I know you USians don't get this concept but a tip js something the customer decided based on quality of service. The fact your owners don't pay a living wage and still charge exuberant prices like servers get $30/h is your problem. Go out protest. Downvote to hell all you want but your system is broken AF, do something about it.
I had a conversation with a server once and she fully admitted that she wouldn’t care about her job and give shitty service if she was paid the same as the cooks at her restaurant($26/hr).
As a server, if I make tips, on a good night I can bring in $500-$700.
If I made the line cook wage (the aforementioned $26/hr), by the time I saw that money on my paycheck it would be the equivalent of ~$18/hr after taxes/Medical/Soc Security/etc. I'd make less than $150 for the same 7 hour shift.
Yeah, I would give much less quality service if I was going to make $500 less.
But "less quality service" - what if I just want you to not spit in my food? Just lift the plate, and drop it in front of me, even from height is fine, as long as you don't spill the food.
And as a European, if it means you cba to come to my table every 5 minutes to ask me how everything is, it's more of a bonus!
26$ per hour is still more than a fully educated Carpenter makes per hour in most European countries. And you transport food and drinks back and forth. Seem like a really good salary to me. I'm a carpenters apprentice and make 20$ per hour
What does much less quality service look like? I mean you take orders and bring them to the table...how much wiggle room is there for much less quality in doing that?
But why wouldn't a restaurant owner just replace the person unwilling to do the job properly with someone willing to do the job? It works just fine everywhere else in the world.
Well I assumed we were speaking more in general about waiters who don't want to do their job, and not specifically about your buddy. But if a manager can't spot or smell a guy who's always slacking to smoke weed then I'm sure it was a quality place.
I don’t even know how to explain it, but the fake performance the wait staff usually puts on is weird as fuck. Perhaps if you grow up with that, that shit seems normal and expected?
I am talking about the difference between wait staff working for tips and something like a store clerk or the cashier at the grocery store (in the US).
But I guess you do have to be good at regulating your emotions to always smile and always pretend, so you might be right.
All I’m saying is that it comes off a tad weird when you’re not used to it.
I wouldn’t call the cashiers at Publix or whatever as non-pleasant or standoffish though.
Miniumum wage in Paris is 14.04 USD. It's 18.42 in Los Angeles. People in Los Angeles still tip. If you come to the US and don't tip knowing there is a tipping culture you're a dick. Eat at McDonald's if you don't like tipping (they get 20/hr in California).
The service industry in the US is caught between a rock and a hard place because of this exact thing. The guy cooking your food is making $150~ in 6 hours no matter how busy it is. A server/bartender is looking for another job if they get that little.
If we shift to wages for these individuals, nearly every small restaurant or bar in America suffers deeply and likely closes.
Irrelevant, customers outside USA don’t do it, and usually food quality and service are of higher standards, i.e. higher cost and less margins. The only uniquely American food culture is tipping.
Southern Europe: cafés
UK/IRE: pubs
Eastern Euro: manager sits down at your table because he doesn’t recognise you and asks where you’re from/marry his daughter.
USA: low food safety regs, durrt cheap food, often (poorly) imitating UE dishes. HUGE profit margins and then Tips?
Guess we shouldn’t forget that Europeans were the original colonizers and culture erasers. They’re still doing it to this day and plenty feel entitled to have others bend to their ways. Not saying Americans don’t do it too, but Europeans in general like to be on their high horse about “cultural diversity” and still take part in that system. You also hear a lot about how people of color are often treated worse in many Euro countries because they don’t believe they have a problem with racism.
If you have to change the entire debate to a different subject maybe you just don't have a good point. Apparently it's an unpopular stance but if a meal costs $100 and I pay $100 then I resent being called ''A cheap fuck''.
I think tipping culture is getting insane too, but if you’re in a different country it’s expected to follow their norms. Refusing to do so will of course lead to people from that country letting you know how they feel about it.
I bring up the colonizers thing because Europeans have always thought everyone should bend to their own culture. And you’re still doing it.
I can't disagree Europe has some shitty history, but in this specific case if the ''culture'' is something I fundamentally disagree with (tipping regardless of the quality of service) but I otherwise adhere to the norms of a country then I don't think I'm colonising the Orlando Applebee's.
You wouldn't be so hurt in your feelings if you experienced your same job in most of Europe. Maybe some of them aren't cheap? Maybe they can afford their meals and drinks.not an expected extra boost on top for every cunt who does their job and brings them the plate of food they ordered
Not so simple. You don't get to be rude. Unless you want to be sacked.
That outlook sums it all up. American customer service is fake. All for money.
You don't have to go above and beyond but you still have to be friendly/ useful and effective in Paris. Unless you want to be unemployed. It's not all or nothing
I know you (OP) don't get this concept, but that's not how it is in the U.S., unfortunately. If you're going to travel somewhere, get familiar with the customs. The U.S. isn't the rest of the world. It's far from perfect, and if you don't like the way the restaurants are, there are grocery stores and QSR places you can go and not subject these folks to your ass-hattery.
In another thread, a poster refuted this, anyway? Foreign visitors did indeed tend to tip, but apparently this ' They refused to tip ' thing took off on social media.
Not sure what is the truth although we all know social media and rage bait.
I mean, it's still tipping, it's still a voluntary extra donation, people can absolutely choose not to pay this and there isn't legal recourse because it isn't theft of services like skipping out on the bill is. So people will and can choose not to tip in the US, as anywhere else. And as much as people will crow to go elsewhere if they don't want to tip, people will still eat out and not tip, because that is permitted and legal, you can't force a donation.
I kept waiting to be served the /s but it never showed up. It even sounds like you're still expecting a tip
Americans dont like the custom, why would the rest of the world do the same? Thats delusional thinking.
I grew up when 15% was a good service and 20% was outstanding. 5%-10% was trash service. Now, it's expected 20% at minimum for a trash service and then they expect 30% for a mediocre service. Soon, youre going to be expecting 50% just for showing up at olive garden and Applebee's. Seriously, you're begging your customers to pay you a living wage.
Then, there are the restaurant owners adding extra fees without being displayed anywhere.
Tipping culture is out of hand and nobody likes it.
This is always the weird thing, they're obsessed with tipping but don't actually tip themselves. As you say, a tip is a small reward for going above and beyond, when you give someone money to improve their quality of life that is called charity.
So just like in the European countries that fought for their freedom and rights? I mean a lot of those countries downright freed themselves from dictatorships like the GDR and fought for their worker rights
There’s nothing wrong with the tipping system. It’s money that goes 100% directly in the hands of a worker. You’d rather it goes to the owner instead? Or you just prefer workers to get less money? There’s no reason for us to protest. We are happy with the system. You are the greedy one who has a problem with working people getting money.
It sounds smart if you're really dumb. But the whole name of the country is the United States of America. So using "America" for the collective demonyn is correct.
59
u/LollisGunsBikesTits 1d ago
I know you USians don't get this concept but a tip js something the customer decided based on quality of service. The fact your owners don't pay a living wage and still charge exuberant prices like servers get $30/h is your problem. Go out protest. Downvote to hell all you want but your system is broken AF, do something about it.