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just brew it! wrote:Related question: What's an appropriate percentage for a buffet restaurant where all they do is bus the tables and refill your drinks?
just brew it! wrote:Related question: What's an appropriate percentage for a buffet restaurant where all they do is bus the tables and refill your drinks?
mnecaise wrote:just brew it! wrote:Related question: What's an appropriate percentage for a buffet restaurant where all they do is bus the tables and refill your drinks?
Tips are often split among the entire staff; in some restaurants the kitchen staff gets a cut as well. So, even if you're getting your own food on a buffet, someone is still cooking it, someone is putting it out, someone is making sure your cup stays full, and someone is cleaning up your mess afterwards. Even if the tips aren't split, the waitress is likely only making a couple dollars an hour (minimum wage is $2.13/hr in the U.S. for people who receive tips).
I always leave at least 15%, rounded up to the nearest dollar.
You might be thinking "I paid x dollars to eat here, why should I give the waitress more" What you've done is paid the restaurant owner, which covers his basic costs and goes to profit. Wait staff are often poorly paid. There's the expectation they will make up the difference in tips; your tips cover most of their salary. If the service was even half way decent, reward them for it.
Edit: to add the last comment
Corrado wrote:
Kitchen staff are usually not paid under minimum wage. Even busboys are usually given $50 flat for a shift. The only people who rely almost exclusively on tips are the wait staff. I also am not a fan of 1 person seating you, one person brings drinks, another takes your order and yet another brings your food out. I'd rather have the same person do everything. What if 1/4 of those people sucks terribly? I can't in good conscience tip full amount when 25% of my service sucked, but at the same time, why am I punishing 75% of the people for 1 person being ****.
just brew it! wrote:Related question: What's an appropriate percentage for a buffet restaurant where all they do is bus the tables and refill your drinks?
idchafee wrote:This was when minimum wage was $4.25/hr. Busboys made $2.60/hr and wait staff made $3.25 an hour.
Chrispy_ wrote:I wasn't even going to go here, but tipping is a taxation nightmare. It's cash-in-hand, a gift, and therefore free from taxation.
Bensam123 wrote:This reminds me of that awkward moment when you order chinese takeout, go to pick it up, and get the receipt with the tip line on it you have to sign.
TheEmrys wrote:For me, it depends on what the minimum wage laws are. Where I live in Colorado, Minimum wage is $7.64/hour. However, in industries/locations that count on tipping, the minimum wage is only $3.02. For me, if they are only making $3/hour, I'll tip.
just brew it! wrote:Chrispy_ wrote:I wasn't even going to go here, but tipping is a taxation nightmare. It's cash-in-hand, a gift, and therefore free from taxation.
In the US you are legally required to report (and pay taxes on) tips. I'm sure a large percentage (possibly even the majority) goes unreported though, since if its paid in cash there's no way for the IRS to audit it.Bensam123 wrote:This reminds me of that awkward moment when you order chinese takeout, go to pick it up, and get the receipt with the tip line on it you have to sign.
So... does anyone tip for carry-out Chinese or pizza? I'll tip the delivery person if I get it delivered, but I don't tip if I pick it up myself.
codedivine wrote:TheEmrys wrote:For me, it depends on what the minimum wage laws are. Where I live in Colorado, Minimum wage is $7.64/hour. However, in industries/locations that count on tipping, the minimum wage is only $3.02. For me, if they are only making $3/hour, I'll tip.
Aah, thats very low! Here in Montreal, minimum wage is $9.90 an hour for people without tips and $8.55 an hour for people with tips.
AMD Damo wrote:I want to go to the USA in about 2 years, do you do it after you've had your food, before you get it or do you tip with every new thing that gets taken out to the table and keep the waiter keen?
MJZ82 wrote:Another thing worth noting is that in jobs where people are expected to receive tips, the government assumes they are making a minimum amount of tips per hour, and charges them taxes accordingly. If someone makes no tips in a given hour, they still pay taxes for the tips they aren't receiving.
Chrispy_ wrote:Here is one of the problems with American culture:
You don't get tipped for working in an office, doing your desk job, why does the service industry work differently. European visitors to the US are probably considered lousy tippers, but that's because our culture hasn't conditioned us to tip for ordinary, expected-as-part-of-the-price service. If I go into a cafe and order a coffee it will cost ten times more than the same coffee I make myself. I expect that ludicrious markup for a drink to be covering the service and overhead.
To expect a tip, and to build tips into the minimum wage system is basic violation of the minumum wage system.
AMD Damo wrote:I want to go to the USA in about 2 years, do you do it after you've had your food, before you get it or do you tip with every new thing that gets taken out to the table and keep the waiter keen?
Corrado wrote:Law requires the employer to make up any differences between what they make in tips and minimum wage. If they only make $3 in tips in an hour, the employer is required to give them the other $4.25 (assuming a $7.25 minimum wage)
just brew it! wrote:So... does anyone tip for carry-out Chinese or pizza? I'll tip the delivery person if I get it delivered, but I don't tip if I pick it up myself.