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Why some US restaurants are banning tips

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Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#101

Post by xyzelement »

ricardobayes wrote: post #59
rock_artist wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends and also is culture based. In Spain you can find some places (eg coffee place) with 1-2 workers. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to get your order at rush hours, but the culture tolerates patience and waiting.

One of the biggest cultural differences - for Spain - is that servers are seen as equals, not as a client-provider relationship. This reflects heavily in the language often used - "when you can, bring me X". Just one of the quirks of a low gini coefficient society.

Just yesterday there was a story on HN about Spain's dying villages and a commenter who I assumed was Spanish attributed theow beth rate to income inequality.

Which is it - low gini for talking to a waiter, high gini for starting a fam?

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#102

Post by raincole »

getfacl wrote: post #31

The biggest barrier to ending tipping in the USA is that restaurants are almost always over staffed there. The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible. In the typical USA system, being paid primarily in tips means the server is highly incentivized to upsell the customer as much as possible and do everything they can to increase the total bill, and therefor increase their tip. Essentially a comm…

> The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible.

Why? It sounds very weird. In every kind of business the owner has strong incentive to cut labor.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#103

Post by detourdog »

QuantumNomad_ wrote: post #63
rock_artist wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends and also is culture based. In Spain you can find some places (eg coffee place) with 1-2 workers. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to get your order at rush hours, but the culture tolerates patience and waiting.

At least they don’t demand a bunch of extra tips. I’m European (well, Scandinavian, which some Europeans consider European and some don’t) and my rule of thumb is that if I go out I tip 10%. If the service is extra good I might tip extra. If the service is very bad (unreasonably slow, or staff forget or mix up the order in a significant way, or they are very rude), I tip 0%. Of course everyone can mess up things a li…

I’m from the USA and had the experience in Switzerland where the server refunded money due to my overtipping.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#104

Post by DiggyJohnson »

zoobab wrote: post #56

Been to Santa Cruz visiting the bike factory, went to the bar next door to drink with some mountain bikers. They had 'Brussels IPA' and 'Belgian IPA', I ordered those beers coming from Brussels and did not knew those beers. The waiter looked at me strangely. I did not gave any tips.

I think you might be missing a couple words because it’s not clear what you grievance is. Not tipping a waiter in the USA is poor form regardless of your individual opinion on tipping culture.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#105

Post by yostrovs »

elyobo wrote: post #50
getfacl wrote: post #31

The biggest barrier to ending tipping in the USA is that restaurants are almost always over staffed there. The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible. In the typical USA system, being paid primarily in tips means the server is highly incentivized to upsell the customer as much as possible and do everything they can to increase the total bill, and therefor increase their tip. Essentially a comm…

Is that why US service ("checking on the customer every few minutes") is so incredibly annoying...

No. After you've ordered, it is rare to order anything else. You might ask for a refill of a beverage or something like ketchup, but the waiter is not expecting more ordering. It's simply expected by diners that their waiter is there and will help with whatever they need. In Europe you'll wait 20 minutes to get the attention of a waiter for salt or ketchup until your food is cold. Also in Europe this will be described not as dead time waiting for a small thing, but as culture. European culture.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#106

Post by socalgal2 »

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #12
daef wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

welcome to europe, where tips are optional and sales tax is denoted

Somehow the "tip culture" is spreading over here too, especially in touristy areas, even the POS terminals now ask you for a tip.

Because from the restaurant's POV it seems like free money. If no one tips, they perceive no harm. If someone tips, then free money.

It's also more money to the company providing the payment system so they are incentivized to tell every restaurant to turn on tips.

I hate it. I don't know how to fight it except to try to start a movement big enough that everyone who goes to such a restaurant gives it 1 star and not not return, until it becomes unacceptable for business to do it. Like many things that is unlikely to happen without some major awareness campaign.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#107

Post by my-next-account »

QuantumNomad_ wrote: post #63
rock_artist wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends and also is culture based. In Spain you can find some places (eg coffee place) with 1-2 workers. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to get your order at rush hours, but the culture tolerates patience and waiting.

At least they don’t demand a bunch of extra tips. I’m European (well, Scandinavian, which some Europeans consider European and some don’t) and my rule of thumb is that if I go out I tip 10%. If the service is extra good I might tip extra. If the service is very bad (unreasonably slow, or staff forget or mix up the order in a significant way, or they are very rude), I tip 0%. Of course everyone can mess up things a li…

Please stop tipping unless the service is very good. Hell, the quality of the service could be reflected in the cost of the food (it is), and you don't need to tip at all.

Thank you, A Swede.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#108

Post by unixhero »

raincole wrote: post #102
getfacl wrote: post #31

The biggest barrier to ending tipping in the USA is that restaurants are almost always over staffed there. The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible. In the typical USA system, being paid primarily in tips means the server is highly incentivized to upsell the customer as much as possible and do everything they can to increase the total bill, and therefor increase their tip. Essentially a comm…

> The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible. Why? It sounds very weird. In every kind of business the owner has strong incentive to cut labor.

Not if they are (hardly) paid anything. Then pile on staff!

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#109

Post by Ekaros »

SkiFire13 wrote: post #96

The thing that bugs me about tips is the fact they are a percentage. Why am I supposed to tip more if I ordered something more expensive but the service is equally good?

As engineer I question why don't they present me in seconds time they spend on me. Then I could calculate fair rate to tip. Say altogether they spend 6 minutes on me. 2€ or 20€ an hour sounds reasonable enough if it was good work... Then again this probably should be included so maybe not that much.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#110

Post by donohoe »

NoboruWataya wrote: post #38
snayan wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying they're right to do so, but it sounds like their intuition was honed well if they pegged you correctly during your faux-pas era? Fascinating, wonder what the tell was.

If you are a foreigner I imagine your accent can give you away pretty quickly. Europeans would be far less likely to tip (or tip generously).

It’s not about accents, it’s about whether you look/feel like a tourist. Even so, you can never really tell how people will go.

Source: I waited tables in NYC in a past life.

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