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Guy Is Sick And Tired Of Servers Who Keep Slamming Non-Tipping Customers, Gives Them A Reality Check
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In the US, servers mostly earn from tips as federal laws allow their employers to pay them less than minimum wage because they take into account that the amount will be reached through tips, but at the same time, tips aren’t mandatory, so some customers don’t leave them.
Which infuriates some servers as they depend on them and think that more people who never worked in the industry should be aware of it. However, there is the other side of the argument, which TikToker Amir Abdallah points out, which is that it’s not the customer’s fault servers don’t get paid enough and they should be yelling at their employers instead.
More info: TikTok
RELATED:
Servers keep demeaning customers who don’t leave tips and this man thinks they are wrong
Image credits: heyy_amir
It is very understandable that anyone who has a job wants to be paid for it enough to be able to survive. If you are someone’s employee and not working for yourself, you receive your wage from them, but it’s different for hospitality industry workers as they often earn extra from tips.
But in the US, the tips aren’t extra money that you get for being nice and helpful; it has become part of the severs’ salary when even the law acknowledges it. That’s why Americans are used to tipping 15-20 percent from the amount they are already paying for food.
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The weird thing is that although the law takes into account tips, they are not mandatory and the customer can choose if they want to leave some extra money for their server. That is when the issue arises as the customer may not want to pay even more than they already did, but the server gets mad that they went above and beyond but weren’t awarded for that.
Image credits: heyy_amir
Amir Abdallah stitches a video in which a server expresses that she doesn’t have any respect for people who don’t leave tips or don’t have money for them
Image credits: heyy_amir
One of those servers is Daylie Waters, who went on TikTok to make people who don’t tip or don’t have money to tip and still go out to eat feel bad for doing that because her life depends on it. She also adds that she has no respect for those people.
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The server explains that her job is not easy and servers don’t get credit for what they do. The job itself isn’t the only hard part. Being a server means working with customers and that means that you have to forget about your worries and hide your bad mood when serving them, act nice and look happy helping them.
This is all true and you can understand why it is frustrating not to get a tip after, but another TikToker stitched Daylie’s video, giving another perspective. Amir Abdallah thinks that servers are yelling at the wrong people. They go on social media and slam the customers but never talk about what is the true culprit here.
He reminds everyone that tips are not mandatory and it’s not the customers’ fault that their workplaces makes their wages dependent on random people’s generosity
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Image credits: heyy_amir
If an employee is getting paid too little, it is the employer’s fault because they are the ones providing the job, so they need to pay for it. He also puts part of the blame on servers too because they knew what kind of industry they were entering and what kind of job they were starting.
At the same time, the TikToker understands how the industry works and he leaves tips even if he doesn’t have money for it, but disagrees that people who don’t should be publicly called out like that and shamed.
Some people in the comments agreed with Amir and pointed out that servers feel entitled to tips even when they don’t give good service. They believe servers should direct that energy they waste complaining about customers on the internet to talk with their employers.
Even under Daylie’s video, you can find comments saying that her not earning enough is not the customer’s fault and it’s in the job description to give good service. But there were also people who worked as servers and were not sure they have the power to change the system, the opportunities to change their jobs, and believed that people have to work the job to understand why not being tipped is so frustrating.
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The TikToker believes that tips should be a genuine expression of gratitude for the server because now it feels like an obligation
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Image credits: heyy_amir
Another interesting thing to point out is that some people reacted to the part where Daylie said that she doesn’t have respect for people who don’t tip by revealing that in their culture, it is actually the opposite.
So let’s look at how tips are viewed in different parts of the world because when people talk about ‘tipping culture’ in the US, they are referring to an actual part of a country’s culture.
Rick Steve’s Europe suggests not to stress over tipping because in most European countries, “tipping in Europe isn’t as automatic nor as generous as it is in the US, and in many countries, tips aren’t expected at all.”
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A normal amount would be to leave up to 10 percent. If you leave 10 percent, it is usually considered to be generous. Also, some countries might include the service as a separate line on the bill or specify on the menu that the service is not included. If it doesn’t say anything, you can assume that the prices include the service.
To make a change, servers need to start yelling at the right people instead of making customers feel bad if they can’t tip
Image credits: heyy_amir
While in the US, tipping is expected and servers actually depend on it, so people try to leave as much as they can, in Europe, tips are appreciated no matter the amount. However, in many Asian countries, it is very uncommon, and in a few, they will actually get offended if you offer them money.
A big example of this is Japan. Link Japan Careers explain why Japanese people may take offense if you insist that they keep your money: “they value dignity and respect much more than tipping. The Japanese believe you are already paying for a good service, so there is no need to pay extra by tipping.”
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A person in the comments also added that they might take you giving the money as an insult because you think they look like they don’t earn enough and consider your tip to be charity rather than a sign of gratuity.
You can watch Amir’s video below
@heyy_amir #stitch with @iamdaylie #tipping #tippingculture #opinion #fyp #restaurant ♬ original sound – heyy_amir
Leaving tips or not leaving tips aren’t inherently wrong, but the point Amir wanted to make was that in the US, servers expect and even require customers to tip when it’s legally not mandatory, but they have made it morally mandatory and want to prevent people from eating out.
We would like to hear whether you agree with Amir’s “unpopular opinion” or you think that because the law expects servers to earn their money through tips, they are allowed to expect extra money from customers. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
There were some people who disagreed and were on the server’s side, many of them found it hard to understand how they are to blame
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Image credits: Adikos (not the actual photo)
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What do you think ?
Eduard Korhonen 2 years ago
America needs to stop encouraging tipping culture. It's the only country in the world which allows employees to be underpaid on the flimsy reasoning that tips will make up for it. Customers shouldn't be paying your wages, employers should.
