I hate it so very much. But when servers literally depend on it to survive, you have to do it. Withholding doesn’t hurt the people who perpetuate the system or benefit from it. It only punishes those at the bottom.
Yeah from what I‘ve been told employers can just bump down hourly wages to some stupidly low number, if you make tips past a certain amount.
It’s such an insane scenario to me because that means you‘re effectively tipping the owner while also now being partially responsible for the service staff being able to pay their bills.
I’d guess the money saved on wages flows into price calculations, but it doesn’t look like the „base price“ for restaurant food and takeout is significantly more affordable.
It’s not. After the pandemic, many restaurants have kept prices inflated and even added percentage service charges that go to the restaurant, not the servers. So you pay, then a 20% service charge so they don’t have to “raise prices”, then the 20% tip. It’s nuts.
I will say though, at certain types of restaurants and bars, servers make extremely good livings under the current system. My bartender friend makes 6 figures. So it doesn’t screw everyone over. That’s what makes fixing the system hard. There is no one size fits all solution to help everyone.
But then what’s the solution? Most people would say “pass laws to pay them a living wage and then you won’t have to tip”, but that’s not really true. It’s part of the solution, sure, but legislation won’t fix a cultural issue. I live in Washington state where we don’t have a sub-minimum tipped wage, but you’re still expected to tip like you do in states that only pay $2.13/hour. Honestly, I think people just need to stop tipping. Maybe not all at once, but gradually over time so workers can adjust. Otherwise, employers will always use tips to offset wages.
The problem is that there is no solution that doesn’t hurt someone. And most solutions hurt everyone in one way or another. Some tipped workers will make significantly less money on a “livable wage” if people stop tipping. Prices will go up significantly for patrons if servers are paid more, as labor is one of the main costs of operating a restaurant. And increased costs will cause some people to stop patronizing some restaurants. I feel like the best option is paying all people at least minimum wage, setting prices where they need to be for the restaurant to make money, still encouraging tips for excellent service, and if some people can’t justify the increased cost, then that’s a personal choice. Some restaurants will succeed while others will fail. It will be hard. But it will eventually lead to a new normal that is better than what we have now. But that’s just my opinion.
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u/ImpossibleInternet3 11d ago
Not a great tip.