Community Chat

[fortune]

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@LilacTree wrote:

I have always disliked that restaurants got away with paying their staff low wages and having patrons augment servers' income with tips.  It's not that I didn't tip, after all I had three girls who worked after school and college waiting tables.  It was the principle of the thing.

There is now a restaurant chain in NYC that is doing away with tips and raising wait staff and others salaries.  This will now include kitchen and other staff members sharing in the extra $$. 

They are going to start with their museum restaurants and slowly branch out to their other restaurants.  Sorry, but I don't know the name of the restaurant chain.

They admit that will mean higher prices for the food, but no higher than an average tip would be. 

As for rewarding for excellent service, it will be management who will be doing that, not the patrons.  Hopefully this will work out to the benefit of all.  And imagine not having to figure out tips everytime the check comes.

What do you think?

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Why would the restaurant do this?  Hmmmmmm.  Let's see.  It has to do with their bottom line.  They would only do it if it meant more money in their pockets.  Do they think customers will choose their restaurant over others if customers don't have to tip the staff?  I can't imagine the restaurant owners paying the waiters as much as they would make in tips. . .

[missy1]

The only way this "no tipping" model could possibly work, if it was started by a brand new restaurant. 

[tends2dogs]

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@Laura14 wrote:

@ChynnaBlue If I'm a great server, which I was, why would I settle for a marginal flat rate when I can make more money elsewhere under the old system?  I doubt the raise would cover what most good servers make and I never had a problem budgeting my living expenses.  If I did a good job, I covered my bills and I did for two years.  

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@Laura14  I totally agree with you.  Where is the incentive to be a good server if everyone receives the same??  This is a job where one can shine and not be lumped in with the others. 

This decision to do away with tipping should be up to each individual establishment.  I would hate to see this become a government mandate........another unneeded involvement. JMHO

[Goldengate8361]

I agree with Lilactree. I think it's a great move to do away with tipping.

[Laura14]

@tends2dogs Thanks.  I am getting so tired of those of us who are good at our job becoming an endangered species or subject to penalty just because the ones who don't work as hard complain that they don't get as much. 

If you want to make good money, earn it with hard work and excellent customer service which means good old fashioned manners, politeness, and a really sincere effort.  

[Lipstickdiva]

We were recently in the Finger Lakes region of NY and went to a restaurant that had a board out front with a hand written message about how they were a no tipping restaurant.   It said they had decided to pay their staff a fair wage and in return, they no longer depended on tips to make a living wage and tips weren't accepted.

This restaurant also had a policy that if you were paying your bill with a credit or debit card, you had to go up front and run the card through the machine yourself so you were the only one handling the card. This was to cut down on possible theft of the card numbers.   

[CrazyDaisy]

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@Laura14 wrote:

@tends2dogs Thanks.  I am getting so tired of those of us who are good at our job becoming an endangered species or subject to penalty just because the ones who don't work as hard complain that they don't get as much. 

If you want to make good money, earn it with hard work and excellent customer service which means good old fashioned manners, politeness, and a really sincere effort.  

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Exactly.  People often complain about the service they get at fast food restraunts, well they are paid an hourly rate. 

[Blahblahvampemer]

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@ChynnaBlue wrote:

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@Snoopp wrote:

The customer will wind up paying more for the same meal to cover the costs for the restaurant.

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You're already paying more when you tip. If they incorporate the tips into the wages, you'll know how much a meal costs up front and it will be consistent. 

Unless you don't tip at all or tip poorly, in which case costs will go up more. You could, of course, eat elsewhere.

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This has been done in quite a few restaurants, and the best servers saw their wages plummet.  They also saw average or bad servers slack off because they're all lumped together.  At my favorite cheap restaurant, my fav server makes over $25 an hour so his income would crash.  Another sever I know makes over $80 an hour during the lunch hours.

Unintended consequences and all that.

[Blahblahvampemer]

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@ChynnaBlue wrote:

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@Laura14 wrote:

@ChynnaBlue If I'm a great server, which I was, why would I settle for a marginal flat rate when I can make more money elsewhere under the old system?  I doubt the raise would cover what most good servers make and I never had a problem budgeting my living expenses.  If I did a good job, I covered my bills and I did for two years.  

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Many of people are really good at their jobs and don't work in an industry with tips. If you prefer tips for your work, then by all means, work in a place where they allow for that.

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You're missing the point.  As gov mandates are created, you won't have an option.  ALL restaurants will be under the same rules, and it isn't working well in areas where it's already being done.

[Blahblahvampemer]

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@debic wrote:

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

Chances are that a good server will walk away with a lot less at the end of the night if this particular place does away with the tipping policy.

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Agreed. And they'll be going somewhere where they can make tips.

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The ultimate plan is to get rid of tipping entirely.  There won't be a option if this continues, and servers will become more like those in Europe--set income, no need to be great.