No-tip restaurants fight to gain traction

[PoliticalNick]

This isn't a "no tip" restaurant. He says he is adding 18% to his prices so in effect it is a mandatory 18% tip. Based upon that I will just never eat there. I refuse to eat anywhere there is a mandatory tip policy. Not that I don't tip or tip quite generously sometimes but it is at my discretion based on the service received.

 

[JLM]

It isn't a subsidy. It is an expected part of the cost of dining out.

Well, I got news, it may be an expect part by someone but they should take it for granted as they may be in for a shock. A tip is a donation by the customer as appreciation for exemplary service, it's not part of the friggin' wage.

 

[BornRuff]

Well, I got news, it may be an expect part by someone but they should take it for granted as they may be in for a shock. A tip is a donation by the customer as appreciation for exemplary service, it's not part of the friggin' wage.

If that is the case, why does the government allow restaurants to pay them a lower wage than other workers?

If it should be that way is another question, but expressing your opinion by just not tipping, or not tipping well doesn't affect anyone who actually has a say in the matter.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

It isn't a subsidy. It is an expected part of the cost of dining out.

Also completely optional so if you don't feel embarased, you can write a big fat 0 on that line without feeling guilty.

I like the idea of a no tip restaurant but I do miss the idea of being able to punish for poor service or reward for great service. Loss of insentive in a way.

 

[BornRuff]

This isn't a "no tip" restaurant. He says he is adding 18% to his prices so in effect it is a mandatory 18% tip. Based upon that I will just never eat there. I refuse to eat anywhere there is a mandatory tip policy. Not that I don't tip or tip quite generously sometimes but it is at my discretion based on the service received.

This is a bit different, since it wont be an extra 18% added onto the bill at the end, you will just pay whatever the price is on the menu.

I like the idea of everything being up front and simple.

 

[JLM]

This isn't a "no tip" restaurant. He says he is adding 18% to his prices so in effect it is a mandatory 18% tip. Based upon that I will just never eat there. I refuse to eat anywhere there is a mandatory tip policy. Not that I don't tip or tip quite generously sometimes but it is at my discretion based on the service received.

You and I understand that Nick, but most don't. I'm guessing the proprietor of that restaurant will soon drop the percentage! 6% might work, but it's doubtful.

If that is the case, why does the government allow restaurants to pay them a lower wage than other workers?

If it should be that way is another question, but expressing your opinion by just not tipping, or not tipping well doesn't affect anyone who actually has a say in the matter.

We're talking about British Columbia in the case, Ruff, where restaurants pay minimum wage or above.

Looks like this business will end up with some very happy and loyal wait staff.

But they should have another job to go to at the drop of a hat!

This is a bit different, since it wont be an extra 18% added onto the bill at the end,

Whether it's added on at the end or at the beginning, I can't see what the difference is!

 

[BornRuff]

You and I understand that Nick, but most don't. I'm guessing the proprietor of that restaurant will soon drop the percentage! 6% might work, but it's doubtful.

Lol, why do you keep pulling random percentages out of thin air? If they are going to compensate their workers in a similar manner to if they were tipped, they are going to have to bring in a similar amount of revenue.

Exact percentage points in this case are meaningless though, since the customer wont see any of that. The percentage wont be constant anyways since they will likely want to keep their prices in attractive numbers($5.99 instead of $6.17) and there are just different amounts that you can mark up different items. They just need to feel as if the amount they are paying overall is competitive.

We're talking about British Columbia in the case, Ruff, where restaurants pay minimum wage or above.

It looks like in BC, the minimum wage is $10.25 and the servers wage is $9.00

Government of B.C., Ministry of Labour, Employment Standards Branch, Minimum Wage Factsheet

Do you bother to even google things before posting?

Whether it's added on at the end or at the beginning, I can't see what the difference is!

The whole tipping process is completely removed. Instead of an amount being added on at the end, you just pay whatever the price is.

Nobody claimed this was supposed to save you money as a consumer.