Scrogginj 2 years ago
You’re absolutely correct but waitresses want tips not a flat rate. Which is why they b and moan about tips and not the 2 bucks an hour their employer throws at them. At my local restaurant waitresses make 20+ an hour with tips. That might sound ok in a state like New York but I’m in a tiny town in Ohio. They bank everyday with some of them having less than a high school education. And they get whiny when they only pull in 50 bucks on a 6 hour shift or what’s equal to minimum wage here. No employer will pay them that much. And no waitress wants fast food wages.
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Carol Emory 2 years ago
Then there is the other side Scrogginj...A restaurant owner here does not pay the tips to the waitresses if the bills are paid with a card. He keeps them. And while he won't give pay check stubs to a waitress that needs them to apply for food stamps for her kid, he's buying himself a $4 million home. The practice of tipping makes it easier for bad people to rip off these workers. Make them pay a fair wage from the start and it will stop. That's why Seattle made it mandatory for $15/hr no matter the work being done. People keep saying if you can't afford to eat and leave a tip, stay home. At that same time, if you are a restaurant owner and you can't pay your employees a decent wage, you shouldn't be in business.
Carol Emory 2 years ago (edited)
@Scrogginj...I tried to report him to Dept of Labor & Industries and to the Health Department (after getting moldy food.) L&I wouldn't take the complaint unless it came from a worker. The servers were all too scared of retaliation to do it. And the Health Department...well his wife worked for them so she could give him a heads up every time they planned an inspection. One place he hasn't been reported to, and I'm tempted to do so, is the IRS...because I can guarantee he's not only not reporting the extra money...but he's probably getting funds from the government to supplement his employees income and is pocketing it instead of passing it on.
Amie Brien Heath 2 years ago
Retaliation is exactly why servers, myself included, aren't demanding higher wages. The second any of the management start to hear or even suspect any their servers discussing higher wages, those servers are out of a job so fast ', it's not even funny. That conversation isn't one we'll discuss with even our closest friend/coworker because of what will happen. You're shifts start getting cut, you begin to get less and less tables, knocked out of getting any larger groups or parties, your coworkers treat you differently, you find yourself getting written up for essentially nothing and if you don't quit from the frustration of all that (most will) the next step is doing what it takes to get you fired. You can't trust anyone in the restaurant industry, it's every, man for himself, so to speak. As for those of you assuming any of our education level, just don't. I have a college degree and 80% of my coworkers are college educated. There's not many jobs where we live.
Sylvia DuBois 2 years ago
I'm in Oregon where our minimum wage is 12.50 to 14.75 depending on where you live, with tips they make more than some jobs which require a degree. I support a fair wage so they don't require tips to make a living.
Anastasia Schenkel 2 years ago
No waitress is getting paid $20 an hour from an employer and getting tips on top of that. I’d love a owner who would up the prices by 20% so I wouldn’t have to knock you down with service to pay my mortgage.
Cynthia McGarvie 2 years ago
Their wage is $2.14/hr, just as it has been for decades. Tips are only meant to bump it up to regular minimum wage.
millac 1 year ago
This. It takes a retail worker a full week to earn $300. Wait staff can get that in 2 weekend nights. People also seem to forget it's a sales and commission job. The trade off to being able to make a week's worth of money in a single shift is that the income fluctuates and they also have to take slow shifts for little pay. They seem to want to remove the negative aspects (the variance and the lower pay days) while keeping and increasing the positives (the making $$$$ in a single day thing)
Tam StaR 2 years ago
Or don't work there. It's not my job to use funds for the lack of income an employer pays. I'll happily add another buck or two to what I'm ordering to make sure everyone has a fair wage. If its' about a bloated paycheck based on tips that aren't consistent, I can't help you. But whether I tip or not, I'm still eating out how I want. And for damn sure if I'm picking up my own food, I'm not tipping you anything. Tipping it out of fu¢king control in the states from hotels to restaurants and I'm over it. Owners stop siphoning money and pay your people or close up shop.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Yup, and additionally, don't choose to work in a profession that offers optional salary dependent upon the charity of strangers. And certainly don't do it if you have extra mouths to feed. Plenty of jobs out there that only require a high school education that actually pay wages instead of "go get it from the customer" ..
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
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Er... With your attitude it doesn't seem like somebody trying to shame publicly non-tippers would bother you. So what's the issue.
Dizavid 2 years ago (edited)
Their issue appears to be multimillion to billion dollar companies are expecting us to pick up the slack bc they don't want to pay normal wages. I'd think it's pretty obvious what their issue is. So now my issues: 1. Passive aggressively defending something doesn't provide as much cover as you think: you absolutely out yourself as someone who has no issue stepping on the backs of others. Issue 2 is your last sentence requires a question mark, bc I don't always Grammar Nazi, but when I do it's over people trying to defend abusive practices.
Kendra Miller 2 years ago
I work as a server in Canada. We've set a wage minimum of 15. I have great bosses. In order to attract skilled employees they were offering 15 before that law came into effect. Now we make 15 plus tips, which we share. We are all expected to pull our weight, from the dishwasher to the senior server and so we share in the spoils. We also calculate the card tips and split that among us. I have another factory job and I make 15.50 and that's it. Still I've heard some of my coworkers complain about no-tippers, it's understandable where they are coming from, they have a financial goal, and each good night gets them closer and in a better financial position. Humans are also impatient we want to reach our goal as fast as possible. Sometimes that goal is surviving so that can lead to desperation which is then turned onto the no-tippers. But again we never know someone's situation, they might be broke themselves and treating themselves to a anniversary dinner. We all just have to be kind.
