Community Chat

[shoekitty]

I have a granddaughter who works a high end restaurant near the heart of the studios here in Ca.  The tips are good, but they are shared, and taxed.   Most are credit card tips.  Cash and credit card tips are pooled, added up, and split with all servers, bus people and hostess and available to take home the next day. bar tenders are different, they get their own tips.  Which I guess is 500-800 a night!!!  The bussers and hostess get a very small% of servers tip. Like 1 or 2%.  I thought it wouldnt be fair, if one server made most of the tips, and she had to share.  But it does work out!   It reduces stress, competition, and "favors". As an example, one night I was told the food was really late and bad, because of chef.  People were furious, and I would be too after I heard the story.  It was so bad, the manager comped Several tables.  They ate, left, leaving no tip on 1100@ comped tabs. They didnt have to pay yet left no tip, when it wasnt the servers fault.  So there were a couple servers who worked all night, with no tips. And they worked as hard as everyone else.  Harder actually, as they had to appease and pamer and calm irate customers!   So, pooled tipping is good.  

Also, they have many celebrities who come in, have a favorite spot.  A couple tip 100%. I have to spill the beans, one of them is Melissa McCarthy.  Not only is she a joy to serve I am told, and ao much fun she is genuinely kind. If her bill is 400, thats what she tips.  Then there are the cheapos with tons of money, who tip nothing or 5% for stellar service. But it is a tip, not a requirement, and it is a good job and you give your best.  

So, to make a long story short at this point, LOL, all tips are taxed then given the following day in cash, on a pooler server system

[sissel]

I heard that too, waiters have to share some tips with bus people & food runners. Some times the cooks are behind and I never take that out on the wait staff (not their fault). My daughter always goes to the atm before getting her nails done or taking the dog to groomers. I told her just add it in the charge, she said Mom if you give cash tip you get better service. Maybe she is right. I always do pay cash tip when I get my haircut. Restaurants just use the charge maybe I should think about the cash tip, these people work hard.

[CelticCrafter]

---

@Sunshine Katewrote:

---

@Veneziawrote:

---

@Shelbellewrote:

My nail salon has a sign hanging up that says, Please tip in cash.

---

Which tells you that they certainly aren't declaring the tips as income!  I would be asking them why I had to tip in cash, if I was paying with a CC otherwise.  Be interesting to hear their answer.

---

I've always wondered why people tip a hairdresser.  The hairdresser sets their prices for a particular service.  Whatever the charge, is what they should be paid. 

It's unnecessary to dole out more $$. Tipping has gotten so out of hand. 

---

The place I go to, the hairdressers get charged by management for the product they use - shampoo and conditioners, styling product, color.

[Mj12]

---

@SeaMaidenwrote:

---

@Junebug54wrote:

Why should wait staff not have to pay taxes?   I always use my cc and will continue to do so.    I always tip on my food tax too.   Some subtract that amount.    I pay taxes so should servers.

---

@Junebug54  Servers pay plenty on Tax.

---

If some aren’t reporting it all, how are all paying their % share is of state and local taxes? Why should they pay less then the rest of us for local and state resources they may very well be using?

[ZoetheCat]

I tend to be a "live and let live" kind of person, and so am not in the business of telling others what they should or should not do.  I try to behave in a way that lets me sleep at night, and figure that other people have to live with their own ethical choices as well.  So, I don't get all that worked up about whether restaurant servers do or do not claim their tips as income.

Having said that, I have to add that I'm really dismayed at the attitude, which seems to be prevalent these days, that not paying taxes is something to be proud of.  I'm specifiacally thinking of the commercials advertising the firms that help people avoid the IRS.  All the self-congratulation about paying a fraction of what was owed.  These people were obviously working, so why couldn't they pay their taxes?  I understand that there may be extenuating circumstances (for example, someone who has a small business and got behind on payroll taxes), but, generally speaking, just pay your taxes.

As other posters have noted, restaurant servers do work hard, but so do many others who have no choice in the matter of paying taxes.  It is automatically deducted from their pay.  

Hubby and I have always paid pretty high taxes due to the fact that we've never had much of a mortgage, have no children, have investment income, etc.  Do we like paying taxes?  No. Who does?  But I look at it as the price of living in a civil society.

[ginirn]

another tipping issue is that in some restaurants tips are pooled and devided among the waitstaff, busboys and cooks so your server does not get the entire tip.  This disturbs me.  My husband is a big tipper esxpecialy around the holidays and wants the large tip to go the specific server si it is a good idea to ask about that before tipping.

[Venezia]

@ZoetheCat- Very well said!

[Yardlie]

---

@Veneziawrote:

---

@Shelbellewrote:

My nail salon has a sign hanging up that says, Please tip in cash.

---

Which tells you that they certainly aren't declaring the tips as income!  I would be asking them why I had to tip in cash, if I was paying with a CC otherwise.  Be interesting to hear their answer.

---

@Venezia ... Our pharmacist requires us to pay in cash or by debit card. If we use a credit card, he adds on a surcharge. He said that the company that processes credit cards charge him between 2 and 4% per transaction. If that is the case, I guess business people don't want tips reduced by the transaction fee while they still have to give the server the entire tip. 4% seems kind of high to process a credit card transaction.

[Teddie]

Saturday evening our family met at a restaurant. Of those who ate, we had seven adults and one toddler. We had an amazing server. She was friendly, informative, efficient and calm as she took care of our group. Our drinks never ran out as she brought new before the glass was low. She even got water and a to-go bowl for someone’s dog waiting out in his car. Our bill was about $255 and I added $100 tip.  I wanted it to be our thank you for taking such good care of us. Now it troubles me to think she may not even know about it if it was possibly dispersed among many others.