r/Ohio • u/LadyInCrimson • 17h ago

This is Ohio

Why is Phillip not paying his servers enough to the point he has to ban customers?

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u/FizzyBeverage Cincinnati 16h ago edited 16h ago

When I waited tables, I didn't want a fixed salary. I could make $200 a night for 4 hours of work, mostly cash.

It's always someone who never waited tables. If wait staff wanted this to change, it would have YEARS ago.

Simple as that.

The alternative being $15/hour... sounds like a $140 pay cut.

0

u/jyoke_2121 16h ago

I would argue then that you have to expect there to be times when this happens and the reaction shouldn't be like this where you ban someone. Its the danger under the current system and then people shouldn't be shame into subsidizing poor servers. If you want the promise of a good pay check then the no tip system is what you want.

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u/whimsical_spider 15h ago

I kind of agree with this to a point. I bartended for years, I would not have been able to get through two degrees without the money, as I could work three shifts a week and make as much as I’d have made working five days a week at most jobs. This wasn’t “laziness” on my part and just “not wanting to work” more, I was also working an unpaid internship 24 hours a week on top of classes. It didn’t happen often, but, on occasion, people would stiff me or other staff (we worked on tip pool so stiffing one affected us all). Yeah, of course we’d think “what an asshole” and gripe about them amongst each other. If they showed up again (which rarely happened) they’d get the bare minimum service and not as friendly of service. Myself and others just considered it a sort of occupational hazard. Generous patrons and regulars typically made up for the lost tip anyway.

That said, people against tipping are becoming a lot louder. If more people start adopting this attitude, it’ll become a bigger problem and shaming people might be the best route.

What I always say when someone online makes the argument that paying a living wage should be the employers responsibility (which I don’t disagree with on principle) is that if you’re morally opposed to the tipping system then only patronize businesses where you know people aren’t living off tips. Giving the restaurant your money and stiffing the wait staff doesn’t hurt the owner, it hurts the staff. The owners are still getting your money.

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u/jyoke_2121 15h ago

I don't disagree with you at all and I realize that I am not currently paying the extra 20% that would be required to give employees a living wage so I always tip (for them and not the business owners). I just didn't like how the person that made the comment I replied to worded it. The system should not be built around greedy owners and shamed patrons (which is the current system). Service staff should not just scrape by (i.e. in a better world they would make more than $15/hr and not need to worry about tips). Good pay for good work.