Does anyone think tipping should be phased out of society?

Whats a waiter worth 15k-35k? (I'd guess it varies depending on the restaurant/type of worker/hours worked)

You think somebody making 20k is going to work just as hard if they're getting that money guaranteed? It's rare I get poor service and that has to be attributed to the fact that if they do give poor service than they know their paycheck will suffer...

It's not like they're taking that 15% and hopping into a BMW after work. Hospitality is probably the worst field to get into if you want to make $....

 

I am still tipping. On fofo's.

 

I tip and have worked in the restaurant business, but if i were allowed to put my own food order in and pick it up to my table i would.

 

Cheapo.

 

I've found the service in the US much better than other places around the world that don't have the tipping system (Australia, France, Spain, the Netherlands come to mind immediately)

you've just got to align your expectations that the prices on the menu are not the full price, so you're not disappointed when you suddenly realize you need to chip in another 15-20%.

As other have mentioned, in other countries, they just include the cost of service in the meal prices.

It's really all about giving an incentive to the wait staff to do good service

where the tipping service gets out of hand are things like valets, clubs (e.g., hosts, doormen, waitresses, etc), hotel bellhops -- that gets confusing as to whom to tip. It also makes you keep more cash on you than normal.

 

I tend to agree... I waited tables and busted my ass for tips and worked hard...not everyone does that nowadays, more of an entitlement which means crappy service... Restaurants should be burdened with worker pay like other business...

 

There are only two things we can be sure would survive a nuclear war, cockroaches and tipping.

 

I'd rather tip the cooks then. I've worked in restaurants and cook are the ones who get **** on the most. Waitstaff don't do t break them off a piece. I willl tip for good service but if if you give me bad service I will stiff you with a happy smile and a quarter and sleep well. I guess it's a good exchange.

 

the cooks get a share of the tips at some places. no waiter gets to keep all his tips in any restaurant that I know of. The juice guy, the host, the busboy, the food runner, etc. all get a piece.

 

Thats the way it should be. If I got bad service, I won't tip, simple as that.

 

Ok, I guess I don't feel so bad when I tell my gf this :grin:

 

I'm only annoyed when someone does a 0% tip job. I'd prefer to tip based on service, and that is much easier when you go to a nice restaurant. But, when you go to a low end place it's easier for servers to stereotype you as a low tipper and give you crappy service.

I notice most people tipping the same 15-20% regardless of the quality of service. And, i know why they do it. If you have to tip the bad servers 15% then it's more difficult to tip the good ones the 40% they may deserve.

 

If by 'phase out' you mean those employees start to get paid better wages by the restaurants so that tipping is no longer needed, sure that'd be great.

Otherwise, I don't really care much. There are lots of ways for people to serve you food. I'm happy with people that go beyond that and actually make your restaurant experience more efficient and enjoyable and will tip them appropriately.

 

Wow, I agree with everything in this post. Repped.

 

So who's going to change it? The restaurants sure as hell aren't. They get cheap labor and know the customer will make up the difference. If a restaurant got rid of tipping and jacked up their prices 15-20% to compensate (because the restaurant isn't going to take a hit), they'll probably lose business. Yes, customers will be paying essentially the same but psychologically, they'll feel like they're paying more.

I don't remember how it was done, but when I worked at Pappadeaux's, part of our tips went to the busboys. I don't think anybody else did though.

 

The OP is a f***** idiot........ Do your research on the service industry and how much servers make for an hourly wage based on what state you live in.

Cheers to someone spitting in your food sir.

 

I don't know much about them except hearing that higher wages means less or no tips, but I think American restaurants might have much higher expenses. I assume they're more heavily regulated at all three levels of government; and we have a more litigious society, better tax enforcement and possibly more stringent and inquisitive bank lenders, so they have to spend more non-government expenses as well. Incidentally I'm enough of a statist that I agree with all of this, especially in a country as large as the U.S. where bad food could create some serious public health issues and significant social disorder.

Mix in the simplicity of the job itself and you may never see minimum wage or especially unions; because it's so much easier to just fire the whole crew and re-hire.

 

Fine. Then they will have to jack up the menu prices to cover the cost. Brilliant. Eat at home.

 

What would be the problem with that? Since a 15 % tip is basically mandatory nowadays, apparently, why couldn't restaurants just jack up the menu prices to that, and if you are especially happy with the service, you could just tip a bit more if you want, but there would not be social pressure for you to do so?

Are there maybe tax reasons not to do this?