[birbear]

Most people realize that watitrons (that's the non-sex-specific term favored theses days, believe it or not) are usually paid less than minimum wage, and that tips provide the margin of survival (to use leftist terminology) for them. To stiff a tip is to relegate someone to below minimum wage

This isn't true nationwide. There are several states where it is the case, and in those states not all restaurants follow it. In most restaurants the wait staff is making at least min. wage + tips.

I'm tired of hearing how poor "waitrons" are treated. I've worked for tips. I hustled my ass every day to make sure the customer was treated as good as I possibly could treat them with a smile on plastered on my face. Most times I got about 10-12%. Sometimes I got as much as 25-30%. A few times I got stiffed. Some people just don't tip no matter how much ass you kissed.

It's lowly, dirty, and demeaning work. But the good "waitrons" paid not only their housing costs, but their child care, and had enough left over for a pretty decent vehicle in the most cases. I knew a guy who paid his entire way through 4 years of collge based on the tips he got. His "regular" paycheck went to pay for his rent and car, and he ate most of his meals at the restaurant. Today he doens't have to worry about waiting tables or delivering pizzas because he's got a great job at a drafting firm.

If you kiss ass, hustle, and spend wisely, most "waitrons" in this country can buy their way to better success (i.e. though school.)

[JRandomFreeper]

It's lowly, dirty, and demeaning work

NOT! Service work is not demeaning, or lowly, even if it is sometimes dirty.

God gives us the opportunity to keep our fellow humans alive by feeding them.... Jesus started his ministry as an ad-hoc food and beverage guy at a wedding party. He later preached a sermon on a mount, with fish and bread being the meal that he provided.

Service is sacrament.

I feel pretty strongly about that, for a former engineer/unix geek.

/john