 

[Corduroy]

Tipping is partly why people feel so entitled to treat servers like ****. People who tip based on service act as if they are the server's Lord and Master dispensing their great justice. The worst people are the ones that feel entitled to special treatment, and god help us if there's anything slightly wrong with their food. People who don't tip because they don't believe in it are just looking for excuses to be cheap, and pretend they are somehow hurt by the practice. Another entitlement.

Automatically adding tips to bills makes more sense than raising prices and wages and eliminating tips entirely.

 

[EagleSmack]

I just tip 19%-20% each time regardless. I know it's a tough job and they depend on tips.

 

[Sal]

That's all well and good but, the tip is more than a few dollars chucked on the table to impress your friends, it's an "attaboy" to that waitperson. Verification that he/she is doing a good job. Getting twenty bucks an hour is fine, but a big tip is special.
And as an aside, I never agreed with splitting tips, the waiter earns that tip. The cook is just a cook

I disagree. The cook is a chef and I don't care if the server does back flips, if my beef isn't fork tender and each bite a delight, I may as well eat at home where the food is at least nutritious if not delicious.

Here' the bitch...your server is expected to PRODUCE. IF YOU don't tip...they have to...yes them. It costs them to serve you. Why? Because the chef, the person who seats you, the dishwasher etc. split a percentage of the tips in many restaurants. They get that percentage of the bill whether you give it or not. if you don't the waiter does

Another problem, when you sit on your azz drinking coffee and yapping, they have to stay until they can cash out. That means they don't get paid waiting for your azz to exit.

You can make a ton of money some nights and want to hang yourself others.

This is a good idea. If someone is employed by another to generate cash flow...pay them a living wage or flounder and die ya bastard.

 

[BornRuff]

I disagree. The cook is a chef and I don't care if the server does back flips, if my beef isn't fork tender and each bite a delight, I may as well eat at home where the food is at least nutritious if not delicious.

The disparity between the front and back of the house is pretty big, and definitely not all that fair. It would seem to me like the servers and the cooks should be sharing the tips equally, since the food is really what I am coming there for.

 

[Sal]

The disparity between the front and back of the house is pretty big, and definitely not all that fair. It would seem to me like the servers and the cooks should be sharing the tips equally, since the food is really what I am coming there for.

yeah I have to say I don't quite agree with that...if a chef is exceptional you are going to pay your chef...people aren't there for the wait staff, they are there to eat a lovely meal, you need a chef that brings clients into your establishment...the wait staff are the icing on the cake but they aren't 'the cake'...therefore typically they get to split 5% of the tab...not bad

 

[JLM]

I just tip 19%-20% each time regardless. I know it's a tough job and they depend on tips.

That's good it's a free country. I've been known to tip 25%, but it was my idea not theirs.

Automatically adding tips to bills makes more sense than raising prices and wages and eliminating tips entirely.

Except, a lot of people like myself won't eat there! -

 

[WLDB]

Well, I got news, it may be an expect part by someone but they should take it for granted as they may be in for a shock. A tip is a donation by the customer as appreciation for exemplary service, it's not part of the friggin' wage.

If that were true servers wouldn't have a separate lower minimum wage. Give them the same minimum wage as everyone else then the tip will truly be what it should be - which is what you describe. Thats not the way it is right now.

 

[BornRuff]

yeah I have to say I don't quite agree with that...if a chef is exceptional you are going to pay your chef...people aren't there for the wait staff, they are there to eat a lovely meal, you need a chef that brings clients into your establishment...the wait staff are the icing on the cake but they aren't 'the cake'...therefore typically they get to split 5% of the tab...not bad

I don't know if I follow who you are referring to exactly. The chef is essentially management and would be getting a good salary based on what kind of business they an bring into the restaurant. That is worked into the price of the food so they are not the type of people that should generally be getting tipped.

The staff in the kitchen often make much much less than servers though, and you can easily argue that they work at least as hard as the servers. They are the people actually preparing and cooking your food for the most part, so they are responsible for a huge chunk of your experience. In a perfect world, I think they should be sharing in tips equally with servers.

