Posted on 12/06/2005 12:33:26 PM PST by George14
It has recently been publicized that a 20 percent tip is now appropriate because servers are usually only guaranteed $2.13 an hour and the tips have to be split. Let me explain something. It is the customer's sole right to determine whether a tip is given, the amount and who will be the recipient of his tip. Such rights are not only guaranteed by our constitution they are clearly explained in the Code of Federal Regulations. Customers may tip any amount they choose. Instead of a higher tip being appropriate, what is now actually appropriate is for the public to start questioning why they are being expected to tip more.
While it has been widely publicized that tip splitting and lowered wages are both creating a need for higher tip percentages, what is not being publicized is an explanation of what these business practices actually are and why they create a need for the public to tip more. You see in both cases, such practices equate to employers being allowed to take part the tips away from the employee to whom the customer has presented a tip. You see, tip splitting is the business practice whereby employers take part of the tipped employee's tips and give them to workers whom the customer had every right and ability to tip but didn't. The $2.13 an hour business practice which has been publicized is actually called a tip credit. The tip credit also allows businesses to take or credit part of their employee's tips for themselves. In both cases the public's tips are being taken by businesses owners. The problem is not that customers should be tipping more the problem is that business owners should not be utilizing their employee's tips for the business's interests.
The truth is, business owners are using the customer's tips which undeniably and indisputably are not intended for the business owner for the business's own interests. Such business practices are being allowed by our government even though such business practices are an illegal dominion over the customer's property. To put it simply, businesses are being allowed to steal the money customers present as tips. Now, the public is being expected to tip more because the workers are not receiving the financial benefits of the tips they have been presented.
What is needed is not a higher tip percentage but some educating of the public of what is actually happening to their tip. Businesses have lobbied our federal government and I believe have probably even paid off many of our judges so they can steal the financial benefits of the tips our public is tipping workers in the service industry. The stories you read on how the public is being expected to tip more are actually stories about how our country is allowing businesses owners an ability to blatantly steal from their workers. If the real issue was resolved there would be no issue.
Employers should be prohibited from using their employee's tips to establish a lower minimum wage for their tipped workers. Customers are not tipping so the business can lower it's payroll expenses and thus benefit itself to the customer's tip. Customers are not tipping so the business owner can decide who should share in their tip. Both these business practices are fraud on the public for they are clearly the misappropriations of the public's property. Because our public has sat back and done nothing as business owners misappropriate the public's tips to their own interests, there now exists an undue pressure on the public to tip more to make up for such criminal acts.
The reason I believe our public has sat back and done nothing as business owners reap the financial benefits of the tips presented to their workers is because the media has also been paid off to avoid informing the public of what is actually happening to their tip when the courts ignore the constitutional rights of the customer and when our federal government so blatantly misappropriates the public's tips. The courts have ruled that employers may share the customer's tip among employees whom the customer had every right to tip but didn't. The federal government has allowed businesses to benefit themselves to the customer's tip through the tip credit without the consent of the customer. Such acts by our federal government and courts are not only unconstitutional but criminal. The media is covering up such crimes by intentionally avoiding the issue and keeping the truth from the public.
The tipped employees of this nation need some help from the public on these issues. The truth of what is happening to the customer's tip is being withheld from the public so that employers can continue to steal our tips while the public is left to foot the bill.
Love the site, I see Pierce Brosnan has made a couple of apperances. Bill=630.00 Tip=8.00, what a cheap limey Ahole.
Not sure what you mean. In Germany, for instance, you round out your bill to the next Mark (euro). It might be mere pennies. "Stimtt so!"
That's "stimmt so," and I'll admit, sometime ago. 10% now? The times, they are a' changing.
Tip splitting or sharing can work well if done properly at the right establishment. First, since a cook's work is partly responsible for the enjoyment of a meal the practice of a waitperson tipping out the kitchen staff makes sense to me, and it's usually just a small percentage (they make a higher base wage generally).
My local hangout is a small place with normally one cook and maximum two wait staff/bartenders in the evening. A couple of months ago the staff turned over fairly rapidly and the owner saw an opportunity. All servers at the bar or on the floor can and do serve everyone and tips are divided evenly. It's a small place and if two staff are on but everyone (us regulars) are all gathered around the bar one server got burned while the other cleaned up. The owner went out of her way to hire staff that get along really well and anyone who isn't a team player doesn't make it past the probation period. Service has gone to great levels and on average everyone is earning more at the end of the night consistantly.