Stargazer66 2 years ago
There is a loophole in the federal minimum wage law that encourages tipping because by law restaurant owners are allowed to pay their servers just $2.13/hr as long as tips bring their salary up to state/minimum wage. As long as this loophole exists, servers will continue to get short changed. Eliminate that loophole and restaurant owners will be required by law to pay their server the federal/state minimum wage.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Until they do (close that loophole), might be time to start a revolution, i.e. stop working at businesses that keep abusing that practice..businesses could always find other ways to compensate their employees, perhaps institute practices like, oh, I don't know, profit sharing, etc? God forbid lol
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago (edited)
You're simply wrong on the law, Eduard. Federal law requires waitresses* be paid minimum wage. It's just that usually tips greatly exceed minimum wage. But in the unlikely instance where a waitress shows up for a shift and business is so poor that she doesn't make much money, she must make at least minimum wage for EACH hour she works. So if the minimum wage is $15/hour and she makes nothing for 7 hours, and on the 8th hour she makes $300, she must get paid $405. (*Just because everyone here says "waitress," I'm using feminine pronouns.)
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Actually no because regular minimum wage does not apply to waitstaff in every state. They have a separate minimum compared to non restaurant workers.
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Also I bet if they raised the prices to pay a living wage to the servers and the staff there would all the people who go it's too expensive. I believe they should all have a living wage, but also it you go out to eat plan your tip accordingly and if you have the means tip more than regular. But I also know the richer people get the stingier they are to the "help".
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
Well also if the restaurant adds more to the cost of the food to pay the wait staff more, what will happen is the company will pocket some of that extra profit too. So they might start charging 20% more per meal but then only give the servers $15 an hour (meaning a likely net loss for the servers while the owners get fatter).
Mike Wilson 2 years ago (edited)
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"Customers shouldn't be paying your wages, employers should."? Where do you think the employers get the money to pay their employees? "If a restaurant can't afford to pay their employees a livable wage they shouldn't be in business."? In order for a restaurant to pay a "livable" wage they would then have to raise prices, then you non tippers wouldn't be able to afford to eat there anyway. I love how so many people think restaurant owners are getting rich out here.
CL Rowan 2 years ago (edited)
Either way that owner doesn't need to be in business. Can't afford to pay your employees? Get out of there; you're a lousy business person.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Well then it might be a good time to check out how all the restaurants in almost every country outside of Canada and the United States make it work without forcing their employees to rely on tips?
Robert T 2 years ago
Here we go again. Can we just agree that the American tipping culture is toxic and that restaurants should be paying their servers a decent living wage. Any anger should be directed at the employer and not the customer. After all isn't this the country that decided that the customer is always right!
StrangeOne 2 years ago
The toxic tipping mindset is trickling up into Canada, too.
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WoodenLion 2 years ago (edited)
i think you are correct Robert- 'cept your last sentence i do not agree with it wherever it came from.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
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>> Any anger should be directed at the employer and not the customer. << No, we can't agree on that. Custom and law both put the responsibility on the patron, not the restaurant. Your attitude is like that of a baby Daddy who says, "Well, she should've been on the pill." Maybe so, but that doesn't alter your responsibility.
StrangeOne 2 years ago
What??? You're comparing restaurant tipping to deadbeat dads? I don't get what you're going at? How is the customer responsible for waitstaff wages? They just want to eat their meals in peace and enjoy their company, ffs. A customer is responsible for paying their bill. The end. Anything else is extra.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
I mean it's not that big of a stretch. They're saying until the laws changed we should still make sure we're leaving some money behind for the servers.
Sadie Lynn 2 years ago (edited)
Remember that when tipping shows up at your job. Why do you think fast food now has tipping? And how far down the road is it before they are considered wait staff? Meaning.... now the company doesn't have to pay more than $2.50 an hour to McDonald's, Burger King, etc. As someone who has family as the "ones at the top". I promise that's the goal. Why else would all these companies be adding tipping to jobs that should not have it. I don't mind tipping my server, I'm actually a great tipper. Unless you actually are terrible, then I might not give as much. But still leave something. But I reserve that for actual servers. Not fast food staff. They are absolutely coming for their wages. That's exactly why the restaurants and law is wrong. This was inevitably going to happen eventually. America IS heading to third world domain if this don't stop. But no one wants to stand up to their employer so it inevitably will happen.
Robert T 2 years ago
My attitude is based on the fact that system of actually paying a decent wage works perfectly well in other countries, and it is America and American employers that don't want to move away from a broken system.
Sadie Lynn 2 years ago
You're correct. I find it extremely sad that people don't understand why tipping is in America is so toxic. They don't understand that 10 or less years from now McDs and other fast food will be considered wait staff and paid accordingly. They don't see the man with the fat wallet coming for more. You're coffee batista will make $2.50 an hour and hope your not a tipped employee too so that maybe you'll leave a tip. Gonna be a lot more broke and poor families out there. But every other country does fine with giving employees a livable wage... why? Laws, plain and simple. In the US if they can exploit something... they will. Personally I believe this is why when America had great employers was due to... Unions. Which is also another way people can fight before its to late, unionize.
Tinderella 2 years ago
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There’s no reasonable wage that would be the equivalent of what servers make. They’re getting more than $20 an hour, and what restaurant is going to pay that?
Robert T 2 years ago
How about we take for example one of the hundreds of other countries where tip-based pay is not the norm? In the UK, the minimum wage is currently £9.50/hour (23+) . This means that you have a guaranteed minumum take home pay based on the hours you work. We still have tipping, but it is optional. Many restaurants will include a service charge for large parties. Staff therefore still get paid even if no one comes into the restaurant, and they can earn significantly more than minimum wage if they provide good service. It is paid for by setting a reasonable price on the menu that includes delivering it to your table. It's not rocket science.
