How long before food industry workers expect more in tips than the meal costs?

[ripcord]

I stopped and picked up 2 pieces of chicken at a fast food place, total $4.54. I left a $2 tip and was informed by the server that was a pretty cheap tip, I told her that was a pretty entitled attitude she had. Considering all she did was put two pieces of chicken in a box and ring me up, total transaction time less than 2 minutes, I thought a dollar a minute tip was fairly generous. I doubt I will be returning, there are too many good places to go where I don't have to deal with an 18 year old with an attitude.

[MissB]

1. I've only heard appreciation from workers for tips

I think you found a rude young employee that can’t do math.

[Demovictory9]

2. Wow..never had a food person mention the tip

[littlewolf]

4. tip

me either ... either fast food or sit down...

[demmiblue]

14. Neither have I. n/t

[msongs]

3. it's extortion. that employee will be the new musk some day nt

[canetoad]

6. I see what you did there.

nt

[canetoad]

5. What would it take

To pay the folk who work long hard hours to minister to your needs, a decent living wage?

Yeah, I 'get' thats the American way - pay low-qual and vulnerable workers an absolute minimum and make them subsist on institutionalised charity in the form of gratuities.

A nation of inequalities is a nation of discontent and resentment.

[former9thward]

10. No, it was an 18 year old with an attitude.

Who probably is living at home with no expenses.

[canetoad]

23. You don't know that

We've gotta give workers the benefit of the doubt.

[former9thward]

57. You don't know any different.

Glad you think a $2 tip on a $4 fast food order is "not enough". Tell us, how much would you leave?

[canetoad]

66. Sorry, you walked straight into this

The lowest award pay rate in Australia for the food and beverage industry is $21.38 an hour or $812.60 a week (37.5 hrs) so there is no need for workers to rely on the caprices of customers to make a living.

These awards were hard fought and won by unions.

[former9thward]

73. So your reply has nothing to do the OP.

Got it... This incident was in the U.S. not Australia. Why not bring up China or S. Africa while you are at it?

[canetoad]

77. But you asked how much tip I would leave

And I succinctly explained why there is no need to leave a tip in my country. BTW, that's why I didn't bring up China or anywhere else. Got it?

[Cuthbert Allgood]

42. Glad you have such a good handle on their life.

I teach a lot of 18-year-olds that are the primary wage earner in their household as well as many that are living on their own.

Ironically, in my literature class, we are in a unit where students are being forced to consider how a person's life story can affect how they think, act, etc.

[former9thward]

58. Glad you think a $2 tip on $4 fast food order is not enough.

What to you teach is the proper tip on such an order? How much would you leave?

[Cuthbert Allgood]

63. Don't think I said that. *checks* Nope, I didn't.

I might not leave any tip. Depends on the cash I had on hand and how it all went. Generally when I do an app order to pick up, I leave at least $3.

But my point, in case you forgot, is that you act like you know that person's life and assume it is a life of ease living at home with their parents, and, obviously, you don't know that. And assumed home life was good and not bad.

[former9thward]

65. When someone has an attitude I don't have to assume anything about their life.

At age 18.... Do you teach your students about attitude?

[Cuthbert Allgood]

75. And yet you did assume things about their life.

And, not ironically, it was something that made you come out of all of it better.

I do teach them about attitude. Specifically, I like to remind them that when someone acts a way that we don't like when we don't know them, it probably has a lot more to do with something in their life and not with you. Maybe this kid just found out they were being let go. Maybe the last customer was a complete asshole to them. Maybe their dad beat the fuck out them before work. Maybe their dog died.

But you go on about your own bad self and how your purchase of fast food wasn't completely delightful.

[inthewind21]

52. Oh well

"No, it was an 18 year old with an attitude. Who probably is living at home with no expenses."

"Yesterday, in a coffee shop, I overheard 2 college educated suburban women say they regretted their vote for D's after hearing Trumps speech!"

Hmmmm Seems there's no difference in either of these statements. Interesting.

[Demsrule86]

55. There are many kids that live in miserable conditions these...days. Homeless kids are

plentiful. How do you know his circumstances? Seriously not Democratic speak here.

[former9thward]

59. I hope someone knows what your post is about...

[NowISeetheLight]

60. I'm sure they think...

Herschel Walker is a Rhodes Scholar too!

[CentralMass]

25. +1 although that was a generous tip.

[treestar]

34. Not about that

Yes, we should do that, but while we're still doing tips, this happens.

[ProfessorGAC]

38. 2 Bucks For 2 Minutes...

