WTF! Do we HAVE to tip everyone??

[isleta521 5]

Keep on tipping fellow Albuquerquean (did not think I could spell it right)

[sparkofcreation 0]

I dont think they are making $2.15. Damm..maybe in a differnt country but in the USA. that is WAY below the Min. wadge that is required by the Federal Goverment.

That is $86/wk hmmm I can now go buy that porche or Ferri with that kind of wage.

I believe the actual minimum wage for waiters/waitresses in the US is $2.80/hr. As stated above (over and over and over) tips are counted towards reaching the minimum wage requirement. So they might make $2.80×8 hours, plus another $50 or so in tips. (Depending on where, of course.)

Believe it or not, it's true.

Keep on tipping fellow Albuquerquean (did not think I could spell it right)

Ah, is that what we're called, now? I had been wondering!

Seriously, waitstaff here are great. I've had good service before, but this is the only place that I've actually felt the waitress was personally concerned about how I liked my cheese enchiladas, veggie green chile and sopaipillas! (And not because you can't get veggie green chile and sopaipillas in New Jersey!)

Damn, now I'm wanting to go to Sadie's!

Edited March 23, 2006 by sparkofcreation

[faith 0]

If the waiter/waitress is good enough they will bring home a lot of money in tips. My friend Kerrie used to work at Denny's. She would clear $150 in tips during an 8 hour shift. Not too shabby if you ask me.

My sister cocktail waitresses at the hotel she works at sometimes for extra money. There are nights she's brought home over 200 bucks for a 4 hour shift.

so the crappy hourly wage really isn't a factor.

[Jenn! 918]

I believe the actual minimum wage for waiters/waitresses in the US is $2.80/hr. As stated above (over and over and over) tips are counted towards reaching the minimum wage requirement. So they might make $2.80×8 hours, plus another $50 or so in tips. (Depending on where, of course.)

Believe it or not, it's true.

Actually, the minimum wages for tipped positions vary by state.

I had someone argue endlessly with me that there is no way I could have made only $2.63 an hour waiting tables in Massachusetts. She told me everyone has to make the minimum wage - she did when she waited tables. Well, she waited tables in California where the normal minimum wage is the same as tipped minimum wage.

http://www.dol.gov/esa/programs/whd/state/tipped.htm

I think many people undertip because they are really not aware of the fact that the hourly wage is so low.

[Reba 2]

some states have their own minimum wage, which is usually more than the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. If you live in one of those states, then you're lucky, because the tipped wage is probably also higher.

Here in NC, there is no other min. wage except the federal minimum wage of $5.15. Tipped staff is usally paid $2.15 per hour and is required to report tips (obviously). Some higher end restaurants pay more than that, but most do not. Delivery and counter staff are paid minimum wage or higher because tips are less frequent. I work at Domino's now, and our drivers here rarely get tips. Around here its usually "keep the change" and they get handed $20 for a $19.98 total.

I tip wait staff according to the service I've received. If they're slow and surly, they get a minimal tip. If they're quick and friendly, I tip rather well. I always tip pizza delivery, because I *know* they barely make enough to cover their gas and car maintenance every week. I tip hairstylists because the money I pay for the haircut usually mostly or all goes to the salon owner, not the person actually cutting my hair. I used to tip the guy who mowed our lawn, until he got cocky and started doing an incredibly shoddy job. Then he got fired.

While I agree in principle that wait staff should be tipped, I disagree that they should be tipped *no matter what*. They have a job to do, and when they do it well they get tipped well. They *know* this. (hell, I've been there, done that, and somehow have ended up back there again) When they do a shoddy job, and *expect* a tip anyway, that's just wrong.

Anyone seen the movie "Waiting"? If you've never been a server, its worth a watch. If you have been or are a server, you'll appreciate the laugh

[yogib37 3]

I give about 15%. One time I did not give a tip case she was rude. I called the manager over and I complained to him. I got my meal free

I dont do that all the time. I know some people do that to just get free food. that is not right but when I was being mistreated I know I am right or I just one cent. that is the sign for very bad service.

My father tips good. My uncle has a super soft spot in his heart for waiteress and always gives good tips. He claims, the tips were what put his daughters thru college. All are sucessful. Even one of my cousions is in Sr. managament at Verizon.

