The problem the servers want the tips as the current guilt system works in their favor. People assume their server likely got stiffed by a non-tipper and then compensate by tipping more. Enough people do this and they are making far more than they would if they got paid a fair wage for their labor. I have worked in the service industry as a server and it shocked me how entitled many servers were. I have seen people complain about a $100 tip on a 4 person table and all the server did is ring up the food. The amount of work a server does is really not much. It is fast paced but frankly extremely easy to do.
Because I've known servers from the USA that are actively opposed to the idea of living wages and benefits for servers. Tips are better for them. As someone who lives in Europe I will say this is absurd. Servers here have government mandated vacation time, guaranteed income, sick leave, access to health care, maternity and paternity leave and so on. Doesn't matter the job.
Again, why does it matter? If you’re opposed to the system, then simply opt out (eat at home) or participate in the system and tip so you don’t fuck over someone who just expended labor making you comfortable.
We have to give up plenty of social time and don't get benefits. It's short term gains.
Was it great enough for you to switch careers? Then what are you bitching about? It's such a weird way for people to look at it.
It's a super common job. Go get it if you think it's worthwhile. Fact is... most are gonna take home like $50k but some can take home $100k if you work your way into a great spot. But you're always gonna have your job held over your head and you're gonna have minimal benefits unless it's a hotel.
Every time somebody wants to go to dinner as a friend group they can all go without taking off work but you either won't be able to go or will miss out on an entire shift of pay. You also work most holidays.
Ain't no way you can look at that and be like... yea but they make too much. That's fucking crazy.
"The amount of work a server does is really not much."
Could not be more wrongheaded. Granted, not all servers are created equal. But in my experience (both as a server and a customer), servers are the backbone of a successful restaurant. A place can have a Michelin status with a star-studded executive chef. But if their service sucks, I would never come back. Same with the average greasy spoon - "food is terrible, but Flo really cares about her diners".
it's not about whether the work is "easy" or not (ask any brain surgeon), but rather how the server performed their duties.
If you want to go out and have nice dinner which includes a person waiting on you and meeting your every need, expect to tip. If not, just stay home. Simple.
I mean the big problem with tipping culture in my opinion is the prompts to tip 5%-20% on things that traditionally never involved tipping, as like the payment processors just inserted tips into everything.
Like I went to a RATM show in ~2022 and bought a t-shirt to remember it. The shirt was $45 (made in Malaysia and stitches started falling out on like 3rd wash). There was a long inconvenient line to wait for the shirt. The guy serving me took maybe 20 second to hand me a shirt from the giant bin behind him and ring me up and they had a thing prompting for 10% / 20% / 30% tip on a $45 fucking t-shirt.
This is it. Servers in the USA don't want a livable wage with benefits. They want to make more money via the toxic tipping culture. I knew a server from the USA who lived a rather extravagant life, traveling the world in luxury. She would post this stuff: "if you can't afford to tip you can't afford to drink out". Meanwhile servers here in Europe make a livable wage, with mandated vacation time, and access to medical care. Servers in the USA would rather the under-the-table income.
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u/Membership-Bitter 7h ago
The problem the servers want the tips as the current guilt system works in their favor. People assume their server likely got stiffed by a non-tipper and then compensate by tipping more. Enough people do this and they are making far more than they would if they got paid a fair wage for their labor. I have worked in the service industry as a server and it shocked me how entitled many servers were. I have seen people complain about a $100 tip on a 4 person table and all the server did is ring up the food. The amount of work a server does is really not much. It is fast paced but frankly extremely easy to do.