 

[Sal]

I don't know if I follow who you are referring to exactly. The chef is essentially management and would be getting a good salary based on what kind of business they an bring into the restaurant. That is worked into the price of the food so they are not the type of people that should generally be getting tipped.

The staff in the kitchen often make much much less than servers though, and you can easily argue that they work at least as hard as the servers. They are the people actually preparing and cooking your food for the most part, so they are responsible for a huge chunk of your experience. In a perfect world, I think they should be sharing in tips equally with servers.

The chef may or may not be management. I think the chef needs to be included in the tips as a motivator but they only get to split in the 5 or 10% anyway so it is a moot issue.They should be well paid.

I better like the notion of not tipping and putting the price up. Pay your people a livable wage.

As for the other kitchen staff, I've had no experience with "their experience". I do know there is huge pressure on servers and their sales are tracked. Their job depends upon their performance and their performance is measured by their sales. They up-sell. It is part of their job. If they have to split their tips in half it won't work with the current pressure which is applied to them.

I would also be interested in the perspective of a restaurant owner and what they have to say regarding the tips and procedures. It was only last week that I learned that serving staff in better restaurants have to pay 5 to 10% off of their bills...not their tips.

 

[BornRuff]

The chef may or may not be management. I think the chef needs to be included in the tips as a motivator but they only get to split in the 5 or 10% anyway so it is a moot issue.They should be well paid.

The chef is the person running the kitchen. They should be paid well, but they shouldn't be taking tips from the people working below them. Their salary comes from the restaurant.

I better like the notion of not tipping and putting the price up. Pay your people a livable wage.

As for the other kitchen staff, I've had no experience with "their experience". I do know there is huge pressure on servers and their sales are tracked. Their job depends upon their performance and their performance is measured by their sales. They up-sell. It is part of their job. If they have to split their tips in half it won't work with the current pressure which is applied to them.

Servers have a job to do, and so do people in the back. I understand that it is very hard to ask anyone to agree to make less money, but I am talking more in general about how things should be if you were to start over today. I believe that the people making the food have at least as much impact on your experience as the people serving it to you, and they should be paid accordingly.

I would also be interested in the perspective of a restaurant owner and what they have to say regarding the tips and procedures. It was only last week that I learned that serving staff in better restaurants have to pay 5 to 10% off of their bills...not their tips.

I don't think I have heard of people having to tip out 10% of their bills, but the practice of tipping out is another reason that tipping shouldn't be considered completely optional. If you don't tip at all, they actually lose money for serving you.

 

[JLM]

To me if tips are paid then it makes sense to me that everyone involved in the meal from peeling the spuds to washing the dishes and putting them away deserves a portion of the tip. What's the consensus on restaurant meals that are buffet/smorgasbord style and the waitress generally just brings coffee/drinks?

 

[Sal]

The chef is the person running the kitchen. They should be paid well, but they shouldn't be taking tips from the people working below them. Their salary comes from the restaurant.

fair enough...I haven't spoken to any chefs...but to call a chef a cook as was done above is insulting which is where my comments began

Servers have a job to do, and so do people in the back. I understand that it is very hard to ask anyone to agree to make less money, but I am talking more in general about how things should be if you were to start over today. I believe that the people making the food have at least as much impact on your experience as the people serving it to you, and they should be paid accordingly.

so you differentiate from the chef and who...who else is in the kitchen making food? I was not aware... when the chef comes to your table, as far as I have understood it is he or she that has prepared my food, so explain to me as I don't know about others in the kitchen

could you please address the issue of up selling and why these people at the back who ever they are get half of the up sale...what have they done to deserve it...also when your servers are pressured to sell why should they have to give away their tip...from a psychological perspective it won't work

I don't think I have heard of people having to tip out 10% of their bills, but the practice of tipping out is another reason that tipping shouldn't be considered completely optional. If you don't tip at all, they actually lose money for serving you.

it is common ... that is how the tips are split... if you do not tip, they still have to pay out on their bills to cover for the other staff who share so when you have people who are too cheap to tip the servers suffer

 

[Corduroy]

Except, a lot of people like myself won't eat there! -

Your absence will probably go unnoticed.