Community Chat

[Isobel Archer]

According to the Washington Post, DC voted in the last election to raise restaurant workers' salaries to minimum wage.  It passed with 55% of the vote.

Now, there is consternation from both restaurant owners (who say they will have to raise prices and lay off staff) AND servers (who say they make far more than minimum now with tips and they worry that people will stop tipping.)

I think the servers probably have a point.  If restaurants raise prices - say more than 20%, I'd bet a good number of people will stop tipping.

So now those opposed are saying that the vote should be discounted and things should remain as they are.

Not sure what will happen.

[Cats3000]

First, votes can't be "discounted".  Don't like the result?  You gotta go back to the ballot box and vote again.  Second, I WOULD stop tipping.  I'd write on my charge slip "take your tip out of your new, higher salary".

[JJsMom]

You mean to tell me you don't think servers deserve minimum wage, and you will punish them by withholding tips because they make minimum wage? How cheap, selfish, and entitled can you be?

[Dar321]

Obviously some have never been a server....geez

[Isobel Archer]

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@JJsMom wrote:

You mean to tell me you don't think servers deserve minimum wage, and you will punish them by withholding tips because they make minimum wage? How cheap, selfish, and entitled can you be?

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 Some, mabe many may be "punished" by the passage of this law because they will now make much less (one server was quoted as saying she makes well over $30 per hour now with tips), but lets not forget that diners will also be "punished" by a rise in prices.  Considering that the current pay is $3.33 per hour and now will be $12.50 rising to $15 - that is about a 400% increase - so I'd bet prices will rise more than the typical 20% tip.

[Isobel Archer]

Just read another article that Starbucks is closing in seveeral locations partly due to increased minimun wages.

[CelticCrafter]

And when service declines and servers quit, then what?

I don't know many servers that will be on board with a flat minimum wage.  

[IslanderGirl62]

In Portugal, where my SO is from, the restaurant servers make a decent hourly wage, and they don't tip there because of it.  I have many friends in the "service" business (bartenders, waitresses), and they agree they make a lot of money on tips and would be concerned that customers would tip less if their hourly wage went up (one of my bartender friends brings home $800 in tips on Friday night).

[Kitlynn]

My husband and I always tip 20% at least. We will continue to do so and have never considered what someone makes an hour or how much the food cost. For us it is all about the service we get.

[Cakers3]

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

According to the Washington Post, DC voted in the last election to raise restaurant workers' salaries to minimum wage.  It passed with 55% of the vote.

Now, there is consternation from both restaurant owners (who say they will have to raise prices and lay off staff) AND servers (who say they make far more than minimum now with tips and they worry that people will stop tipping.)

I think the servers probably have a point.  If restaurants raise prices - say more than 20%, I'd bet a good number of people will stop tipping.

So now those opposed are saying that the vote should be discounted and things should remain as they are.

Not sure what will happen.

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@Isobel Archer  Probably but I also think it depends upon the type of restaurant.

If one dines at a foo-foo expensive restaurant that has full service-from hostess to person who fills your water glass to the server etc.-then those customers have the $$ to spend and may decrease the % of tip and maybe not.

If one dines at your local chain restaurant, then I can see the decrease in the % of tip.

I really would not like to see servers losing their jobs over the minimum wage but it has to be considered.

A topic that has many pov; no need assume any poster is being insensitive to waitstaff.