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
Paying minimum wage doesn't prevent the customer from tipping. This is a weird argument used by people who are desperate to defend a system that is racist and discriminatory.
Colin Brackenridge 2 years ago
Racist? Please explain because I'm unaware of the racist background to this.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
I don't know if it's what they meant, but a lot of weight staff are either women or minorities in many places. Groups of people that are traditionally taken advantage of when it comes to wages. 🤔
Andrei Caldararu 2 years ago
IIRC, it started with paying very low wages overall and white patrons would tip white wait staff very generously compared to black wait staff...
jade s 2 years ago
Which begs the question, if they get average $20/hr to bring plates to a table and smile why do they get upset when 1 person can't afford it.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
Well, based on my sister who's a waitress, it's not that they get upset that one person can't afford it. They get upset when a huge table takes a huge amount of time is rude unruly and then doesn't leave a tip on top of all that. It's like they put up with all that stress with a smile on their face just to get stiffed in the end. To them it feels like being spat on.
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
They also don't just smile and bring plates to the table. There is a thing called sideworks that they need to do also which varies by restaurants. Who do you think ends up doing the dishes and mopping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms ???? Some have to do all these jobs.
Nathaniel 2 years ago
Customers should not be expected to pay tips. Tips are a gratuity and should only be paid if you can afford it and the service has been good enough to deserve a tip. Customers should NOT be shamed for not tipping. The business owners should be shamed for expecting customers generosity to pay their staff's wages.
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago
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As a former server and bartender - tips kept me alive. Wouldn’t it be cool if my actual paycheque kept me alive? Shame on the s****y shystem
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If we all stop tipping, restaurants might change, but in between, all servers will experience an uncomfortable broke squeeze where they’re between a rock and a hard place with their wages, and it would hurt a lot of people. I don’t think the solution is for all of us to stop tipping right now, but to get the government to throw some wage mandates at restaurants and get servers paid a living wage so we can abolish tip culture altogether, all at once.
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago (edited)
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*although unfortunately that’s the hard part :/ many people who are passionate about the tipping/no-tipping debate are less passionate about lobbying for change (I have an opinion on it and even I’ve honestly done 0 about it but casually complain), and it’s not high on a lot of politician’s radars in North America. So, honest question to anyone who feels like chatting, how should we do this? 🤔
Lee Stone 2 years ago
Gratuity may be *legally* optional, but it's in cultures that permit it, it's often required by etiquette. You aren't legally required to say "I'm sorry" when bump into me with your cart at the grocery store, but you can bet that I'm going to find it highly rude if you don't. Also, as a formerly homeless teen that eventually got his life together, one of the first lessons you learn on saving money is eating out should be generally avoided at all costs. It's sad, but it's true. If the choice is stiffing your waitress spending your last few dollars at chili's, or saving that $70 dollars for next month, save the damn money!
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
No, the only thing I can't afford is the audacity that the customer needs to pay the salary of the employee of said restaurant..
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Maybe when you go out to eat then you should ask the manager what's the pay rate and then don't eat at that restaurant if they're not paying enough. That's the only way to break the cycle .
Ivica 2 years ago
Maybe the servers should sign the contract for living wage. It's not my responsibility..
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
I am disgusted by the fact that this comment has been downvoted while the "it's not my responsibility" has upvotes. No wonder the USA is in so much trouble if the general attitude is like that.
Vira 2 years ago
It's not the customer's responsibility, though. A person shouldn't accept a job that is underpaying them. Both parties should prioritize legislature that improves quality of life. But a customer walking into a restaurant shouldn't be obligated to throw money at waitresses, as if they're street urchins, when the restaurant is abusing their workers behind the scenes.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Agreed. This is the land of capitalism, the land of plenty and opportunity, yet it's also the land where restaurant owners foist the responsibility to pay their employees' salaries onto the customer. Plenty of other countries don't have this problem...
General Anaesthesia 2 years ago
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Nathaniel 2 years ago
The customer is not the one letting the server work for hunger wages. The only people responsible are the business owners/
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
The guilt of one person in no way assuages the guilt of anyone else. Even if someone shoots someone in the gut and leaves them bleeding out in the street, you can't rob them and say it's the shooter who's guilty. If you don't think the restaurant owner's employment practices are good, don't eat there. If you do eat there, you are obliged to treat the waitress FAIRLY.
Arming Gaming 2 years ago
Yeah I'd just much rather eat at home anyways, cheaper and I cook better food then most restaurants anyway, this type of mindset is the main reasoning why I don't go out to eat, I work hard for my money if I want to go out cause I don't want to cook then I'm going to pay for my meal and the staff and servers do the job their hired to do or go find another profession cause it's obviously not for anyone who b***h and moans cause they didn't get a Optional gratiuty, I stg the way people have made this makes it to where people don't wanna eat out and tip y'all for doing y'all's job y'all got hired to do knowing what'd you be paid hourly. If finding a better job isn't In the books for you then maybe y'all need to sit down and think about yalls life choices, cause if everyone decided to stop going to restaurants or tipping then where does that leave y'all? Without a job cause everyone bitched at everyone and made them run off
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
I don't have a problem treating the waitstaff fairly, but I take issue with the expectation to pay them separate wages above and beyond what their EMPLOYER is supposed to be paying them.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
Nice dodge, but you do know that in America, waitresses make most of their income from tips.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
So you're "revenge" on "flawed employment practices" falls on the victims.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
Again, though: You're continuing to pay the "owners and managers"; It's the waittresses you're f*****g over.
marcelo D. 2 years ago
The costumer is not even part of the equation of low wages. Wages are a contract between the employer and the employee.
tara 2 years ago (edited)
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So General Anaesthesia do you also tip the people who work at Mcdonalds and Burger King? The people at Starbucks or Tim Hortons? They work hard...their pay isn't great...They are on their feet all day, they take your order, they take your payment, sometimes the same employee will even make your food and clean your table when you leave. Why don't they deserve your tips? Because they didn't WALK the food to your table?! WTF!
