Maybe We Should Quit Tipping Our Front-End Staff Altogether

A living wage for all people would be awesome, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. That being said, most places add a gratuity to large parties and many people still feel the need to tip on top of that percentage. How would that be different from rewarding a server already earning minimum wage? You can always tip above 15 % if you feel the experience was warranted.

I do agree with the math that people tip more on steaks, etc. than if they spent the same or a bit less on just drinks or appetizers. Why is that? A custom cocktail is worth more than the usual $1 tip you might leave for a beer.

First thing, if you feel that strongly about something that has a material impact on your finances it would behoove you to start voting with your pocketbook. 

This means either preparing, serving and cleaning up after yourself in the comfort of your own home. The alternative? Find your favorite restaurant, get to know a server who provides a level of service that you're comfortable with and tip in the way that you feel is appropriate. Visit back every couple weeks and ask for the same server. Now you can feel secure in knowing what kind of experience you'll get when you walk in the door and that the 15-20% investment will be justified.  You won't have to do anything extravagant but by fully leveraging your purchasing power with regular visits I can promise you that you'll see better service than a business group on an expense account dropping 25% on a $400+ tab.

Oh yeah, and don't be a royal pain in the ass, that helps too. You have every right in the world to expect a restaurant and its staff to be accommodating as long as you're reasonable.

What happened to $2 a person for lunch and $4 a person for dinner, a time when life was simpler and cheaper.

The best waiters in DFW metro are in one location...have been and always will be...El Fenix downtown. Just serve, no chit chat. Only speak when spoken to first. Years of experience....all items I gladly pay extra.

What would be an appropriate salary for a server? $30k? $45k? Would it be dictated by the type of place your were employed at?

Nope-bartenders can make $400 in just 8 hours- it's extremely rare that most college graduates will make that even after they graduate. In fact, a lot of the people I know stayed in the service industry after they graduated. The cost of dining would have to go up significantly to equal the kind of pay service industry people are making now. And you can't really compare European jobs to here- door to door sales is also considered a legitimate career choice in some areas- and I don't hear anyone trying to pitch that as a good idea.

Agreed. Though its easier said than done considering how many people use waiting as fast cash to keep them afloat in between jobs, or school, ect. Then the question becomes how do these restaurants owners adjust? I've known owners of good restaurants who had to put bartenders from $8/ hourly to tip just to stay profitable nevermind having to pay a wait staff a salary on nights where your dead or some event forced you to be dead. I think the high end successful spots would do fine but its the mid level spots trying to build a base and a name that couldn't survive in such a system or may have never tried knowing the addition costs tied to starting up a restaurant in a non-tip environment. Just something I that came to mind.

Agreed Matthew, when it costs less to go to McDonalds then it does to actually make your dinner at home, something's wrong.

I would love to see servers and bartenders paid a living wage, food portion sizes reduced (WTH? Do we really *need* 1Lb burgers??) in favor of quality food, and meal prices adjusted accordingly. The work is hard, and the pay uncertain. Been there, done that.

I posted your story earlier today, and myself and all the commenters agreed!

Having been raised in Germany I've always found the tipping system here weird. It makes for a less secure earnings for the server and it makes it harder for the customer to figure out how much they'll be spending (same issue with displaying prices everywhere without tax). Also, trying to figure out how a restaurant splits tips shouldn't be up to me. I usually give 20% base and then go up (rarely down unless it's really bad) depending on the service. However when exactly it switched from 15% to 20% isn't quite clear to me. And in future, will it be 30%???

The salary plus a small tip for appreciation makes more sense to me, but I doubt it'll ever change here.

Are there any restaurants out there who have done this of their own volition? I certainly haven't been to one.

Double the tax, add $5 and be grateful.

Owners would never accept a salary based compensation model for FOH employees. Their return on investment is too great. For example, a good server at an upscale Dallas restaurant could easily ring $3k during a busy 5-6hr weekend shift. So, the owner gets $3k in gross revenue for $12 labor investment plus SS tax? Sounds like a deal. Multiply that by 6 servers per shift and owners can generate $18k in revenue for a couple hundred bucks or so in labor dollars? 

The system is flawed and it's all predicated on the general consensus(made up mostly of people who've never worked in the business) that the service industry isn't a "real job" or that just anyone can do it. The biggest critics of  service industry employees and their resulting dining experiences are those who've never worked in the business.

And I bet that 20% norm includes the 8.25% tax...am I right ?

I'm an outside the norm tipper.   Baseline is 20% and the scale slides up or down depending on the level of service.

First of all, have you ever worked in the service industry or are you determining your opinions purely from a consumer point of view? I'd like to bet that you have not or you wouldn't make such conclusions.I am a server and have worked in a variety of restaurants across the United States. My biggest issue with you is that you fail to realize that servers are not merely drones, bringing and taking away plates and other items from your table. Although the manual labor aspect of it is about half of the job itself.. It is not the most important part. I know I am crucial to the "experience" of the diner.. And partly because of the knowledge I have had to acquire in this industry.Let's say you want to order a bottle of wine to compliment your dinner AND to your own tastes. Well, sir, I would love to help you. It is my JOB and pleasure to know what bottles we possess, where they come from, what variances in taste from varietal to vintage, and how they compliment the meal.. Which I have also answered your questions about and guided you into the right fit. We are required to have extensive knowledge on an aptitude of food, beverage and wine. It is not just opening and pouring and bringing and taking away and cleaning. It's an "experience". It's a craft. It's a hospitality.Now as a server, I also know a bad experience for a guest can result in the termination of a repeat customer. As it should. That is why it is imperative to reward those who do provide a great service. That is where the initiative lies in the server to provide and the consumer to pay for services rendered. And by the way, some social norms are there for a reason. It's not 15 percent anymore. It has been 20 percent. And if you cannot afford the "experience" in its entirety, the meal and the service, go to a drive thru.