Think...can you imagine a large establishment where customers at the end of the lunch period are all queing up to tip the bartender, the waitperson, the cook, etc? It would be chaos.
It's probably more effective to leave a miniscule tip on the card slip (i.e. on record) and the real tip in cash.
What the heck does that really mean anyway?
I became disappointed to learn that the tips for dealers at casinos were all pooled and split up among all the dealers. That's too bad, because a tip in those cases are definately rewards for good play, sometimes for the luck of winning, but usually for the fun the dealer added to the game.
I didn't realize waitstaff were also pooling tips at some restaurants... I wonder how widespread that is. I have a feeling the neighborhood bar I go to, this is not the case. They certainly make a point to close out all open tabs before they go off shift, so a new tab is started under the new waitress. I'm a very good tipper at my regular hangouts where they know my name.
Tip pooling is despicable
Your right, it unjustly lets employees who don't work as hard or properly do their jobs, benefit on an equal basis.
I usually tip a little less in these cases.
It is a different place now.
BTW, great handle. Was in KW for Thanksgiving, and had breakfast at Pepe's (on Caroline Street). Always reminds me of that song.
This is an artificial construct. You consider a table cleaned, and cleaned in a swift manner so you don't have to wait to be "part of the bill," yet you don't consider bringing the food to the table and keeping your whistle wet "part of the bill"? Is there some rational reason for that?
If busboys, hostesses and waitresses, along with cooks, all together make your experience a good one, why does it bother you if they all share in your gratuity? How can you logically single out the waitress?
SD
LOL! Great story!
They do include the gratuity. They now look for an additional tip.
I tip 15% exclusively unless bad service prompts me to go down. I figure this is overly generous to what they deserve because almost all restaurants are staffed by college-age girls and they just have their boyfriends take them out (and spend their hard-earned cash tipping some other waitress which she wont spend when she's going out).
I tip generously when I'm out on the town, because that's part of the whole entertainment value, throwing money around likes its no object. Going to a restaurant is not entertainment, its a service. I order burger, you bring me burger, now get out of my face while i eat. I dont understand why people believe they deserve such lavish incomes for services people in other equivalent fields make mininum wage.
I had a waitress that ignored us for 30 minutes. We were about to leave and then she came by to apologize. But rather than continuing to follow up, she ignored us for another 30 minutes.
I left a tip - one penny. I wanted her to see that I did not forget. I felt it was a more effective statement than leaving nothing.
I still don't understand why there is a tip cup at Dunkin' Donuts. They walk over to the rack, put the donut in the bag, and ring it up at the register. Why does that require a tip?
Don't you round up the next Euro?
ok.. lets see if we can educate this author- at least as it applies in MI. for starters, minimum wage for servers is $2.65. servers are required to report 8% of their sales as tips.. most make more. now, as far as basing their hourly wage on what they make in tips.. its actually very nice the way they do it. if, between your hourly wage and your tips, you don't average $5.15 for the pay period, the employer is required to make it up to you.
in most cases, tip pooling is bad, but some makes sense. tipping bussers and bartenders is common practice, even required in most restaurants/ bars. the reason? the same as why you tip your server. its a gratuity to insure prompt, correct and pleasant service. because as a bartender, who do you think is gonna come first? the stupid waitress that doesn't tip me, or the paying customer at the end of the bar? similar for bussing. whose table is gonna get cleaned first? the waitress who tips the busser or the one who thinks he's lowlife scum that's beneath her?
Very fair point, and why it's harder to do (and I think not advisable) in a larger establishment. My local pub is the first place I've seen attempt it to this degree but it only works because the owner insists everyone share the workload and everyone gets along. The staff are all happy with the situation and they work more like a team. It is a well run place, mind you with very hands on owners (that don't take tip money themselves when they're working).
You think people working on a team, with cash bonuses on the line, are going to put up with one of the team members slacking off? You think a person knowing that better service puts more money in his pocket is going to do a better or worse job? These aren't union workers getting paid scale to sit on their butts. This is pure capitalism. Results are rewarded instantly.
SD
Pierce Brosnan???
You know Sean Connery was the only REAL James Bond anyway.
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