Why on earth do we tip at restaurants?

[Sanford]

Once you take the tip out of the equation, all the staff gets paid roughly the same whether they are attentive to the patrons or not.

Bingo. Don't eliminate tipping, but pay the staff a decent wage and dump the weird practice of collecting all the tips then sharing them back out so all the employees get an even share. Let the servers keep any tips they earn as opposed to considering them part of their paid income from their employment.

 

[FlyGuyGSP]

Heaven forbid an employer pay a fair salary. The whole tip thing is stupid. Two waiters or waitress give excellent service. But because one is more attractive then the other they'll get the bigger tip. It happens all the time. Nothing fair about that at all. In many other countries tipping is unheard of. Charge a fair price, pay a decent wage.

Ever owned a restaurant because if you tried to pay all your waiting staff a "fair salary", you wouldn't own one for long.

 

[Kid Glock]

I never was a big tipper and never gave it much thought until my daughter worked for a short time as a waitress while working her way through school. After hearing her stories of some of the azzholes she served, I'm more conscientious now when it comes to tipping.

 

[DrBaker]

I tip. Hopefully you do too.

 

[kennedy]

I've got no problem tipping even when the food isn't that great... The tip lies entirely on my refills.

This is my basis as well...if my glass stays empty, so does the tip

 

[LightningCrash]

Ever owned a restaurant because if you tried to pay all your waiting staff a "fair salary", you wouldn't own one for long.

that would imply that there are no restaurants outside of the USA.

 

[TerryMiller]

I'll probably get heat for this one, but a "waitstaff" position is a good example of the idea of free market principles. A good wait-person will earn more in tips while a poor one won't. When a restaurant insists that all the tips be "pooled" so that "everyone" gets a fair share, that is when I believe the restaurant should be required to "pay the living wage." Pooling is socialism and the lazy wait-person gets more than they deserve.

Now, if the members of the wait-staff choose to accept employment in a restaurant that pools their tips, do you really get good wait-staff? Or, will the good ones go to work where they are tipped according to the service they provide?

 

[inactive]

It's like I'm reading about Amy's Baking Company in here.


I think Hobbes, Terry and those like them get it. While tips are uncommon outside the US, I've also had poorer service outside the US as well. Save for Mexico where they busted ass knowing gringos hand out tips.

 

[beast1989]

My question is why the hell do barbers think they deserve a tip? If my haircut was $15 and I've paid $20 I have had them pocket the hole damn thing and I'm like "uhh my change broski". I don't like tipping freaking barbers...

 

[rebelracer79]

My question is why the hell do barbers think they deserve a tip? If my haircut was $15 and I've paid $20 I have had them pocket the hole damn thing and I'm like "uhh my change broski". I don't like tipping freaking barbers...

I won't pay for a hair cut, you can buy electric clippers for that 20...