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
But they're pay is better than waitstaff minimum. Example here in new jersey minimum starting wage is 13, but if you are waitstaff it is only 5.13. so that's why there is tip culture. Mcds BK Starbucks etc all get the 13. A waiter at somewhere like olive garden gets 5.13
Arming Gaming 2 years ago
Then those people at olive garden's need to start putting apps into BK and McDs consistent pay is always gonna be better then inconsistent/variable pay
Sadie Lynn 2 years ago
Only for the moment. Why do you think tips have been added to the system. I promise it's NOT for the workers benefit. It's so that 5 to 10 years from now they can be considered wait staff, and get wait staff pay. But they're all for it now, too blind to see. I have family in ceo positions as well as family in store manager positions... some fast food places have yet too see tips on their pay. Yet it's being given. Let that sink in. Also, they don't let store managers claim tips. Why is that? Job protection for higher ups. That's what. People need to think about what they are actually tipping for and who. It's no benefit to the worker in the long-term, I guarantee it.
Tinderella 2 years ago
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If you can’t afford to tip you can afford to eat out. Get take out. You guys never do that to construction workers or mechanics when you have to pay for labor.
Nathaniel 2 years ago
The cost of the meal should cover ingredients, wages, overheads etc. Tipping is NOT paying for labour. It is a voluntary gratuity to show appreciation, if deserved. If I have only enough money on me to pay for a meal, I am entitled to my meal.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
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Tipping aside, if you only have enough money for your meal you really need to make better priorities for spending and saving. Restaurant food doesn't even taste that good you can make a better meal for 10% of the price at home with a little patience and practice...
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
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If they covered everything you said you wouldn't be able to afford the meal then. And if you can only afford a few dollars but someone else can afford to be more generous it hopefully evens out. But leaving nothing is a D@ck move
Tinderella 2 years ago
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Of course you feel entitled unironically. You’re entitled to get carry out all you want. If you want service, you have to pay for it. Even if you’re poor, this isn’t a tough concept. Tipping is paying for labor. That’s how words work. It isn’t always literal like you’re taking it.
Eduard Korhonen 2 years ago
America needs to stop encouraging tipping culture. It's the only country in the world which allows employees to be underpaid on the flimsy reasoning that tips will make up for it. Customers shouldn't be paying your wages, employers should.
Scrogginj 2 years ago
You’re absolutely correct but waitresses want tips not a flat rate. Which is why they b and moan about tips and not the 2 bucks an hour their employer throws at them. At my local restaurant waitresses make 20+ an hour with tips. That might sound ok in a state like New York but I’m in a tiny town in Ohio. They bank everyday with some of them having less than a high school education. And they get whiny when they only pull in 50 bucks on a 6 hour shift or what’s equal to minimum wage here. No employer will pay them that much. And no waitress wants fast food wages.
Load More Replies... Carol Emory 2 years ago
Then there is the other side Scrogginj...A restaurant owner here does not pay the tips to the waitresses if the bills are paid with a card. He keeps them. And while he won't give pay check stubs to a waitress that needs them to apply for food stamps for her kid, he's buying himself a $4 million home. The practice of tipping makes it easier for bad people to rip off these workers. Make them pay a fair wage from the start and it will stop. That's why Seattle made it mandatory for $15/hr no matter the work being done. People keep saying if you can't afford to eat and leave a tip, stay home. At that same time, if you are a restaurant owner and you can't pay your employees a decent wage, you shouldn't be in business.
Carol Emory 2 years ago (edited)
@Scrogginj...I tried to report him to Dept of Labor & Industries and to the Health Department (after getting moldy food.) L&I wouldn't take the complaint unless it came from a worker. The servers were all too scared of retaliation to do it. And the Health Department...well his wife worked for them so she could give him a heads up every time they planned an inspection. One place he hasn't been reported to, and I'm tempted to do so, is the IRS...because I can guarantee he's not only not reporting the extra money...but he's probably getting funds from the government to supplement his employees income and is pocketing it instead of passing it on.
Amie Brien Heath 2 years ago
Retaliation is exactly why servers, myself included, aren't demanding higher wages. The second any of the management start to hear or even suspect any their servers discussing higher wages, those servers are out of a job so fast ', it's not even funny. That conversation isn't one we'll discuss with even our closest friend/coworker because of what will happen. You're shifts start getting cut, you begin to get less and less tables, knocked out of getting any larger groups or parties, your coworkers treat you differently, you find yourself getting written up for essentially nothing and if you don't quit from the frustration of all that (most will) the next step is doing what it takes to get you fired. You can't trust anyone in the restaurant industry, it's every, man for himself, so to speak. As for those of you assuming any of our education level, just don't. I have a college degree and 80% of my coworkers are college educated. There's not many jobs where we live.
Sylvia DuBois 2 years ago
I'm in Oregon where our minimum wage is 12.50 to 14.75 depending on where you live, with tips they make more than some jobs which require a degree. I support a fair wage so they don't require tips to make a living.
