• De_Narm@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Something I don’t get, why is it percentage based? I mean, I get it from the waiters perspective. But as a customer? Whether my one plate of food is 20$ or 200$, he did the same thing. Scaling with more items or time spent would seem more appropriate.

    • greedytacothief@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Well usually more people means a higher bill, more people is more work. Lots of places even just add gratuity to the bill once a group size is large enough.

      But tipping is dumb, and working in the service industry sucks… I have no easy solutions.

      • Sprawlie@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I have no easy solutions.

        There’s an easy one that could be legislated tomorrow by any states.

        Raise minimum wages and enforce it throughout ALL workplaces, including wait staff. Nobody should be earning less than a living wage just because they’re restaraunt staff.

        • Patches@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          Nobody would work in a restaurant for minimum wage. Full stop. It’s a shit job.

          That’s the secret nobody in the industry wants to tell you. They make way more than minimum wage on good nights. You could come away at $25-30/hr on a Friday night.

          • Sprawlie@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            Absolutely. it’s a bad precedent.

            Minimum wage staff still get tips though. I still tip here now that it’s mandatory they get paid min wage. Overall, means that they make more than before they were earning min wage as well.

            it’s a big win. They ge ta living wage doing their jobs and they get bonuses in tips on top of their living wage instead of relying upon it.

          • Tremble@sh.itjust.works
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            9 months ago

            Which is what workers at McDonald’s in other countries make per hour, not including benefits. Oh, and the food is cheaper than in the states too.

        • cole@lemdro.id
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          9 months ago

          Seattle’s minimum wage is $16.28, but most restaurants seem to pay a fair bit more than that. Tipping is still rampant and has not been reduced. I don’t think this solution would work

        • greedytacothief@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Politics is one of those things that’s easy when you say it, but much harder for you to do. But if that’s easy for you to do, then please do it, for all our sakes.

      • danc4498@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I think the $20 vs $200 was a per person price. Like, if I order the steak for $50 and you order a grilled cheese sandwich for $8, we both got the same amount and quality of service, why do we tip differently?

    • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      I see it as a sneaky incentive from management for waiters to upsell you on more sides, drinks and desserts.

      Since the more marked up extras a waiter/waitress can fool people into getting, the better tip they can hope to earn at the end because of the %-based expectation.

        • Mirodir@discuss.tchncs.de
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          9 months ago

          Not every meal in a “$x/plate” restaurant is gonna cost the same though. It’s not hard to reach a disparity between the cheapest and most expensive reasonable meal (similar sizes) of around a factor of 2 at many restaurants.

          Why is the server getting twice the tip if I order the most expensive plate and dessert vs cheapest plate and dessert?

    • Wogi@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Because it’s a con, and if it were a flat rate, people would see it for the con it is. By making it a percentage of sales, you can delude people in to believing they’re going to make more in tips than they would on an hourly rate.

      Sometimes that’s true, for the vast majority of servers it isn’t.

    • TheLowestStone@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      If you’re getting the same level of service at a restaurant serving $200/plate meals as you are at TGI Fridays, either you’re being ripped off of your local Fridays has amazing servers.

    • betheydocrime@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Serving a $200 meal requires a lot of knowledge and physical skill that the server down at Chili’s probably doesn’t have. The kind of restaurant that sells a $200 meal also has a larger support staff that must be given a percentage of the server’s tip

      • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        You’re not wrong, that’s the logic behind it. It’s not like you’re defending it so idk why you’re getting down voted! What you also didn’t mention is that at these restaurants is that it is a much more leisurely meal and experience, so there isn’t high table turnover which lessens the tips. I suspect they also have smaller sections.

      • dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        You’re the only one who gets it.

        Everything is probably a la carte. You gotta know what is in every dish, what pairs with it from appetizers to sides to wine to dessert. You don’t walk out and ask “who had the cheeseburger?” because the expectation on the experience is higher. You’re controlling the timing at the table as well. When do you fire the main after they get the appetizer? Salad? Bread? Drinks? Which SIDE of the person do you give or remove plates? And yeah you gotta tip the bartender, the bussers, the expediters sometimes, and who knows who else.

