Service in Japan really is great. From restaurants, to pubs to even fast food outlets. When I was there, McDonald's staff got around 700yen/hour, which I believe is comparable to Mac pay in the US.
So r****ded. They aren't entitled to **** if they do a poor job. Of course you tip if the waitstaff does a descent job. We all know by now waitstaff gets a lower base pay then min wage + tips. But if you're waiting 5 tables an hours, and customers leave/come every hour or so, average $4-5 tips a table, the waitstaff has already made $20-25 in one hours which is pretty good for doing nothing but carrying plates. If anyone deserves tips, it's the line cooks who are actually making your food quickly and on time. I don't know where you eat but last time I checked, fine dining is never cheap. On the other hand, if I wanted some lazy mofer server me, I'd go to burger king as you suggested.
Yeah exactly. Even a 7-Eleven convenience store on the side of the street there is spotless and immaculate. Love how everything in Japan is super clean and orderly.
^One of the incidents in Japan I still remember was after finishing my food at an izakaya, I left for the toilet but still had a third of my beer left. When I came back, I found my table already cleared. I let the waiter know, and he immediately apologized, and brought out a full, fresh pint and two small bowls of bar food (baby octopus with wasabi and something else) which were complimentary. And this wasn't an expensive place either, it was a mid-range pub/restaurant. If I was the couple in the article, I'd probably pay the gratuity to avoid a confrontation, but I definitely would never go back there again to tip their crappy service.
why would the police agree to even arrive on the scene, much less arrest two people, for *questionable* theft of $16
If you know of any waiters who only work during peak hours and retain 100% of his tip, I'd like to get a hold of the place he works at. I just think restaurants should either have service charge and pay their entire waitstaff regular wages, or let the patrons leave tips as they desire(big parties notwithstanding).
You've hit the nail on the head. It's all about greed. And Major and RocketsPimp were both waiters I believe and their opinions have been skewed by their experiences. Full disclosure: I've waited tables and been a bartender and I think the system is messed up. I became obsessed with tips because of the environment and I hated that. The famous Mothers restaurant in New Orleans has "no tipping allowed" signs everywhere because their owners pay everyone well and all the service is top notch. The theory that tipping is a necessary motive for good service is somewhat flawed. I've provided an example, and Japan is a great example. Does that mean if the system was changed to make it more fair, service would not take a hit anywhere? No. There will always be issues, but people just complain too damn much in their jobs in general and don't believe in doing great work as a value in itself enough. I don't even think it's a US culture thing. I've worked and been apart of many environments full of immigrants who are portrayed usually as so hard-working. I've talked to many Military Officers work-ethic issues. To me, it's the same across the board. American, Latino immigrant, soldier...people are generally f'n lazy and do the minimum. They're motivated by money and take short-cuts to get the job done and very rarely do you come across someone who actually cares about doing things the right way when it comes to their job...someone who takes pride in work ethic. So changing the structure would piss a lot of current waiter and waitresses off. Restaurants would charge more, but I don't think people would pay more overall for dining because tipping would go way down. I think it would force a lot of young people who can get by or are doing well waiting on tables to speed up their life track. Waiting isn't generally a career and is seen as a stepping stone in one's life, but many hold on to it longer because it can be good money because of the current American tip system. If that changes, it will mess up lives, and will force people to adjust. In this theoretical world, waiting jobs will be equivalent in salary to pizza drivers, so retail jobs, etc....And while I think some are right in saying service quality will take a hit...that would not be across the board imo and after the adjustments are made, things would be acceptable most everywhere imo. Again, I'm just fighting theory with theory, but on my side there are also examples of service being fine without tip. We've just never had a real-world experiment where we when from an American tip culture to a non-American tip culture transition. Now I say things will be fine eventually, not because lower-paid wait jobs will be full of people who care about working hard; but because like every other job, bosses and managers will have to step it up so customers don't complain and businesses don't lose money. And when I say step it up, I mean forcing waiters to provide good service of fire them. People will do the wait jobs. Just because they're forced to OMG do a good job and provide good service and only get paid around minimum wage doesn't mean no one will do it. I'm just tired of the whining and lack of work ethic I've seen and heard of everywhere. And ultimately greed is the only justification for this messed up tipping system that we have in this country. I have no problem tipping well, but for those who believe it's a great and just system, and that the service cannot be done properly in any other system...they're wrong imo, greedy and wrong.
The service industry has been devo'ing to greed for a long time now. There was a time when bad service raised your eyebrow and you kept your tip. Now good service surprises us and we have to over tip to feel better about that crappy service you got where you HAD to tip. Something is FU
Agreed. I blame the strange american cultural obsession with being "owed' something. You know the type - the waiters you give the vibe of "I don't deserve this crappy job" and who generally don't give a crap, but still expect that 20% tip. I didn't force you to wait tables buddy, and I'm not rewarding you just for being around to fill my water glass every 45 minutes with a look of disdain. Service in america is, generally, terrible. It's my favorite part of shopping online and cooking my own food - I don't get the sensation that I'm rewarding jerkitude.
$2.15/hour is standard for waiting tables. at least in texas - i know california does like $4-$5 hour + tips. and that was the case w/ the story in question.
you have never waited tables, have you? waiters do alot more than just "carrying plates". and i waited for a few years and i never worked anywhere where people were making $20/$25 hour - it did happen every once in awhile, but that was few and far between and believe me, you busted your ass for it. i would say the average in a mid-level restaurant is closer to $10-$12 hour. sometimes less, sometimes more. and line cooks are generally getting at least $8/hour (starting salary). i also worked on the line and i expoed - i much preferred that to having to deal w/ customers all day.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to open up a "No Tipping" restaurant in the US and pay your servers a standard wage and push the use of comment cards on each table and then reward/bonus/replace your waitstaff over time based on their performance? It's a genius idea.
IDK. Seeing higher food costs are likely why we don't see that, and not that I think it would really help.
It would be a hard concept for Americans to get over, but you're essentially paying a similar amount if you don't pay tips at the end.
IMO, there are 2 things that are screwed up in this country that will NEVER be fixed: 1) The tipping system that is in place at restaurants 2) College Football's way of determing a national champion Both of these things could be fixed but it would entail changing a mindset and culture that is stubborn and profit-greedy (especially on the bowl system). As others have mentioned, the service in this country sucks beyond belief. I don't have a problem tipping when my service is good and I always tip 20%, sometimes up to 30% (although someone else pointed this out and it is a good point - why do you have to give a higher tip just because the food cost more; that really makes no sense). But as long as the system we have in place requires tipping than they should also understand that if the service was below-average, then so will the tip. The entitlement attitude that we have in this country is sickening, to say the least.