Anastasia Schenkel 2 years ago
No waitress is getting paid $20 an hour from an employer and getting tips on top of that. I’d love a owner who would up the prices by 20% so I wouldn’t have to knock you down with service to pay my mortgage.
Cynthia McGarvie 2 years ago
Their wage is $2.14/hr, just as it has been for decades. Tips are only meant to bump it up to regular minimum wage.
millac 1 year ago
This. It takes a retail worker a full week to earn $300. Wait staff can get that in 2 weekend nights. People also seem to forget it's a sales and commission job. The trade off to being able to make a week's worth of money in a single shift is that the income fluctuates and they also have to take slow shifts for little pay. They seem to want to remove the negative aspects (the variance and the lower pay days) while keeping and increasing the positives (the making $$$$ in a single day thing)
Tam StaR 2 years ago
Or don't work there. It's not my job to use funds for the lack of income an employer pays. I'll happily add another buck or two to what I'm ordering to make sure everyone has a fair wage. If its' about a bloated paycheck based on tips that aren't consistent, I can't help you. But whether I tip or not, I'm still eating out how I want. And for damn sure if I'm picking up my own food, I'm not tipping you anything. Tipping it out of fu¢king control in the states from hotels to restaurants and I'm over it. Owners stop siphoning money and pay your people or close up shop.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Yup, and additionally, don't choose to work in a profession that offers optional salary dependent upon the charity of strangers. And certainly don't do it if you have extra mouths to feed. Plenty of jobs out there that only require a high school education that actually pay wages instead of "go get it from the customer" ..
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
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Er... With your attitude it doesn't seem like somebody trying to shame publicly non-tippers would bother you. So what's the issue.
Dizavid 2 years ago (edited)
Their issue appears to be multimillion to billion dollar companies are expecting us to pick up the slack bc they don't want to pay normal wages. I'd think it's pretty obvious what their issue is. So now my issues: 1. Passive aggressively defending something doesn't provide as much cover as you think: you absolutely out yourself as someone who has no issue stepping on the backs of others. Issue 2 is your last sentence requires a question mark, bc I don't always Grammar Nazi, but when I do it's over people trying to defend abusive practices.
Kendra Miller 2 years ago
I work as a server in Canada. We've set a wage minimum of 15. I have great bosses. In order to attract skilled employees they were offering 15 before that law came into effect. Now we make 15 plus tips, which we share. We are all expected to pull our weight, from the dishwasher to the senior server and so we share in the spoils. We also calculate the card tips and split that among us. I have another factory job and I make 15.50 and that's it. Still I've heard some of my coworkers complain about no-tippers, it's understandable where they are coming from, they have a financial goal, and each good night gets them closer and in a better financial position. Humans are also impatient we want to reach our goal as fast as possible. Sometimes that goal is surviving so that can lead to desperation which is then turned onto the no-tippers. But again we never know someone's situation, they might be broke themselves and treating themselves to a anniversary dinner. We all just have to be kind.
Stargazer66 2 years ago
There is a loophole in the federal minimum wage law that encourages tipping because by law restaurant owners are allowed to pay their servers just $2.13/hr as long as tips bring their salary up to state/minimum wage. As long as this loophole exists, servers will continue to get short changed. Eliminate that loophole and restaurant owners will be required by law to pay their server the federal/state minimum wage.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Until they do (close that loophole), might be time to start a revolution, i.e. stop working at businesses that keep abusing that practice..businesses could always find other ways to compensate their employees, perhaps institute practices like, oh, I don't know, profit sharing, etc? God forbid lol
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago (edited)
You're simply wrong on the law, Eduard. Federal law requires waitresses* be paid minimum wage. It's just that usually tips greatly exceed minimum wage. But in the unlikely instance where a waitress shows up for a shift and business is so poor that she doesn't make much money, she must make at least minimum wage for EACH hour she works. So if the minimum wage is $15/hour and she makes nothing for 7 hours, and on the 8th hour she makes $300, she must get paid $405. (*Just because everyone here says "waitress," I'm using feminine pronouns.)
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Actually no because regular minimum wage does not apply to waitstaff in every state. They have a separate minimum compared to non restaurant workers.
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Also I bet if they raised the prices to pay a living wage to the servers and the staff there would all the people who go it's too expensive. I believe they should all have a living wage, but also it you go out to eat plan your tip accordingly and if you have the means tip more than regular. But I also know the richer people get the stingier they are to the "help".
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
Well also if the restaurant adds more to the cost of the food to pay the wait staff more, what will happen is the company will pocket some of that extra profit too. So they might start charging 20% more per meal but then only give the servers $15 an hour (meaning a likely net loss for the servers while the owners get fatter).
Mike Wilson 2 years ago (edited)
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"Customers shouldn't be paying your wages, employers should."? Where do you think the employers get the money to pay their employees? "If a restaurant can't afford to pay their employees a livable wage they shouldn't be in business."? In order for a restaurant to pay a "livable" wage they would then have to raise prices, then you non tippers wouldn't be able to afford to eat there anyway. I love how so many people think restaurant owners are getting rich out here.
CL Rowan 2 years ago (edited)
Either way that owner doesn't need to be in business. Can't afford to pay your employees? Get out of there; you're a lousy business person.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Well then it might be a good time to check out how all the restaurants in almost every country outside of Canada and the United States make it work without forcing their employees to rely on tips?
Robert T 2 years ago
Here we go again. Can we just agree that the American tipping culture is toxic and that restaurants should be paying their servers a decent living wage. Any anger should be directed at the employer and not the customer. After all isn't this the country that decided that the customer is always right!
StrangeOne 2 years ago
The toxic tipping mindset is trickling up into Canada, too.