        It is still horseshit, but it’s not as easy as dropping a rib basket on the table.

        Be mad about the tip line on the sandwich shop menu, be mad about 20% tip on the burger joint that has a modern industrial interior and a $22 burger, don’t be mad about paying out the Friday Saturday night white tablecloth servers with a tough fucking job of conducting your whole anniversary meal. You get to have a good experience once a year, they’ve got 15 other once a year meals to solve and it’s just a regular dinner shift.

        • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I’d say you also shouldn’t be made at the server at the $22 burger place, because they’re also working hard and probably covering more tables. I used to get mad about tipping for counter service because I assumed that they were making standard minimum wage, but then I found out one of my favorite cafes was paying $5 an hour (a dollar less than tipped minimum in my state). Point is, don’t get mad at anyone but the National Restaurant Association, they’re fighting to make sure you’re subsidizing your servers wage.

        • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          Are number of items fixed in your question?

          If so, little mechanically on the waiters part.

          But, a more expensive meal comes with higher service standards. More attentive, but not intrusive. More knowledgeable about the menu. More readiness to make adjustments based on customer need.

          So in that situation you are asking for a more experienced, or more skillfully employee, and that costs more.

          • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca
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            9 months ago

            I’d argue the skill difference matters much more in the kitchen, yet they only see a tiny percentage of the tips if they’re lucky

          • NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social
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            9 months ago

            Ah see, to me their whole job is bringing me food, keeping my drink from being empty, and not being rude.

            I don’t need all the pomp, I go to a restaurant for the food.

            The funny part is you are effectively paying twice for that since the restaurant has increased the price of the food to account for all the pomp.

        • betheydocrime@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I think you’re looking for the difference between fine dining and nouvelle cuisine / haute cuisine. Think of it like the difference between a nice steakhouse where the server essentially takes your order and gives you a plate, and one of those Instagram dinners where they serve your dessert in hollow chocolate balls and serving is a more involved and delicate process because of the nature of the food you’re serving

          • NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social
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            9 months ago

            I have a place down the road that makes guacamole in a molcajete at the table.

            That is way harder and more impressive than pouring a little hot chocolate.

            If you can scam them into paying it then more power to you though.

    • GBU_28@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Each plate of food or drink is a transaction, each with expectations of quality, and expectations on the waiter to make it right.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Make what right? They’re just bringing it to my table. If the food or service sucks I’m also told that you should tip anyway, so it seems like tipping isn’t based on quality (and really, it isn’t).

    • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      $20 is like, one entree, maybe a beverage at a cheap restaurant. $200 is probably closer to 3 entrees, 2 or 3 cocktails and an app at a moderately priced restaurant. You’re crazy if you think the amount of work for those two orders (putting them into the bar/kitchen, making sure they come out correct, running them, all while juggling your other tables) is equal. I also want tipping culture to end, but the price tag scales pretty well with the amount of work being done.

      • auraness@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        That’s insane. It’s literally the job. Imagine applying this logic to any service industry job.

        • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Yeah, I know. As is said, I want tipping culture to end. We’ve created a system where the customer pays for servers salary by the job instead of the restaurant paying by the hour. I’m saying that running a $200 order is more work than running a $20 order, just like bagging $200 worth of groceries is more work than bagging $20 worth of groceries. A percentage tip does roughly reflect the amount of work being done, but acknowledging that isn’t an endorsement of tipping culture.

      • player2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        It mostly bothers me when I just order 1 entree and a water. At one place that might cost $10, and at another place it might cost $30, and all the wait staff did was carry a plate from the kitchen to me in both cases.

        It doesn’t seem fair that the wait staff at the more expensive place gets tipped more than the less expensive place just because of an arbitrary custom.

