To tip or not to tip
Anyone who has ever worked in the restaurant business can attest to the hectic work schedule, the demanding customers and the heartbreak of receiving a less than satisfactory tip for the superior service you provided.
These are the joys of the server life. Some work for supplemental income, others see it as a career, but I see it as a stepping stone to something better.
Don’t get me wrong, for those who choose it as a career, it can be rewarding. I like my co-workers, the food we serve is delicious and my work schedule allows me to attend school full time. The problem is the pay.
It’s common practice for restaurants to pay servers $2.13 an hour, less than the hourly minimum wage of $7.25, and the remainder of their earnings is left in the hands of the guest to decide. A server can bend over backwards for a guest, not charge him/her for extra side items and provide the best service possible, but it does not guarantee the customary 20 percent tip.
There has to be a better way for servers and there is.
The restaurant industry needs to do away with tipping. Customers want to experience a great dining experience; so let us eliminate the daunting math problem at the end. Second, this is a service industry. Servers should remember providing a good service is priority, not working for a tip. Third, employers most often rely heavily on their servers to provide a great dining experience, which leads to high turnover rates.
My suggestion would be to create a fair minimum wage across the restaurant industry. Incentives need to be created for servers and all employees in order to provide great customer service. Pay increase should be reviewed based on performance review and experience.
For example, many times I have seen servers give great service at the start of their shift only to start slacking at the end. Why? Some have this mind frame that they just need to make a certain amount in tips to cover an expense. Once that amount is met, they could care less about the rest of their tables. Why should anyone be punished with bad service just because the server has earned enough to pay this month’s cell phone bill?
Great service should be expected at all times. If the restaurant industry adopted a fair minimum wage system than providing good service would become the norm. Increase of pay will be based on job performance and experience. Also, if the server fails to meet employer standards in regards to service than the employer can train the server in the areas he or she lacks or job loss can occur.
In the end, eliminating the hassle of tipping seems to have more pros than cons. Servers will have a fair pay, have a better knowledge of the exact amount they will take home, customers will receive great service at all times and to make for a better dining experience the hassle of deciding what the sever deserves is eliminated.
This is a very interesting article. I agree with your solution of having restaurants pay a fair and reasonable wage to their servers. The pay/tip system, in its current state, is indeed broken. I was a server many, many years ago. I worked in fine dining, so guests often tipped well, but there were several occasions where guests did not leave the standard 15-20% tip (according to Emily Post, a popular “go-to” for etiquette, the standard tip is 15 to 20 percent). It is my belief that restaurants seek to push an increase of what is considered to be a standard tip in order to avoid addressing the main issue at hand–the fact that servers are still only paid $2.13 an hour, which is an hourly rate that has remained stagnant since 1991.
Many restaurants take advantage of young people who are looking for flexible work hours while attending school. I suggest that all servers take a look at the US Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards laws in order to ensure that their employer is following the law (see: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs2.htm). Further, restaurants should be paying minimum wage for non-tipped work, such as rolling silverware, vacuuming, and morning prep. If servers have questions about their pay, they should contact their regional US Department of Labor office.
Great article! Waiting tables is a tough job! I like the idea of a standard base pay. It had better be high though!