...is not showing a willingness to provide a living wage?
Your take makes no sense as it relates to the OP.
It was a >40% tip!

[rsdsharp]

7. A 44% tip is more than I would usually leave at a full service restaurant.

I would have asked to discuss with the manager what he or she thought was a proper tip under the circumstances. I think I’m a fairly good tipper, but I’m a prick when pushed.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

8. You're better than me

I’m not going to tip for fast food.

[Nay]

48. Me, neither. When did that start? nt

[Tree Lady]

56. I think during covid

I never tipped for take out until then. Now I give 20% for everything I buy in the way of hot food except at grocery store where they are offering good wages and benefits.

And my tips for other services dog bath, hair cut, pedicure, etc has gone up. They don't make enough for all the inflation.

[Wingus Dingus]

49. Yeah, really. Unless you're coming to my table and

doing everything for me, or unless you're driving to my house, you get zip.

[iemanja]

9. That's almost a 50% tip

I probably wouldn't have tipped, though sometimes I tip 15% for counter service.

[Blues Heron]

11. Cool story bro

[jcgoldie]

72. yeah way to vilify an industry of low paid workers

...who need tips to make their bills because you had one bad experience with a counterperson at a fast food restaurant.

[Mariana]

80. But it was an 18 year old!!! With an attitude!!!

Oh, the humanity!!!

[Celerity]

79. +100

plus some of these comments on thsi thread, just smdh

[johnnyplankton]

12. I'm sorry that's crazy

I'm not going to tip someone who simply hands me food the same amount (20-25%) as an actual hardworking server, which is an underrated art form. Seriously. It was one thing during the pandemic, but that's just crazy.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

13. Exactly!!

I’m a generous tipper as well, and I tipped everyone during the pandemic because so many businesses were struggling.

But I stopped tipping for fast food long ago. Handing over a bag of food isn’t even close to what a server at a sit-down place does.

[treestar]

35. Also if working at a fast food joint

don't the employees get at least minimum wage? Actual servers don't even get that.

[luv2fly]

15. You're much kinder than I am

I would have told her to f*** off and then ask for her boss.

[AntivaxHunters]

16. You would have been plastered all over social media

[demmiblue]

18. Lol!

[luv2fly]

21. I would have been nice to the manager

So any social media post would only be flattering

[AntivaxHunters]

32. lol you really don't know

Do you?
You'd be doxxed in no time.

[Sugarcoated]

43. That's not how it works

Over the top anger and inappropriate cray go viral, not normal interactions with managers

[AntivaxHunters]

17. That person earns poverty wages

And workers are fed up.
You can expect more of that as people have had it.

[BannonsLiver]

22. So the poster tipped 44 percent.

How much do you tip on a $5 tab?

[Dorian Gray]

33. Next time he gets a coffee from Dunkin'

i hope he leaves a 10 dollar tip!

[niyad]

53. Is dunkin still owned by the carlyle group (including bush and co.)?

[TheFarseer]

71. I avoid that place for that reason

And because their donuts suck.

[niyad]

78. The only times I went was when they had coupons for free coffee.

[LAS14]

67. Let's not shift the responsibility for living wages to individual tippers. Let's change the law!!!!

[Dorian Gray]

68. That was sort of my intention

with going with a ten dollar tip on a cup of coffee. (It's ridiculous to expect someone to tip the server a significant amount for something that costs so little.) The staff behind the counter should be making at minimum, minimum wage.

They aren't paid well. That's a travesty. But they also shouldn't shame people who are tipping them for not leaving enough. They should be shaming their employers.

[CentralMass]

26. It was a good tip.

[Dorian Gray]

69. They should

demand more from the bosses. Customers in a fast food place (where the staff aren't wait staff and shouldn't have to rely on tips to survive) aren't responsible for their terrible pay. They're taking out their frustrations on the wrong person.

[llmart]

19. Tipping

The car wash near my house is paying their workers $15 an hour. The two guys wiping down my semi-wet windows spent about 2 minutes and motioned me on. I used to tip at the car wash, but I didn't today.

There's a sub sandwich/salad place that I saw on my way home with a sign that they were hiring up to $20 an hour. It's a takeout place only. Again, there will be no tipping there.

[Mariana]

28. You do understand that "up to $20 an hour"

means that no one actually gets $20 an hour, right? That may be what they pay the manager who's been with the company for 15 years. The hourly workers get much less. Around where I live, the places that advertise "up to $20 an hour" offer new hires $14.25, which is the state minimum wage. They might offer a buck more to someone with a bunch of experience.

