OT: Tipping at the register? How do you handle it?

[mstateglfr]

So, if you go to a pizza restaurant and they come to your table to take your order and then bring your drinks and food order and then refill your drinks one time, the server has made 3 tips to your table. The same holds true if you're eating at a steak restaurant but the bill (for the same number of people) is a lot more at the steak restaurant because the food is more expensive. Why, then, should the tip be based on a percentage of the bill? The server at either restaurant is doing (more or less) the same amount of work but normally gets a higher tip just because the food costs more which had absolutely nothing to do with the service rendered by the wait staff. For example, 20% of a bill of $50 for a party of 4 to eat at a pizza restaurant would be $10 but a bill for a party of 4 at a steak restaurant might come to $150 and so the 20% tip would be $30. The wait staff at each restaurant would be doing ostensibly the same amount of work so why the tip disparity? Just sayin'

Yup- there is inequity in pay sometimes. You just cited an example.
I would guess the steakhouse jobs are in higher demand than the pizza jobs too.
It happens in a lot of industries.
Staying in food service- One fast food joint may pay $11/hour starting wage while another right down the road or even next door pays $8/hour starting wage.
Grocery chains are another place where pay can be significantly different depending on company, yet the job of cashier is pretty damn similar.
Teachers are another example- from state to state, the pay differs. District to district it can differ. Even elementary to high school can differ within the district. All the teachers are teaching and it could be argued that elementary teachers 'work' more in many situations.

 

[SwampDawg]

I was in one of the local bars (if you can believe that) and got into a conversation with the woman next to me. She said she had been a waiter at one of the local upper scale places. She said the owner, who is known to be an *******, keeps half of the tips and passes out the rest equally to the waiters that shift. I imagine if it is a cash tip the waiters make it disappear.

 

[was21]

If you're the cashier, you cook the books and pocket it

 

[GloryDawg]

Maybe I'm just old and cheap but for me 20% is not a minimum. 20% needs to be earned. >20% needs to be noteworthy good. I did the 8 year, work 3 jobs pay as you go college plan. Most of those jobs were tip related (Cheers, Quincy's, and Old Waverly) so I completely understand what it's like to depend on tips. I worked hard at it and usually made decent money. But, when I had an off night and was slow with refills, forgot stuff, or whatever, I knew I sucked and didn't expect good tips. Tips are compensation for a service rendered, not a guaranteed wage.

When I eat at the Waffle House I even tip the cook not as much but I tip them.

 

[BingleCocktail]

Thread hijack, now that all the food delivery services charge both a delivery fee and a service fee how do you tip those? I'm still doing 20% but I'm considering changing.

Simple: I don't ever use food delivery services. Period. Might as well light fire to the money if one is too lazy to cook or careless enough with their money to waste it in this fashion.

 

[BingleCocktail]

I want to do it "right".

This has been an interesting thread - good off-season topic. My key take-away? Our society has been shamed into rewarding standard - or even substandard performance. Worse, we created a sect that feels entitled to such a reward for being so.