Just my 2 cents worth of a tip

Take care

[isleta521 5]

". . .Damn, now I'm wanting to go to Sadie's!"

Chek out El Portal on Rio Grande.

WOW I just noticed Im a "Senior Member" now !!!

Edited March 24, 2006 by isleta521

[diadromous mermaid 36]

On tip reporting (now I might be a bit fuzzy on this, but this is my recolection...)

Of course servers were not accurately reporting their tip income. The Feds finally caught on to this and computers caught up (circa about 1991).

The restaurant reports the server's sales. IRS estimates an 8% tip return. Sales X .08 is added onto your server's wage reporting. If you leave zero, you are *costing* your server $$.

I tend to overtip, having been in the industry, but I do disagree with my sister (and go with mother's advice) and I don't tip on the wine (bottled).

$30 bux for a $5 bottle of plonk just doesn't seem right.

As I understand it, alcohol sales are reported separately (in my state anyway).

And yes, many servers have to tip out the rest of the staff. The last casual waiting job I picked up, the servers were required to turn in 15% of their tips *to the manger*, for the kitchen staff (amazingly all undocumented workers from another country). The owner would pay the cooks out of our tips money. Needless to say, I didn't last there long, and I wasn't the first person to report him to State Wage and Hour.

For all the good that did. grrr.

The maxim for tipping is that if it's the proprietor providing the service, no tip is required. For example, at the hairdresser, if your stylist is the owner of the salon - no tip, same thing in a coffee shop, restaurant etc.

Meauxna is pretty much bang on with the explanation of the tipping law, from what I recall reading, and Reinhard too, but the employee will not be fired if the reported tips don't equal the minimum going wage, nor does the employer get any flack, typically, until reviewed by the trusty folks at Wage and Hour.

My understanding is that the minimum wage paid to service people in food service is only $2.50+ *because* of what is known as a "tipped employee credit". This is more or less a case of the chicken before the egg deal. It is the establishment's report of total revenues, that is used to calculate a projected tip income for the whole establishment. Then if the social security wages on all W2's don't equal the projected tipped income, the employer may not qualify for the credit and may not offer the $2.50+ hourly wage. So the employer has to create an incentive for his/her waiters to report at least the equivalent of .08% sales for the year, otherwise he does not have the privilege of the "credit" on the Federal minimum hourly wage. Naturally, this reporting by employees is and can only be encouraged, it's not mandatory, but certainly a smart employer devises ways to accomplish this.

In short, the waiters and waitresses are guaranteed to meet the Federal minimum wage level of $5.15 or whatever it is currently, because if not the employer loses the ability to credit his hourly payroll and if Wage and Hour were to audit, then any shortfall is to be paid by the employer. One interesting thing I did discovered when I looked at the Dept of Labour website to read up on this was that say Cathy the server earns on average $15.00 per hour including her tips, and reports that she earns $12.00 per hour. The employer pays her the standard wage for a tipped employee, which is a little over $2.50 per hour, the rest is earned from her customers. Say she works 50 hours one week and is entitled to overtime from her boss. Naturally, one might think OK, Mr. Restaurant owner will pay her $2.50+ 50% for overtime for those 10 hours, correct? Apparently not. Cathy would be entitled to earn $12.00 + 50% for each overtime hour = $18.00 per hour. Now if she does not actually report the equivalent of $18.00 income for those extra hours, the restaurant must make up the shortfall in her paycheque, per Wage and Hour rules.

Edited March 25, 2006 by diadromous mermaid

[MrMrsKnight 0]

Dave's brother owns the pizza place Dave works at and that I'm going to work too. Dave makes U$6.50/hour + tips+ U$1 for each delivery (to help with gas I think). He brings home about U$500 a week if it's a normal/good week and we're able to put U$200 in the bank every week.

It's going to be better when I work there to because then I'll be bringing home about 3 or 4 hundred a week.

Tips are great for us and I thank God for them!

When we own our own pizza place, which we intend to do as soon as possible, we won't rely on tips as much anymore but we're still gonna be delivers because that extra money can be great help!

Edited March 26, 2006 by MrMrsKnight

[Jasman0717 9]