[llmart]

37. Yes, I do realize that.

But in the mostly liberal town where this was located, they mostly try to do the right thing. I worked at the university nearby in HR management. I'm retired now but some of the students that worked for me still keep in touch via email and a couple have told me that these places do pay a decent wage for their student workers and they are very accommodating to their schedules. They start at $15 an hour, and I'm quite sure the sign didn't mean they were looking for a store manager. They're looking for people to man the counter.

I tend to not have a negative outlook on everything. In this area, some of these places are owned by Democrats I'm sure. I have a friend in her early 70's and she works part time in a very small shop. The owner is a very liberal Democrat and he pays her a decent wage with a few benefits, but he also has to balance keeping his business afloat.

[wnylib]

47. Plus those jobs are usually part time.

[LeftInTX]

20. Go through the drive through next time.

Complain to the manager because that's outrageous.

[localroger]

24. I don't tip unless I have table or bar service

And I tip 15%, as my parents and my wife (who worked as a waitress before we met) taught me to. At Chili's I will sometimes hit the 18% button because there is no 15% button but I know what they're doing and if that goes away, it will be custom tip time every time.

[Polybius]

31. 15% used to be standard when I was a kid

The past 15 years or so, 18-20% is now considered normal. The no 15% button because it's (for lack of better words) out of style these days. Very few Gen X and younger would tip 15%.

[Azathoth]

89. I recently had a screen give me options for 20%, 22%, 25%, 28%

18% is about to go bye-bye followed by 20%.

In a few years, the people who are used to paying 18-20 are going to be grumbling the same way.

[Meowmee]

27. I don't eat out anymore

And certainly would never tip half of what the meal cost to someone in a fast food place. I hate being served anyway, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I have a lot of health issues which make it dangerous to eat out.I got very ill last time in a real one that claimed to be gf. You can’t trust the health standards, or what is going on with the food anymore.

[werdna]

29. Yeah she was a bit precocious . . .

But consider the fact that aside from "Considering all she did was put two pieces of chicken in a box and ring me up, total transaction time less than 2 minutes", she also likely performed or helped perform:

Helped to unload the food you ate from the delivery vehicle, which is often shipped in case lots of 25lbs or more, into the store and stored it in it's appropriate proper location.
Hauled the food you bought out from the fridge/freezer to the prep area.
Prepped the food, and or helped or entirely cooked the food.
Packaged the food into the appropriate packaging, which she also see above.
Maintains store cleanliness.
Maintains stock of store supplies at her stations and others.
Serves as a runner to assist the cook station workers often at multiple stations.
Often must answer phone or service customers while doing the above.
Keep her station and others clean and orderly.
Works in a rush environment which is not predictable and is irregular from shift to shift.
Works an irregular schedule from week to week.
Often is asked/required to cover others partial or entire shifts as they have called off (and these days likely quit) with little or no notice.
Responsible for accounting for every penny of every transaction on her register.
Clean entire store from top to bottom every night after closing.
Assist with or solely manage store, which consists of an entirely additional list of duties and responsibilities to those above..
Compensation: sub-living wage, no health care, no savings, no retirement/college fund, if she's lucky some form of an atta-girl now and then.

Let's see? Did I leave anything out of your 'Considering all she did was put two pieces of chicken in a box and ring me up, total transaction time less than 2 minutes.' dinner. Oh hell yes! Those were only the duties I could think up off the top of my head on the spur of the moment. Hope you enjoyed your chicken dinner, winner-winner. Not!

[William769]

30. Wow! a restaurant run by one person. impressive.

[werdna]

44. Been there, done that. You ought to try it, builds character. N/T

[KS Toronado]

88. Yes, very impressive

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Ridiculous

Believe it or not, you are not the only one here that knows something about business.

[werdna]

45. Hmmph!

I was not addressing anyone, merely the originator of the post who presumed that the employee was hired for the sole purpose of placing product in a container and ring him out. Et Tu, Brute?

[Emile]

36. I would have said join a labor union and strike for higher wages.

[hunter]

39. You may have simply read it the wrong way, I do that all the time.

She may have been joking around, saying the opposite of what she means.

Antiphrasis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiphrasis

Even if she was doing it mostly to amuse herself because she hates her job it's not a big deal.

It's a lot less stressful to assume the best of people.

[panader0]

76. I saw that possibility too.

I remember having a summer job (69?) moving furniture and my carrying partner would ask for
tips. I got one too. They always tipped us.

[Jedi Guy]

41. ...

[FakeNoose]

46. Ummm ... never?

If you don't want to pay for restaurant service, fine.