        The extra cost of the expensive meal is mostly due to ingredients, the cooking process, the location, and maaay slightly more complicated table setting.

        • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Yeah, I agree, but if you don’t like it, take it up with the National Restaurant Association. They spend millions every year lobbying against ending the tipped wage.

      • wer2@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        Waffle House: feed a family of 4 for $20 Tip: $4 “Fancy” Restaurant: microwaved appetizer $20 Tip: $5

        A percentage scales within an establishment, but not really across them.

        • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I’d say that varies more regionally than anything else. I live in a major northeastern city, and you could barely feed 1 person for $20, even at cheap chain restaurants. Drive 2 hours away and things get a lot more affordable, not only for food prices but also rent. In that respect, 20% actually scales with cost of living as well.

  • quackers@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 months ago

    Keep this garbage out of europe please. i see it popping up. I will absolutely refuse to tip a single goddamn soul at this point going forward.

  • circuitfarmer@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    The whole damn system exists to place the burden of a living wage on the customer while the company paying peanuts can claim no wrongdoing. And the really sad part is: it has worked.

    Edit: and there are many, many businesses that wouldn’t be in business if they actually had to pay competitive wages on their own. The invisible hand can fix nothing if tipping culture says to throw more and more arbitrary amounts of money at people to subsidize their wages yourself. At some point (I’d argue we’re past it already), the band-aid needs to get ripped off. Only then will we see self-correction. The almost immediate loss of many businesses will likely trigger other actions. It’s already a no-win scenario.

    • SuperDuper@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      “No need to worry, citizen! We have once again successfully avoided a recession by changing how a recession is defined!”

    • kautau@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      What do you mean? Corporate profits are higher than they’ve ever been!

      /s in case that wasn’t obvious

    • Pilon23@feddit.dk
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      9 months ago

      Planet earth’s been on the verge of a recession since 4bya. Various economists have been able to predict a recession every year since the term was invented. Stay safe

    • PatMustard@feddit.uk
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      9 months ago

      Recession has a specific definition. Unless you’ve had however many quarters of negative growth or bad GDP or however the fuck economists define it then you’re not in recession.

      • dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 months ago

        They’ve changed the definition of recession like 5 times in the past 3 years. We’ve had numerous consecutive quarters with negative GDP growth.

        • PatMustard@feddit.uk
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          9 months ago

          Based on my quick search I’m assuming by “they” you mean the NBER and by “we” you mean the USA? It seems the rest of us have agreed on the definition being 2 quarters.

  • JCreazy@midwest.social
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    9 months ago

    I just stopped going to places or using services that expect me to tip. I hate the idea of tipping.

  • Rooter@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    “Other struggling people are not the enemy”.

    Op is jeff bezos alt account.

  • BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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    9 months ago

    I remember when I realized tipping is insane (like 15 years ago at a bar). One of my friends was talking the waitress up and she was complaining about another table and the tip she expected. Some quick math worked out to she expected 40%.

    • Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works
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      9 months ago

      Keep in mind by doing that she probably raised her tip from your friend by at least 10%. I wouldn’t assume there wasn’t some strategy in that conversation.

    • NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      What was the total? That could be completely reasonable, if I order coffee and a piece of pie 40% is only a couple of bucks

  • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Every time we go to Toronto we go to the same restaurant because they don’t accept tips, they just pay their staff really well. Fantastic restaurant and I love supporting them.

  • zeppo@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I don’t really get why the expected percentage went up. 15% was the standard for a LONG time. 20% meant you thought they were great. Now 15 is considered shitty, like an insult, and we’re supposed to do 18 or 25 or 30. Meanwhile prices also went up. Why am I supposed to tip 25% now? Service hasn’t changed.

  • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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    9 months ago

    I’ve literally never seen a waiter get angry about not leaving a 25% tip. Can we please avoid manufactured outrage?

