+1. But, since he knows I'm Napoleon, I just granted Malta to him instead of a tip this year.Some of these must be jokes. I can't imagine a psychiatrist (an MD) would accept a tip.
+1. But, since he knows I'm Napoleon, I just granted Malta to him instead of a tip this year.Some of these must be jokes. I can't imagine a psychiatrist (an MD) would accept a tip.
Just out of curoisity how do tips on credit card bills get handled? There is no actual currency involved here so it is clearly recorded but how are they handed out?
The CC slip usually has the waitperson's name on it, and the register system calculates the accumulated tips at the end of the shift when it is paid out in cash.Just out of curoisity how do tips on credit card bills get handled? There is no actual currency involved here so it is clearly recorded but how are they handed out?
No. Don't you just up your WR from 3%/yr to 3.013%/yr to have that extra for tips?$1300 so far in tips, not counting the 2x for the favorite waiter. If we tipped like that I'd have to go back to work.
Let's do a little math.
Tips were far and away the biggest incentive for servers. Like I said earlier, baking tips into food prices would be a huge mistake IMO. Poorer service and I'd bet servers would make considerably less. You think Darden will up servers pay to $34-68/hr?
- Let's say a customer at a Darden restaurant spends $15 between drinks, apps, entree and/or dessert plus taxes. Lots of restaurants average 2-3 times that ($30-45 per person).
- Let's say the average table is a 4-top, so $60 per table. Table turns in an hour on average (Darden).
- Server has 5 tables (could be more, even 10), that's $300/table-hr.
- Let's say 15% tip, even though 18-20% if probably the norm these days. That's $45/hr in tips plus a small minimum hourly wage, $90/hr if they have 10 tables. And 2-3 times that in a high end restaurant.
- Even if they only have 6 hours with tips and spend 2 hrs on setup and cleanup (with no tips). Works out to $34/hr for 5 tables or $68/hr for 10 tables. And again 2-3 times that in a high end restaurant.
- Sounds like a pretty nice gig for a high school grad to me, and it was 40 years ago too.
Just 'cause it works that way for you doesn't mean it will be the same for the rest of usNo. Don't you just up your WR from 3%/yr to 3.013%/yr to have that extra for tips?
Could be, but it was just an illustration. You may recall in my original post I said "in middle to upper end restaurants." While I am sure there are servers in diners who clear $10/hr, maybe less, I am also sure that my example is not completely out of line. We eat out in mostly middle, but also low and high end, restaurants often. I know many professional servers (nothing against those who wait tables as a gap job) who do very, very well. There are plenty of restaurants where $15/person and 15% tips on average are common if not low. Again, I was shocked at how much I made when I was a server in a high end restaurant years ago.I think your estimates are high. When I was a waiter at Olive Garden, most waiters earned around $10 per hour. We each had 4 tables max and many people don't tip well at all. For some folks, $1 per person is the most tip they will ever give, regardless of the price of the meal. Your $34/hr is a good number in theory, but not in practice.
As a related observation, people who dress like they have money are normally bad tippers. The after-church crowd are horrible tippers (I attend church, so this is not some anti-religion thing). People with kids don't tip enough to compensate for the extra work involved (kids = extra cleanup and special menu items). A table of only women is a nightmare (lots of special requests, separate checks, and bad tipping). A table of men is the opposite because they want to show off. Men actually fight each other to get the check.
Could be, but it was just an illustration. You may recall in my original post I said "in middle to upper end restaurants." While I am sure there are servers in diners who clear $10/hr, maybe less, I am also sure that my example is not completely out of line. We eat out in mostly middle, but also low and high end, restaurants often. I know many professional servers (nothing against those who wait tables as a gap job) who do very, very well. Again, I was shocked at how much I made when I was a server in a high end restaurant years ago. I suspect the spectrum of incomes for servers from low to high is probably wider than many other professions.
We may be in heated agreement. There are indeed slow nights mid week, and coveted nights like Fri-Sat at most restaurants. I used to work lunches, short but profitable/hr and dinners as much as possible. And there are lots of restaurants between Olive Garden and Morton's (like Charles Vergos' Rendezvous in Memphis?). Again, I know there are lots of servers who probably net $10/hr or less, but a professional server can do much better.I completely agree that there are waiters out there in high end places that make $40 per hour. I'm thinking the waiters at Morton's or at places with Michelin stars (I even remember reading that waiters in Memphis BBQ joints make a VERY nice living even though it's all paper plates and paper towels). I also agree that Olive Garden waiters can pull down $40/hr on a good Saturday night. However, they also have to work the Tuesday night shift when the whole restaurant might get 20 tables split up among 12 waiters.
When I was a waiter I always felt like I was making a lot of money, because I would come home with a big stack of cash every night. Then I would get my $60 paycheck for 2 weeks of work and it would all balance out.
We may be in heated agreement. There are indeed slow nights mid week, and coveted nights like Fri-Sat at most restaurants. I used to work lunches, short but profitable/hr and dinners as much as possible. And there are lots of restaurants between Olive Garden and Morton's (like Charles Vergos' Rendezvous in Memphis?). Again, I know there are lots of servers who probably net $10/hr or less, but a professional server can do much better.
A couple of years ago I volunteered as a tax aid and prepared many tax returns for folks whose only income was from waiting tables. Let me tell you that although unreported tips are tax evasion, then the folks I saw would have to get a lot of cash tips to earn enough to get to a level where they paid any tax.
From my limited experience I don't see that the loss in taxes from unreported tips to restaurant staff is going be significant in any meaningful way.
However, I do think that young folks hiding tips from the taxman is unnecessary and builds bad habits. (I also believe tax evasion is a bad thing at any level)
I completely agree that there are waiters out there in high end places that make $40 per hour. I'm thinking the waiters at Morton's or at places with Michelin stars (I even remember reading that waiters in Memphis BBQ joints make a VERY nice living even though it's all paper plates and paper towels). I also agree that Olive Garden waiters can pull down $40/hr on a good Saturday night. However, they also have to work the Tuesday night shift when the whole restaurant might get 20 tables split up among 12 waiters.
When I was a waiter I always felt like I was making a lot of money, because I would come home with a big stack of cash every night. Then I would get my $60 paycheck for 2 weeks of work and it would all balance out.
Wouldn't that be nice?Just 'cause it works that way for you doesn't mean it will be the same for the rest of us
...and am ready to go back in the bedroom to start laying down the planks.
Dude, it's time to clean the house.As it is, I have never had my house cleaned.
TMI.Just taking a break from painting to have lunch, and am ready to go back in the bedroom to start laying down the planks.