I don't understand Americans.?

Question

Should I even try ? is there method to the madness ?

One big thing.

Tipping I don't understand, if everyone tipped standard 15-20% +, waiters make a fortune. Not tipping is blasphemous but it is ok to pay people in no so disimilar jobs $5.85 per hour and people eat there no wories.

Some places I hear dishwashers and bussers, ect, only make minimum wage and mabye a $10 tip out per night and waiters walk with hundreds of dollars.

I don't understand america and people try to justify all of these things.

Ridiculous low minimum wage but the standard tip keeps going up, what does this reflect ? rising costs.. but minimum wage does not really budge. Someone please explain this without saying that waitressing is the hardest jobs there is... because frankly, thats bull, there are many much harder jobs out there.

Additional Details

I have worked in pubs before waitresses don't work harder than anybody else. They stand around and do a lot of talking.

Why not just pay minimum wage and have tips as an optional for good service ?

I feel sorry for the people earning $5 an hour having to listen to waitresses complain.

Why should I not eat out ? Why should I feel bullied into tipping 20% because the restaurant won't pay you a proper wage. Tipping is supposed to be for good service, yet, you almost have to tip 15%.

Looks like waitresses get it pretty good while the rest of the service staff get screwed while waitresses act like they're gods gift to service. Plus they're mostly all female. This reeks of unfairness to me.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Yes, the dishwashers, bussers, etc. make minimum wage. The servers DON'T. When I was a server, my checks weren't even worth cashing. One of them was for 7 cents. This is because the taxes for my earnings were decuted from the meager wage ($1.85 per hour when I waited tables) which leaves nothing in the actual wage. This means the server lives SOLELY on tips. Additionally, I had to pay the other staff a percentage of my tips each night, and I had to pay taxes on the total amount of food sold under my server number whether you tipped me or not. So if you do not tip me, it actually COSTS ME MONEY to serve you food because it goes against my IRS reporting as if you had tipped me at least 9%. You should redirect your anger away from the servers - who are getting screwed more than you apparently know - and towards the government (who has refused to raise the minimum wage) and the restaurant owner who does not pay the server at least the minimum wage.

Answer 2

Why are you complaining about someone making wadges off of tipping? What about the CEOs who make $100 per hour while the average worker makes $20.

Answer 3

Everyone around the world do this

Answer 4

usually waiters make less then minimum wage because they are expected to make it up in tips, which they are supposed to claim on their taxes.

Answer 5

ouh,, poor thing's,,,,,,,,,!!

don't worry be happy now,,

Answer 6

Actually, of the average 15% tip, the retaraunt keeps 7%. Many tips are dispersed between all employees, because getting that good meal on your table is the work of a team, not the server alone.

A server's job is EXTREMELY hard. Though not necessarily the MOST physically demanding job- you're right, they aren't digging ditches- their jobs are still demanding enough to cause physical strain and constant-motion injuries. Besides back pain, arm aches, and swelling legs/ankles, they have to be very organized, quick thinkers with good memories and also have to be able to serve people who have no appreciation for their exertions with a smile (hint hint).

Servers make very low paid wages, the tips make up the rest of the server's income- but don't worry, nobody has gotten rich working as a server, so you should feel secure in the fact that people that you consider aren't worthy of good wages aren't necessarily living comfortably.

Source(s):

If you don't agree with tipping, then don't go out to eat or stick to fast food places and buffets.

Answer 7

Lots of people do not understand Americans. If freedom is highly valued, as it is in the United States, it is important to sustain an economic system that puts as few restraints as possible on the ability of individuals to work where they chose, for wages agreed to by employers and employees, or to earn money through their own initiative and enterprise.

The concept of working for a minimum wage is against everything most Americans believe about themselves. Nobody thinks they do a job so poorly that an employer has to pay them more than they are worth. That is what a minimum wage is. It is a level of payment exceeding the value of labor, required by law to serve some perceived social need to help those who do not function well in the job market. The truth is that Americans tend to perform to the best of their ability and to continually improve their productivity, making themselves more valuable to their employers. Employers want to attract and retain good workers, so they offer wages that are competitive. The system works well for both the employees and the employers.