  • Gork@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    It does annoy me slightly when POS systems have placeholder tip amounts but they’re like 18%, 20%, and 25%. Sorry, but I just do the standard 15% in most cases so now I gotta calculate it out in my head.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Normally, you’re paying a tip on service. So, the waiter hovering over your table and collecting your order / refilling your drink / dusting off the table between courses is part of the dining experience. Its fee for service.

          But yeah, now the credit card reader asks if you want to pay a tip to the fucking vending machine. Its asinine.

          • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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            9 months ago

            There’s a self service store in the Newark airport that sells overpriced snacks for travelers stuck without any other options. It asks you for a tip while you check yourself out. As if paying $6 for a cup of juice wasn’t bad enough already.

            • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              List price virtually never includes service fees and taxes, at least in the States. I swear, its like some of you people have never eaten out before.

              • hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                9 months ago

                I’ve been eating in restaurants from street food to nice ones on multiple countries, and continents. Service fee (and taxes too BTW) are always included in the list price. That’s the default

                What kind of shithole country you’re living in?

                Edit: since servers in USA are paid hourly (even if shitty), the service fee must be in the list price. it’s just the fact that the servers are not paid enough, and the customers are being blackmailed to pay extra off the books

        • Neato@ttrpg.network
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          9 months ago

          Because that’s how our service industry is built.

          Tipping isn’t mandatory. But the issue is if a lot of people stop tipping all at once, servers will quit those locations. Then those locations will almost certainly go out of business because they can’t afford to pay a living wage because the US’s commercial real estate is insanely expensive. Current restaurant models essentially are built on this dynamic and to change it would require a lot of moving pieces to change. But for those pieces to change, a LOT of businesses will need to go out of business all at once to tank the real estate market.

          And you may think: if they can’t afford to pay a living wage, they should go out of business. That’s a reasonable stance but it ignores the result: megacorps will buy up real estate and only huge chain restaurants will likely survive these kinds of busts. All your local favorite places will go under and be replaced by Fridays or Applebees because their thousands of locations can close 25% to focus on profitability.

          • Darkmuch@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I’ve been asked for tips when having carryout. And also getting a scoop of ice cream. Tipping is a relic of racist practices when southern people didn’t want to pay emancipated black workers a wage. It only still exists because restaurant owners lobby congress to keep it a thing. Stop bribing congress and pay your employees you fucks.

            • Neato@ttrpg.network
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              9 months ago

              I’ve been asked for tips when having carryout.

              You’re just complaining now. That has not been customary and it annoys me too. Don’t tip if service wasn’t rendered.

              Tipping is a relic of racist practices when southern people didn’t want to pay emancipated black workers a wage.

              Sad fact but entirely irrelevant to the issue today.

              It only still exists because restaurant owners lobby congress to keep it a thing. Stop bribing congress and pay your employees you fucks.

              In two sentences you have identified why you can’t just stop tipping AND how to fix it: legislation.

              If you stop tipping but still go out, you are essentially doing what racists in the past did by not paying people you would appear to not like. You not tipping is classist bigotry.

              Fight for server’s rights in a way that actually makes a difference: contact your congress people and elect people who care about this issue. Not tipping is just hurting people at the lowest rungs of society while still taking their labor. Gross.

              • Serinus@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Fight for server’s rights

                Yeah, this isn’t what you’d be doing. Survey servers and ask if they’d rather get tips or $15/hour and see what kind of responses you get.

    • m_f@midwest.social
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      9 months ago

      I just had a POS machine recommend 20%, 25%, or 30% for percentages. It seems like it’s increasing

    • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      If my tip is to be decided before I see my order in front of me, 5% tops if at all.

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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      9 months ago

      Fun fact. When I was a kid, the “standard” was 10%. So food prices have shot up faster than inflation, but you’re still tipping 50% more than what the norm was when tipping was already well established.m, even if you ignore the expensive food you’re tipping for.

  • Ted Jackson@aussie.zone
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    9 months ago

    Why not pay hospitality workers a halfway decent wage, and leave tipping for exemplary service? That’s how it works in the rest of the developed world.