Load More Replies... WoodenLion 2 years ago (edited)
i think you are correct Robert- 'cept your last sentence i do not agree with it wherever it came from.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
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>> Any anger should be directed at the employer and not the customer. << No, we can't agree on that. Custom and law both put the responsibility on the patron, not the restaurant. Your attitude is like that of a baby Daddy who says, "Well, she should've been on the pill." Maybe so, but that doesn't alter your responsibility.
StrangeOne 2 years ago
What??? You're comparing restaurant tipping to deadbeat dads? I don't get what you're going at? How is the customer responsible for waitstaff wages? They just want to eat their meals in peace and enjoy their company, ffs. A customer is responsible for paying their bill. The end. Anything else is extra.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
I mean it's not that big of a stretch. They're saying until the laws changed we should still make sure we're leaving some money behind for the servers.
Sadie Lynn 2 years ago (edited)
Remember that when tipping shows up at your job. Why do you think fast food now has tipping? And how far down the road is it before they are considered wait staff? Meaning.... now the company doesn't have to pay more than $2.50 an hour to McDonald's, Burger King, etc. As someone who has family as the "ones at the top". I promise that's the goal. Why else would all these companies be adding tipping to jobs that should not have it. I don't mind tipping my server, I'm actually a great tipper. Unless you actually are terrible, then I might not give as much. But still leave something. But I reserve that for actual servers. Not fast food staff. They are absolutely coming for their wages. That's exactly why the restaurants and law is wrong. This was inevitably going to happen eventually. America IS heading to third world domain if this don't stop. But no one wants to stand up to their employer so it inevitably will happen.
Robert T 2 years ago
My attitude is based on the fact that system of actually paying a decent wage works perfectly well in other countries, and it is America and American employers that don't want to move away from a broken system.
Sadie Lynn 2 years ago
You're correct. I find it extremely sad that people don't understand why tipping is in America is so toxic. They don't understand that 10 or less years from now McDs and other fast food will be considered wait staff and paid accordingly. They don't see the man with the fat wallet coming for more. You're coffee batista will make $2.50 an hour and hope your not a tipped employee too so that maybe you'll leave a tip. Gonna be a lot more broke and poor families out there. But every other country does fine with giving employees a livable wage... why? Laws, plain and simple. In the US if they can exploit something... they will. Personally I believe this is why when America had great employers was due to... Unions. Which is also another way people can fight before its to late, unionize.
Tinderella 2 years ago
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There’s no reasonable wage that would be the equivalent of what servers make. They’re getting more than $20 an hour, and what restaurant is going to pay that?
Robert T 2 years ago
How about we take for example one of the hundreds of other countries where tip-based pay is not the norm? In the UK, the minimum wage is currently £9.50/hour (23+) . This means that you have a guaranteed minumum take home pay based on the hours you work. We still have tipping, but it is optional. Many restaurants will include a service charge for large parties. Staff therefore still get paid even if no one comes into the restaurant, and they can earn significantly more than minimum wage if they provide good service. It is paid for by setting a reasonable price on the menu that includes delivering it to your table. It's not rocket science.
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
Paying minimum wage doesn't prevent the customer from tipping. This is a weird argument used by people who are desperate to defend a system that is racist and discriminatory.
Colin Brackenridge 2 years ago
Racist? Please explain because I'm unaware of the racist background to this.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
I don't know if it's what they meant, but a lot of weight staff are either women or minorities in many places. Groups of people that are traditionally taken advantage of when it comes to wages. 🤔
Andrei Caldararu 2 years ago
IIRC, it started with paying very low wages overall and white patrons would tip white wait staff very generously compared to black wait staff...
jade s 2 years ago
Which begs the question, if they get average $20/hr to bring plates to a table and smile why do they get upset when 1 person can't afford it.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
Well, based on my sister who's a waitress, it's not that they get upset that one person can't afford it. They get upset when a huge table takes a huge amount of time is rude unruly and then doesn't leave a tip on top of all that. It's like they put up with all that stress with a smile on their face just to get stiffed in the end. To them it feels like being spat on.
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
They also don't just smile and bring plates to the table. There is a thing called sideworks that they need to do also which varies by restaurants. Who do you think ends up doing the dishes and mopping the floors and cleaning the bathrooms ???? Some have to do all these jobs.
Nathaniel 2 years ago
Customers should not be expected to pay tips. Tips are a gratuity and should only be paid if you can afford it and the service has been good enough to deserve a tip. Customers should NOT be shamed for not tipping. The business owners should be shamed for expecting customers generosity to pay their staff's wages.
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago
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As a former server and bartender - tips kept me alive. Wouldn’t it be cool if my actual paycheque kept me alive? Shame on the s****y shystem
Load More Replies... 3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago
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If we all stop tipping, restaurants might change, but in between, all servers will experience an uncomfortable broke squeeze where they’re between a rock and a hard place with their wages, and it would hurt a lot of people. I don’t think the solution is for all of us to stop tipping right now, but to get the government to throw some wage mandates at restaurants and get servers paid a living wage so we can abolish tip culture altogether, all at once.
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago (edited)
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*although unfortunately that’s the hard part :/ many people who are passionate about the tipping/no-tipping debate are less passionate about lobbying for change (I have an opinion on it and even I’ve honestly done 0 about it but casually complain), and it’s not high on a lot of politician’s radars in North America. So, honest question to anyone who feels like chatting, how should we do this? 🤔
Lee Stone 2 years ago
Gratuity may be *legally* optional, but it's in cultures that permit it, it's often required by etiquette. You aren't legally required to say "I'm sorry" when bump into me with your cart at the grocery store, but you can bet that I'm going to find it highly rude if you don't. Also, as a formerly homeless teen that eventually got his life together, one of the first lessons you learn on saving money is eating out should be generally avoided at all costs. It's sad, but it's true. If the choice is stiffing your waitress spending your last few dollars at chili's, or saving that $70 dollars for next month, save the damn money!
