit of eating out?

I can't cook.....  I am pretty good at cooking specialty sandwiches. Philly cheese stake, Cordon Bleu, Roast beef, Rubin. If it is not a sandwich the best I can do is pizza bread. My wife can't cook a can of spaghetti o's  

1 hour ago, LanghamP said:

Then I give the cook a tip. 

I have done that too.  Woody, a local at the Hungry House, sure can cook. He is a Black Belt short order cook. 

Edited December 16, 2019 by RockyTop

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, RockyTop said:

am pretty good at cooking specialty sandwiches. Philly cheese stake, Cordon Bleu, Roast beef, Rubin. If it is not a sandwich the best I can do is pizza bread. My wife can't cook a can of

I have several cookbooks, Betty Crocker but then a few gourmet ones.

Getting the ingredients is a pain, when you go grocery shopping just bring the damned cookbook with you instead of making a list.

However, once you have the ingredients, putting it all together, and cooking everything, probably takes half the time of getting to the restaurant. Maybe just 1/4.

You make a $20 steak at home, it blows away anything at any steakhouse. You make ribs at home, again it blows away anything you buy. Vegetables and fruits, especially the organic kind, way better. And the grass fed beef (screw global warming for a minute) tastes way better than the crap you get at restaurants.

Plus while you're enjoying your food, you can pull out a jigsaw puzzle and put it together in the comfort of your own home.

Cooking? Come on, it's not that hard. I mean, you and your wife could do it easily if your lives depended on it, right? Or did you mean if someone told your wife she had to cook a tasty meal, or else he would kill her, then she still couldn't do it because she actually lacked the mental and physical capacity to pick up a can of pre made spaghetti, open it with a can opener, and empty the contents into a hot pot, stirring it when necessary, and then placing the now hot contents into a suitable serving bowl, along with an appropriate utensil?

 

[RockyTop]

7 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

 

However, once you have the ingredients, putting it all together, and cooking everything, probably takes half the time of getting to the restaurant. Maybe just 1/4.

You make a $20 steak at home, it blows away anything at any steakhouse. You make ribs at home, again it blows away anything you buy. Vegetables and fruits, especially the organic kind, way better. And the grass fed beef (screw global warming for a minute) tastes way better than the crap you get at restaurants.

Plus while you're enjoying your food, you can pull out a jigsaw puzzle and put it together in the comfort of your own home.

 

 You win!! I will try to do better. After all I do have a nice kitchen. I guess I should learn to use it. ....... ..