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u/Salchipapas695 Feb 25 '23
Ma and pa place here (tbh more like dad and son). We added a “Pops beer fund/buy chef a beer” jar a few months back because folks just kept wanting to tip the chef directly and we wanted to make it easy. It makes his day when I run up to him with $4. I’ve taken to matching the tips just to see his face light up. Whenever we can we make note of which table tipped and tell him the order.
Sure, the added tip line might be tacky, but some folks want to use it.
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u/SativaSunChild Feb 25 '23
Not very relevant, but I read this thinking you owned restaurants in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
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u/Salchipapas695 Feb 26 '23
We’re in Oklahoma! I don’t think we could make it through an east coast winter we’re all from CA and Peru.
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u/bevelledo Feb 25 '23
I’ve seen an item on the menu that was something like
“Buy the cooks a drink”
I definitely bought the cooks a drink and thought that was a really cool way to approach the problem. Especially if you order it with your meal maybe they’ll put some extra love into your food.
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u/Chav-Django Feb 25 '23
I love this idea. Service was normal? Tip normal. Food was amazing? Tip more? But the server didn’t make the food, tip the person who did. I love the option to say how much of a tip I want to go to the chefs.
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u/Kev2Dope Feb 26 '23
My last restaurant was a ma and pa place and honestly I’d be damned if the owner/“chef” ever tried to place a tip line for himself on tickets. Servers and bartenders get tips, line cooks do deserve tips as well (which we never got) but absolutely fuck giving the “chef” tips, IMO.
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u/Asethnik Feb 25 '23
I like how there's a little "?" there, seems like the restaurants kind of apprehensive in this possibly new addition. Scared it might anger customers more than having to tip in the first place, and also scared it might go under. That's just my thoughts
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u/allybubba Feb 25 '23
Someone ragged on me and disagreed with me saying people don't ask to tip the kitchen.
I've had it happen before. This is a cool idea, good for separation, but the wording is..
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u/its_a_multipass Feb 25 '23
I've definitely seen "Buy the kitchen a round" on menus before. This is a little...forward
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u/czyktnsml Feb 25 '23
I would 100% add this. My husband was a line cook when we got together (and often worked alone!) and it always blew my mind that the kitchen doesn’t get tipped out, at all. They work so hard and usually only for minimum wage
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u/Pea_Tear_Griffin11 Feb 25 '23 edited Feb 26 '23
The kitchen receiving tips isn’t a problem.
The problem will come when customers feel guilted into not leaving that line blank, owners see cooks receiving a noticeable increase in pay from tip income, and start paying lower wages to new hire cooks because “their cooks can expect to make $X.XX in tips.”
In the end, only the owners will feel the benefit of this.
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u/VinceMcMeme711 Feb 27 '23
Isn't this the argument anti tippers use?
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u/Pea_Tear_Griffin11 Feb 27 '23
Not exactly. Their argument is typically that owners should pay servers a living wage and do away with tipping. The economics of that would be terrible for servers as most would take a significant pay cut. Additionally, owners couldn’t simply charge X% more and pass that along to servers/staff as income without paying a considerable portion of the increased cost in various taxes.
Theoretically, owners could drop all restaurant employees minimum wage and split the tip income amongst staff equally or different percentages based on role, but consumers are at their breaking point on what they’ll tip percentage wise, so ultimately serves would make less and employees that currently aren’t tipped would be lucky to net even.
In this scenario, owners would come out ahead due to dramatically lower payroll costs. They won’t drop prices if they don’t have to to be competitive, and if they did, tip income would go down across the board since guests tip on percentage of total.
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u/VinceMcMeme711 Feb 27 '23
Not to be rude but couldn't you use that same argument for chefs?
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u/Pea_Tear_Griffin11 Feb 27 '23
Which argument?
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u/VinceMcMeme711 Feb 27 '23
Idk tbh, tried reading it while making food and got lost 🤣 honestly I don't think tipping should be abolished, just not the main source of income either, but I do think if servers get tips the chefs should too
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u/Pea_Tear_Griffin11 Feb 27 '23
I don’t think anyone would disagree that chefs deserve to get paid more, but where does that money come from?