You mentioned people who work for tips. Those people are are working not just for their employer, but maintain something like an independent service provider relationship with the people they serve. When they work hard and provide outstanding service, they increase their chances of receiving substantial renumeration. For them, a minimum wage is not a consideration. They have the ability to increase their earnings by their own efforts.

In the United States, very few people work for minimum wage. That level of pay is primarily offered for entry-level jobs. People move up from that level quickly. Those who do not, have an incentive to improve performance or to look for other employment or to become self-employed.

Answer 8

waiters are supposed to share tips with the rest of the employers. however, i doubt it happens very often

Answer 9

What this is stupid!!They earn 2.00 per hour plus tips that is shared with all the waiters...etc. and you think that is too much..I have never done this but,see some hard working people trying to get by pay the rent..school...etc..

Answer 10

l am an Australian.Often people will tip,but it is not the expected thing to rely on every customer to tip.People tip freely if they are in a financial position to do so.lt is purely voluntary.l believe that is how it should be.Sorry if l have offended anyone in other countries who relies on the customer to tip.

Answer 11

I live in China now. and in China there is no tipping system, in fact, tipping is strictly prohibited. I can tell you one thing it is better to have a tip. It's not just extra money, its motivation to perform well. In China all service is terrible, and let me tell you I'm not happy with it. Without tipping the world would be a cold place... :(

Answer 12

In the UK people leave a tip for very good service, but it isn't expected, and often the restaurant will have a box for all tips to go into and they are shared out between the staff at the end of the week.

Answer 13

As a fine dining server, I won't begin to tell you how hard my job is. It doesn't matter. I'm great at what I do and I get compensated well for my hard work. The complaints about how hard the job is will come from the ungrateful, lazy servers that expect you to fork over 20% for unsatisfactory service.

I'll tell you why America tips:

Tipping is a long-standing American custom recognized by our government. Because customers are expected to tip servers, restaurants can hire them on a tipped wage that is generally much lower than the US minimum wage. (In Pennsylvania, our restaurants pay us a whopping $2.83 an hour, not enough to even cover our taxes!) Servers must report all tips to the IRS and pay taxes on them. After every shift, servers tip out anywhere from 10%-25% of their tips to bartenders, bussers, food runners, dishwashers, and in some places, even the cooks. In this system, a servers wages depend on their abilities as a server and the (we hope) kind nature of the grateful customer. You can tip generously for great service, you can tip poorly or even not at all for terrible service.

Sure, this system has many pros and cons, too many to bother listing. But what is the alternative?

Let's replace this system with one where the servers are paid around minimum wage and no longer work for tips. When this system goes into effect, every good server will leave the industry because it won't be worth their time. You've gotten rid of the motivation to work harder for a better tip, so expect slower, less attentive, and unfriendly service. (Do you really want the sneering teenager at the fast food counter serving you a romantic dinner?) Restaurants will lose their vested interest in employee quality control and hire just about anybody that can cover the hours.

Since the restaurants will have to pay servers on duty a flat hourly rate no matter if the restaurant is full or empty, they will naturally only schedule the bare minimum of servers they think they will need that day, causing even -slower- service. To absorb the cost of the servers' wages, the cost of food at restaurants will skyrocket.

Sound like a better option? Frankly, it's not perfect, but it's what works for us in the States.

The reason the standard tip has raised is because, despite what you wrote, minimum wage -is- raising, all over the country. With a two-second google search, I can find these two news stores as recent examples:
<a href="http://www.newsdemocrat.com/main.a… wage goes up to $7.00 (Georgetown News Democrat)</a>
<a href="http://thecornellian.com/archives/… raise in minimum wage (The Cornellian, IA)</a>

Between the raises in minimum wage and the country's inflating costs of food, the industry standard tip has raised to match it. In all honesty, I find it sort of tacky to complain over something that trivial. After all, the difference of leaving an 18% tip instead of 15% on a $50 meal is only $1.50! Personally when I go out to eat, I don't sweat the check and tip an easy 20% for acceptable service. The $2-3 extra doesn't break my bank (if it did, I wouldn't be going out to eat), and I know the server taking care of me appreciates it.

Sorry this is so long, and I hope it explains America's tipping structure without getting into the 'plight of of the downtrodden server' cliche!

Source(s):

8 years of serving experience

Answer 14

The restaurants I worked in the wait staff shared tips with the cooks and dishwashers.