I don't think that changes the expectations on the waitstaff side, or the sense of obligation on the tippers' side. The mountain that needs to be climbed here is about narrative/social norms, not real economics. Unfortunately I think that bigger than shifting social norms will be shifting customer price expectations. If you kill tipping, expect wages to go up, even in CA, as staff expect (and perhaps legitimately req…
Norway and Singapore tax the crap out of cars and are still doing fine.
Norway and Singapore didn't just switch from large subsidies to large tax. The problem isn't that a country can't function without subsidizing gas. The problem is that people who are used to the status quo will be pissed off when you interfere with their god-given right to cheap gas.
I am frustrated with articles like this that keep pushing a higher and higher "acceptable" tip percentage. 20% is not normal. 20% is very high for very good service. 15 years ago, 15% was normal. Now the minimum on these pos pos's is 18. I tip 15% and no more unless service was well above normal. And I have no qualms about hitting 0 for anything that isn't sit down service, including Uber and Lyft. We have to fight t…
SF restaurants now add a healthcare surcharge which ranges from 3-10% (mandatory), then expect a 20% tip on top of that.
Pretty ridiculous, I've started subtracting the healthcare surcharge out of what I would normally tip since it seem to vary widely.
It's a mess but hard to fix. Customers can't unilaterally "break the cycle." They'd effectively just be underpaying for service. Some restaurant owners have added automatic service charges or marked up prices to include service, but that's a mess too. If they mark up prices and customers don't realize service is included, they'll think the prices are too high and go elsewhere. If they add a mandatory service charge,…
>Customers can't unilaterally "break the cycle." They'd effectively just be underpaying for service. Why not? If ALL customers stopped tipping. This would create a wave of disguntled employees who can't make rent and/or pay the bills. This sucks, of course, but if customers keep chugging at it refusing to pay then eventually someone will try to sue some business owner and then something will have to change. That's my…
If your plan to change something is "everyone will start doing something" without anything being done to organize that coordination, then your plan has failed before it starts.
There needs to be a ban and removal of the tipping requirement altogether. I know, easier said than done. I'm just saying, many European countries do not have tips embedded in their culture, and that's a good thing. If I go to a sit-down restaurant, I'm already being marked up for that - before tipping. If I have some food delivered, I'm paying for the delivery service, or I am being marked up on the item's price - b…
How do you ban a social expectation? Tipping is never required, it is just socially expected.
How do you know who gets the tip? Panera used to refuse tips. Now I go in and I'm presented with tip amounts at the point of sale. Who get's that tip? The cashier? The person in back making my food? The person who comes by and busses my table? Or none of the above? Is Panera just pocketing what I'm willing to throw in extra? Maybe it is market research, they figure if I'm willing to tip 20% instead of 15%, then the should charge more for the sandwich?
I am frustrated with articles like this that keep pushing a higher and higher "acceptable" tip percentage. 20% is not normal. 20% is very high for very good service. 15 years ago, 15% was normal. Now the minimum on these pos pos's is 18. I tip 15% and no more unless service was well above normal. And I have no qualms about hitting 0 for anything that isn't sit down service, including Uber and Lyft. We have to fight t…
What’s your Uber/Lyft rating these days? I imagine it’s not good if you don’t tip.
That's not how it works, but if it were, how in the world would that be dependable? Coupling a rating system to an "optional" tipping system is surely just about the worst idea in the world as far as incentives go.
I don't see why everyone hates pre-tax prices. Making consumers aware of the cut the government gets on each transaction is an important part of transparency and accountability
Here in Germany the tax is (legally required to be) called out on each bill, typically right above the final sum. Pretty obvious IMHO.
I hate the tipping system ("tipping") in the US. It's so forced and only benefits the business owner. You should not have to rely on uncertain tips to make up a minimum wage that is just stupid. Both parties keep the system alive, someone has to break the cycle.
It's a mess but hard to fix. Customers can't unilaterally "break the cycle." They'd effectively just be underpaying for service. Some restaurant owners have added automatic service charges or marked up prices to include service, but that's a mess too. If they mark up prices and customers don't realize service is included, they'll think the prices are too high and go elsewhere. If they add a mandatory service charge,…
>Customers can't unilaterally "break the cycle." They'd effectively just be underpaying for service.
I'd actually argue that's the fastest route TO fixing the problem!
When money is on the line, I guarantee that service workers will correctly look to the employer for correcting their wage, rather than trying to exploit good graces of people who happen to eat at the restaurant.
OK...but that's not an obvious thing to those of us on the outside. Particularly for those of us who grew up in a world where 15% was considered a good tip, and then start vaguely hearing from random sources that maybe it's supposed to be 18% now? When did that happen, and why? There is no way for people not in that position to know what will be an "offensive" amount. I get that it's not a simple thing to "just find…
Putting it on the employer is lazy. The employer has to stay competitive, especially in competitive markets like NYC. They're playing on the same playing field as all the others in the same industry, which means paying employees shitty wages because the government allows it to be so. Having ethics to pay your employees livable wages will help you sleep at night but it won't help you maintain a business.
As someone who grew up outside the US, I sill find this attitude really bizarre. In Australia, if you can't afford to pay your employees a livable wage, then you are not a businessperson, you are a thief. You are taking money that your employees earned and putting it in your own pocket. If you can't afford to be profitable otherwise, then you shouldn't be in business. Why is it the general public's responsibility to pay your employees salaries? Saying it's not possible to stay competitive is a complete cop out. Zazie in SF has been around for more than 25 years if you need an example of a restaurant with sustainable business model that treats its employees fairly and doesn't expect their customers to tip.
I am frustrated with articles like this that keep pushing a higher and higher "acceptable" tip percentage. 20% is not normal. 20% is very high for very good service. 15 years ago, 15% was normal. Now the minimum on these pos pos's is 18. I tip 15% and no more unless service was well above normal. And I have no qualms about hitting 0 for anything that isn't sit down service, including Uber and Lyft. We have to fight t…
What’s your Uber/Lyft rating these days? I imagine it’s not good if you don’t tip.