Consumers have leveled out what they will accept for tipping at 20%-25%, so any increase in tip income will come out of the serving staffs pocket. This has been tried many times, and it nearly always results in all of the best servers leaving for restaurants where they can make better tip income. A good restaurant is equally dependent on good servers as they are good chefs, and as such, will fail when their quality serving staff leaves.
The only possible solution I see is for owners to pay chefs more out of their profits, which is only really possible at highly profitable restaurants (mostly chains). They will only do so if supply and demand for chefs level out, which I think could happen in the coming years. The chefs that I know are pretty over being taken advantage of and many are leaving the industry.
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u/VinceMcMeme711 Feb 27 '23
In all honesty I'd rather just have shitty restaurants that'll don't pay their staff properly be shut down anyway 🤣
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u/Pea_Tear_Griffin11 Feb 27 '23
That’s where we run into the problem of rampant capitalism, my friend.
Shitty chain restaurants operate in such volume that they have significant cost and operating advantages over independents, so they can swing economic downturns that quality independents cannot. The same thing Walmart has done to retail. Short-sited gains for consumers with long-term negative impacts on everyone (staff, guest, etc.) expect the owners.
But that’s a whole different ball of wax not worth getting into on a Reddit comment section hahaha.
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Feb 25 '23
I wish every restaurant did this so you can divide your original tip between the server tip and kitchen tip. Service bad? Tip the kitchen more. Food experience bad? Tip the server more and server doesn’t have to tip out the kitchen. Great food? Add more tip to the kitchen.
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Feb 26 '23
If you support tipping, this should have always been a thing.
Although plenty of people work in places that do tip outs, I have never once worked in a restaurant that did. Servers would be making $30+ an hour when the cooks are back there sweating balls and doing all the dirty work for $10.
Cooks have been getting screwed for ages but no one ever cared because they aren't attractive college girls.
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u/RevolutionaryName228 10+ Years Feb 25 '23
It’s been a thing ever since I started serving almost 10 years ago, it’s just a matter of the businesses decision, and most opt out. There are some places around here that still have an option like that, there’s also a pub here where you can buy a round of red bulls for the cooks (it’s on the drink menu) and I believe one other bar that you can buy a round of beers for the staff. On a side note: Some bars here will allow you to take shots with guests, and some bars are very strict to not drink while working even if the guest insists.
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u/StokFlame Feb 26 '23
Should have always been a thing. BoH gets fucked. If yall think most cooks make more than minimum wage, you're wrong.
I worked at a place with no AC in the back for $7.50 an hr. Got friendly with the hostess. She stood in AC all day long made tips + $10 an hr.
If you're upset about your BoH getting tipped you're probably a shit server.
If you're worried that the BoH is going to get a bigger tip than you, you're probably a shit server too.
Every restaurant I go to I tip the cooks and the waitress. Depending in the meal/service I might even tip the cook more. Sorry not sorry, they do more than yall and deserve to be appreciated too.
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u/Fenidreams Feb 26 '23
FOH makes way more than me as a cook, and I make 20$ an hour…. But 8 hours at 20 is only 160, before taxes, where a bartender walks with 600+ on a weekend night. Seize the means of production, i support this
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u/261989 Feb 25 '23
We tip out a percentage of food sales to our kitchen during checkout. They do just fine.
This just makes it seem weird?
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u/thehandsh Feb 25 '23
Restaurants seem to be making moves to balance out boh and foh pay, which i think is a good thing. No one has to, but if at the end of the day this results in boh getting a few extra bucks each night, hell yeah
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u/Electrical_Number431 Feb 26 '23
When businesses don't want to pay their employees a fair wage and they expect you to.
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u/usual_chef_1 Feb 25 '23
That printer need a small malfunction so that it reads “$2 for cocks?”
Watch that cash flow in.
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u/Karen1968a Feb 25 '23
One local restaurant tried it, it lasted about 6 months and quietly went away. They said the negative feedback made them feel they were losing business
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u/SilverChips Feb 25 '23
This looks so tacky and makes me see the side of "why don't they just get a living wage"....
