I've worked plenty of food service and customer service, but never a waiting job. So I was shocked when a friend who was told me that the federal government taxes waitpersons on the tips they *think* the waitpersons should be getting regardless of whether they're actually getting tipped that well. That's another reason I think that system sucks.
I've heard people argue that tips are the only way that we can motivate workers to give good service but I don't really believe it. As I said, I've worked service jobs most of my life and I don't get tipped. I work hard and honorably. Some servicepeople might get surly or amotivated without tips, but I think if employers were paying a living wage, most servicepeople wouldn't be any more disgruntled than the average working stiff. I make a living wage, but it's the kind of living where my nostrils are just above the waterline.
Reading some of the remarks from servers on that website makes me not want to eat out, if those are the sorts of people who are handling my food.
Ha HA! I just sent off my last finals of the year. Woo hoo!
I've heard people argue that tips are the only way that we can motivate workers to give good service but I don't really believe it.
Yeah -- that might work if people (as a group, I mean) tipped more or less at the same rate, and had consistent ideas of what level of service should be rewarded. But when you've got idiots who get great service but brag about not tipping because they don't believe in it, and other people who tip big for lousy service because they want to impress a date or they have a policy of never tipping under 20, so you're supposed to magically surmise that 19% is meant as a slap in the face? It's too random to be either informative or motivating, except maybe in the way an abusive relationship is motivating.
Famous art mirror trick: [link]
Um. I don't get it.
t /shamefaced
Also, if you look at the complaints on the site, most of the tips listed are under 10%, which is shitty by anyone's definition. (Assuming that the waitstaff posting are being honest about the quality of service they provided, natch.)
Some of them are one penny or one dollar tips though, which says "payment for rotten service" to me in a way that tipping 8% or forgetting entirely doesn't, even if the people reporting it think they're God's gifts to the food service industry.
I tend to tip around 20%+ most of the time, but that's because I tend to eat out at restaurants where I'm a regular and generally like the service. Basic competence gets 10% from me and courteous behavior adds 5% to that, with more if the staff are actually friendly rather than just cordial. I'm plenty forgiving of kitchen mistakes or overly busy waiters in a crowded restaurant, but bad attitudes get no slack from me whatsoever.
so anyone watching deal or no deal? It's all just averages and luck. And a VERY VERY slim chance that anyone will ever win the $1 mil.