Get your prepared meals at the grocery store deli or else at fast food restaurants. At those outlets it's understood that the service is included in the price. Restaurant workers are underpaid as it is, and we Democrats need to show some appreciation and solidarity with the workers.

[Jskudris55]

50. Servers are making MUCH MUCH MORE than $15-20 an hour now

I manage a restaurant. With the rise in prices and people now going out more often to make up for the last couple of years, servers at many restaurants are making upwards of $35-$45 an hour on busy nights. Just last Saturday, every single server at my restaurant walked away with over $250, working from 4 PM - 11 PM. One double made over $500. IN ONE DAY!

People who are misinformed claim that they aren’t paid a livable wage. They’re wrong. If your abolished tipping and instituted a mandated $15 an hour minimum, your restaurant prices would go up and your service standards would go down. Heck, You’d have most servers quitting as it’s not worth the aggravation for $15 an hour.

Even better for the servers is they don’t have to report their cash tips to the government so it goes untaxed.

I know servers who make more than me ($65,000 a year) who are collecting thousands of $$ a month in SNAP benefits still because the government has no idea. Meanwhile, I would make WAY too much to collect the same benefits if I tried to.

[niyad]

54. What flavour pizza do you like?

[kcr]

61. The only thing this post is missing

is the Cadillac.

[TheProle]

74. And an ObamaPhone

[bello]

86. That Cadillac is so passe

The welfare queen these days drives a John Deere.

[edhopper]

64. Wrong

They pay a living wage to servers in Europe where tipping is optional or minimal, and I universally get better service from happier people there.
I guarantee that places that pay severs better do not have worse service.
The average income of a waitress is around $25,000 a year.

[Celerity]

82. What part of (from the OP): 'at a fast food place' did you not understand?

also

Even better for the servers is they don’t have to report their cash tips to the government so it goes untaxed.

Bullshit, of course they do, and if a resto consistently non reports or under reports tips they will very likely get audited, alonf with individuals non or under reporting servers. I had a uni classmate in Los Angeles whose resto hasd that happen.

That is the most BASIC knowledge for anyone in the food and bev industry,

so I am also calling massive bullshit on:

I manage a restaurant.

[Jskudris55]

85. What part of I WORK IN THE INDUSTRY

Do you not understand? You had a “uni classmate” who worked as a server? I literally work in the industry and manage servers. You are clueless if you think that they aren’t under reporting and cashing in on it. They have to report their credit card tips but they certainly don’t have to report their cash tips because NO ONE knows what that amount is.

And to the person above who said the average salary is $25,000…yeah, sure, at a diner maybe. But any place that sells alcohol has servers making A LOT more than that.

We need to stop the whole “woe is me” narrative around servers. They make bank! There’s a reason people would rather serve than work a desk job pushing papers for $18-$20 and hour.

But, that doesn’t fit with your pie in the sky progressive narrative. So I apologize for spitting facts.

[Celerity]

87. absolutely zero out of the ordinary about a uni student working as a server, and I stand by post

You are clueless if you think that they aren’t under reporting and cashing in on it.

now you are changing your story

you claimed

Even better for the servers is they don’t have to report their cash tips to the government so it goes untaxed.

that's bullshit, they are required to do so

you are now using sophistry to try and slip out from under an untrue statement

overall your posts in this thread drift into the neighbourhood of very problematic talking points and framings IMHO

[StormKing]

51. If we had stood for a living wage SOONER

If we had stood for a living wage sooner this would not be happening now.

[kcr]

62. I think you should feel fortunate

That you live in a time and place where a fast food order is less than 5 bucks.

[TheFarseer]

70. I wouldn't tip anything in that situation

Did they have a tip jar or how did you even tip them? If they had a tip jar I might or might not throw some change in. To me, restaurant tipping is for table service, delivery, and to a lesser extent curbside pickup. If I go in and pick it up, I do so because I don’t want to tip.

[AggressiveCanary]

81. This is why I don't go anywhere that expects tipping.

[FlyingPiggy]

83. This tipping business is out of control. I shouldn't have to tip people to do their jobs.

I get waitstaff as their salaries are less than minimum wage. But when I go to pick up a to go order? Do your damn job.

[Victor_c3]

84. I hate how we are expected to tip generously so that a server can survive

I always tip well, my mother works as a waitress and depends on tips to survive.

I found living in Germany to be refreshing. Tips were rarely expected and when they were given, were generally 1-3 Euros. Servers earned enough to live a life of dignity and they weren’t dependent on the charity of customers.

Our minimum wage earners need to earn more.

I hate that I’m expected to tip.