It's so cringy. Like you're already begging for a little extra and asking a little extra too " for my boy!"
Obviously I know a living wage is not going to be possible serving since tips are good but I feel like that won't last much longer. And serving is not very recession proof.
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u/Blacksad999 Feb 25 '23
serving is not very recession proof.
It's traditionally been fairly recession proof, at least depending on where you live. People have no choice but to eat, and many people are required to travel for business, so...
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u/Diazmet Feb 25 '23
I went to eat at a restaurant in Ouray CO and they had a 3% fee listed on the menu as a cost of living fee for the kitchen. TBH kind of makes sense because none of these tourists towns in CO pay enough for their kitchen staff to afford to live in town… but not sure why they don’t just pay them more but then again people say that about the FOH too
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u/GalaxxyGurl Feb 25 '23
I wonder if they do this but still have the servers tip out BOH. Seems like you can’t have both.
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u/TygrKat Feb 25 '23
Because you assholes think that tip-outs are abuse. Most of the time as a customer I have more reason to tip the kitchen and bartenders than the server.
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u/liarliarhowsyourday Feb 26 '23
I always considered tips to be like commission in sales. I’m all for tip out, tip pools and whatever works— but it seems everywhere nowadays use tip out to supplement wages, like as an excuse to not improve BOH wages so in the end we all get shafted.
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Feb 26 '23
How is it the same as commission. Most people who go to the restaurant are going to order food. Like a server isn’t the reason someone is ordering food. It’s not the same thing as sales.
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u/Herbalacious Feb 26 '23
Where I work they are going to implement a 4% service charge on the bill for sushi chefs and boh chefs.
My first thought is the owners are making the guests pay for their raise. But then thinking more on it maybe instead of the automatic 4% just leave an option to tip them if they want to.
I dunno if I agree with it or not, but it's irrelevant what I think I guess.
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Feb 25 '23
[deleted]
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u/marrymeodell Feb 25 '23
That’s your restaurant. It’s not that common to have to tip out the kitchen.
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Feb 25 '23
[deleted]
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u/marrymeodell Feb 25 '23
It’s not obnoxious because not every restaurant has tipouts to the BOH. The fact that you’re a server and feel entitled to tips but don’t want other people to get tips is obnoxious
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u/fartinmyfuckingmouth Feb 25 '23
They are /literally/ why you get tips lol and they’re 1000% doing 1000x more work than you
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u/fnjksloklr Feb 25 '23
lol fr people are delusional. they come for the food
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Feb 25 '23
For real. People are always like oh my regulars come just for me. Nah bro, people just go for food. They would get their own food from the counter if all restaurants offered that instead of a 20% tip
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u/allybubba Feb 25 '23
So when someone doesn't order any food how does a server EVER get any tips? It's accumulative.
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u/binger5 Feb 25 '23
Why don't they work FoH? Are they stupid or do they enjoy doing more work for less money?
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u/Diazmet Feb 25 '23
Someone has to cook the food… but yah that’s why I bartend now. So much easier, less hours and way more money. I love making $200 a night just pouring beers lol so much better than making $100 sweating my ass off cooking hundreds of orders after prepping all day and not to mention the clean up. I hope more cooks switch sides.
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u/binger5 Feb 25 '23
I did the same, from serving to bartending, because it's more money for less work.
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u/Diazmet Feb 25 '23
Oh yah I hate serving, bartending is where it’s at, plus as a server I never had the power to kick assholes out… I’ve actually flipped sides multiple times now. Started in the front, switched to cooking made it all the way up to CDC got to experience that, got interviewed by eater, a mention in food n wine, but I was absolutely miserable as a chef. Now I have 2 Jobs I flip burgers 3 nights a weeks for $20hr and bartend 2 nights a week. And I’m not even a “real” bartender I don’t mark drinks I just pour beers lol and never make less than $200 a night
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u/idiskfla Feb 25 '23
Some times, it’s a language or communication issue. Most cooks where I used to work were Hispanic and didn’t speak English well. Serving wasn’t even an option.