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
No, the only thing I can't afford is the audacity that the customer needs to pay the salary of the employee of said restaurant..
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
Maybe when you go out to eat then you should ask the manager what's the pay rate and then don't eat at that restaurant if they're not paying enough. That's the only way to break the cycle .
Ivica 2 years ago
Maybe the servers should sign the contract for living wage. It's not my responsibility..
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
I am disgusted by the fact that this comment has been downvoted while the "it's not my responsibility" has upvotes. No wonder the USA is in so much trouble if the general attitude is like that.
Vira 2 years ago
It's not the customer's responsibility, though. A person shouldn't accept a job that is underpaying them. Both parties should prioritize legislature that improves quality of life. But a customer walking into a restaurant shouldn't be obligated to throw money at waitresses, as if they're street urchins, when the restaurant is abusing their workers behind the scenes.
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
Agreed. This is the land of capitalism, the land of plenty and opportunity, yet it's also the land where restaurant owners foist the responsibility to pay their employees' salaries onto the customer. Plenty of other countries don't have this problem...
General Anaesthesia 2 years ago
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Nathaniel 2 years ago
The customer is not the one letting the server work for hunger wages. The only people responsible are the business owners/
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
The guilt of one person in no way assuages the guilt of anyone else. Even if someone shoots someone in the gut and leaves them bleeding out in the street, you can't rob them and say it's the shooter who's guilty. If you don't think the restaurant owner's employment practices are good, don't eat there. If you do eat there, you are obliged to treat the waitress FAIRLY.
Arming Gaming 2 years ago
Yeah I'd just much rather eat at home anyways, cheaper and I cook better food then most restaurants anyway, this type of mindset is the main reasoning why I don't go out to eat, I work hard for my money if I want to go out cause I don't want to cook then I'm going to pay for my meal and the staff and servers do the job their hired to do or go find another profession cause it's obviously not for anyone who b***h and moans cause they didn't get a Optional gratiuty, I stg the way people have made this makes it to where people don't wanna eat out and tip y'all for doing y'all's job y'all got hired to do knowing what'd you be paid hourly. If finding a better job isn't In the books for you then maybe y'all need to sit down and think about yalls life choices, cause if everyone decided to stop going to restaurants or tipping then where does that leave y'all? Without a job cause everyone bitched at everyone and made them run off
Lord Humungus 1 year ago
I don't have a problem treating the waitstaff fairly, but I take issue with the expectation to pay them separate wages above and beyond what their EMPLOYER is supposed to be paying them.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
Nice dodge, but you do know that in America, waitresses make most of their income from tips.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
So you're "revenge" on "flawed employment practices" falls on the victims.
the Return of Bruno 2 years ago
Again, though: You're continuing to pay the "owners and managers"; It's the waittresses you're f*****g over.
marcelo D. 2 years ago
The costumer is not even part of the equation of low wages. Wages are a contract between the employer and the employee.
tara 2 years ago (edited)
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So General Anaesthesia do you also tip the people who work at Mcdonalds and Burger King? The people at Starbucks or Tim Hortons? They work hard...their pay isn't great...They are on their feet all day, they take your order, they take your payment, sometimes the same employee will even make your food and clean your table when you leave. Why don't they deserve your tips? Because they didn't WALK the food to your table?! WTF!
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
But they're pay is better than waitstaff minimum. Example here in new jersey minimum starting wage is 13, but if you are waitstaff it is only 5.13. so that's why there is tip culture. Mcds BK Starbucks etc all get the 13. A waiter at somewhere like olive garden gets 5.13
Arming Gaming 2 years ago
Then those people at olive garden's need to start putting apps into BK and McDs consistent pay is always gonna be better then inconsistent/variable pay
Sadie Lynn 2 years ago
Only for the moment. Why do you think tips have been added to the system. I promise it's NOT for the workers benefit. It's so that 5 to 10 years from now they can be considered wait staff, and get wait staff pay. But they're all for it now, too blind to see. I have family in ceo positions as well as family in store manager positions... some fast food places have yet too see tips on their pay. Yet it's being given. Let that sink in. Also, they don't let store managers claim tips. Why is that? Job protection for higher ups. That's what. People need to think about what they are actually tipping for and who. It's no benefit to the worker in the long-term, I guarantee it.
Tinderella 2 years ago
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If you can’t afford to tip you can afford to eat out. Get take out. You guys never do that to construction workers or mechanics when you have to pay for labor.
Nathaniel 2 years ago
The cost of the meal should cover ingredients, wages, overheads etc. Tipping is NOT paying for labour. It is a voluntary gratuity to show appreciation, if deserved. If I have only enough money on me to pay for a meal, I am entitled to my meal.
Jessica Olson 2 years ago
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Tipping aside, if you only have enough money for your meal you really need to make better priorities for spending and saving. Restaurant food doesn't even taste that good you can make a better meal for 10% of the price at home with a little patience and practice...
firecrackershrimp 2 years ago
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If they covered everything you said you wouldn't be able to afford the meal then. And if you can only afford a few dollars but someone else can afford to be more generous it hopefully evens out. But leaving nothing is a D@ck move
Tinderella 2 years ago
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Of course you feel entitled unironically. You’re entitled to get carry out all you want. If you want service, you have to pay for it. Even if you’re poor, this isn’t a tough concept. Tipping is paying for labor. That’s how words work. It isn’t always literal like you’re taking it.
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