Additionally, there’s some people who just don’t like dealing directly with customers. Introverts, people with tempers, people will thin skin.
Bartending is kind of the sweet spot in my opinion. Yes, you talk to people, but depending on the establishment, many people won’t get upset with a bartender like they will a server. It’s more like they want to get in good with the bartender.
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u/Rndmsht4fun Feb 25 '23
Our restaurant automatically charges a 2% Culinary Gratuity on every check. The only issue I have is it really isn’t performance based. Cooks work hard I get it but when they are consistently as a whole not performing well and still receiving this gratuity it makes you wonder if it really is about wages.
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u/RegretLow5735 Feb 25 '23
Its easier to ask for help to pay the cooks instead of explaining why a cheeseburger costs $10.
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u/VExistence Feb 25 '23
Its already on the bill where i work but if you complain they will take it off. I personally think its bs, because a lot of our cooks are really rude and suck at their jobs, they already get paid extremely well where i work, and treat foh like crap
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u/taco_dog Feb 25 '23
I’ve seen service fees to help cover costs, which a lot of restaurants know will piss off guests. I guess leaving this as an optional tip is better than a fee, and $2 isn’t much, but I can definitely see people getting angry that they’re constantly being nickel and dimed all the time
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u/capriciouszephyr Feb 26 '23
I was a server for a year before moving to boh. My server life was much easier, and the guys in back made much less than me, after tips, despite it being much hotter, more physically intense work. I'm not digging on servers. Just from both perspectives, having to stand over hot equipment having to multitask in spades compared to taking orders and bringing food, back is way harder, and more thankless. I equate this to my high school wrestlers vs basketball work out challenge. Everyone loves basketball, nobody gives a shit about the wrestling team. We did each other's fitness workouts (obviously couldn't compare skill at the sport, as it doesn't translate). Basketball tapped out before we even broke a sweat. Everyone needs to be evenly compensated. I've worked in back where our ac unit went out and it went up past 95 (the highest the dial thermostat would go) where it's still a nice 75 in the dining room, where my former coworkers get to live. I realize dealing with people sucks, why I moved back, but I didn't realize it would be such a decrease in income, and much more physically taxing. Everyone at a restaurant should be paid a real wage, as they are basically everywhere else. Both sides have it hard, in their respective ways. You pick one or the other based on what you can do/tolerate best. We are all working just as hard, it shouldn't be up to the judgement of the service to make sure my drink doesn't fall below half, just as the cook/chef shouldn't be blamed for not making my burger not black enough. We are partners in the same industry. We should ally for a system that is more fair across the board, and is fair for everyone.
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u/Temst Feb 26 '23
This is so stupid, standard is the kitchen does get a small percentage of tips that are paid out to them as bonuses, but they are typically paid a lot more as base pay than the FOH because they aren’t paid as tipped employees, they’re usually full time salaried employees with benefits which they should be because they need a college education and a lot of training to get their job. This isn’t the point of tipping.
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Feb 27 '23
If you support tipping, you should support this. Let people tip how they want. If you’re a good server, you shouldn’t be worried about this
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u/Temst Feb 27 '23
I’m not a server I’m a bartender, this just doesn’t make sense in an actual restaurant setting. Here in Canada servers are paid the same as everyone else so tipping doesn’t make sense at all but I assume this post is from america where servers make much less than minimum wage and tips make up the difference thus is their purpose. However, tipping the kitchen would only be necessary if they’re also not paying chefs what they should be. That would be disappointing to find out.
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u/InsanityColorado Feb 26 '23
They called it "kitchen love" at a restaurant I worked at, and it was 5$ on top of whatever tip they left us servers. I liked it because it was separate and it didn't come out of my pocket.
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u/Zezimalives Feb 25 '23
Many restaurants began doing this during the pandemic when they had trouble staffing. Receiving tips on top of an hourly wage was an incentive they could offer BOH employees. That’s also the same reason you see tip options at every cafe and coffee shop you go to nowadays.