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Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

chicagotribune.com

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Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#41

Post by spacehome »

rileymat2 wrote: post #11
joezydeco wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...with tips. The article mentions this comes to about $14/hour for Loggan. Almost every restaurant server in America makes below the minimum wage, this is allowed by law since their tips almost always take them back above the minimum. https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

> Almost every restaurant server in America makes below the minimum wage, this is allowed by law since their tips almost always take them back above the minimum. https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the Federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. So, every server by law does…

You will hear cases of the tips+$2.13 not making the minimum wage, but it's very rare. Americans generally tip quite well.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#42

Post by pattisapu »

spacehome wrote: post #41
rileymat2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Almost every restaurant server in America makes below the minimum wage, this is allowed by law since their tips almost always take them back above the minimum. https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the Federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. So, every server by law does…

You will hear cases of the tips+$2.13 not making the minimum wage, but it's very rare. Americans generally tip quite well.

This happens more frequently than most realize because of illegal tip sharing arrangements imposed by employers, who take a portion of the tips earned by the employees.

Some tip pools among regularly tipped employees are okay; what is unlawful is the house or managers taking tips from tipped employees, either for themselves or to pay kitchen staff, etc.

A rider buried in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 makes this practice illegal. Department of Labor regulations had already prohibited this, but now we have a statute. Further regulations are to be implemented that may complicate things. Let's see.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#43

Post by gorpomon »

I'm cautious about over sentimentalizing Loggan, or on the other side getting angry about his situation. He seems like a person who could be a pretty good manager, but just never wanted to take that step up. It's easy to pillory the restaurant, it's managers, or even the entire premise of the service industry itself based on this story, but I would err on the side of it being an anecdote than something to rally upon.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#44

Post by bashmydotfiles »

justin66 wrote: post #37
overcast wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your comment. Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. People are generally happier and satisfied with what they have. They work, they eat, they enjoy life with their families. As long as basic human needs are met, they don't feel the need for more. Check out the book, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

> Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. You're making some unfounded assumptions about me there. > People are generally happier and satisfied with what they have. They work, they eat, they enjoy life with their families. They don't feel the need for more. One major problem with this "money does not affect happiness" schtick is that a person will…

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Also, key point: > Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world.

Traveling is a luxury that many people cannot afford - it requires a ton of money.

You're telling me to save up money, then to spend it, to go to a place where I realize I won't need money?

How do you tell a poor person with financial troubles - don't worry just travel and you'll see you don't actually need money?

People who say, "Money does not affect happiness" usually come from a place of privilege - i.e. they already have money and have their basic needs met, so they've never /really/ had to worry about money. If you're a single mother of three kids in a minimum wage job, then money definitely affects your happiness.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#45

Post by huhtenberg »

Arnt wrote: post #2

http://archive.is/xbUSC

Thanks.

Being in the EU, here's what I get:

    Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European 
    countries. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at 
    options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU 
    market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that 
    will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#46

Post by AstralStorm »

gorpomon wrote: post #43

I'm cautious about over sentimentalizing Loggan, or on the other side getting angry about his situation. He seems like a person who could be a pretty good manager, but just never wanted to take that step up. It's easy to pillory the restaurant, it's managers, or even the entire premise of the service industry itself based on this story, but I would err on the side of it being an anecdote than something to rally upon.

Sure, because everyone over 40 is supposed to be a manager?

What makes you think this man is or is not typical? (I'd err on the former side, "lifers" are common in many industries including restaurants.)

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#47

Post by AstralStorm »

bashmydotfiles wrote: post #44
justin66 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. You're making some unfounded assumptions about me there. > People are generally happier and satisfied with what they have. They work, they eat, they enjoy life with their families. They don't feel the need for more. One major problem with this "money does not affect happiness" schtick is that a person will…

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Also, key point: > Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. Traveling is a luxury that many people cannot afford - it requires a ton of money. You're telling me to save up money, then to spend it, to go to a place where I realize I won't need money? How do you tell a poor person with financial troubles - don't worry…

The more interesting take would be that money vs happiness is likely some form of sigmoid. Or multiple overlapped sigmoids most likely. (ridged)

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#48

Post by leesec »

If he were manager for 54 years at the same restaurant, would the sentiment be much different?

Just thinking out loud, it seems like a lot of the 'point' of this article is that he intentionally stopped progressing in his work, but it seems to me like a lot of people do that in a lot of ways, just not usually as a busser.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#49

Post by CPLX »

overcast wrote: post #32
justin66 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Money definitely does not make people any happier. It would be a struggle to write something more patently ridiculous.

Thanks for your comment. Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. People are generally happier and satisfied with what they have. They work, they eat, they enjoy life with their families. As long as basic human needs are met, they don't feel the need for more. Check out the book, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

I've spent a lot time traveling the world, including deep into developing countries. That was cool.

I've also spent time being fucking broke, and being very very well off. Actual adult broke not fake have-a-backup-plan broke. One is way fucking better than the other.

Having money does not create happiness. Not having money most certainly certainly does create misery though. In hundreds of daily very specific death-by-a-thousand-cuts ways.

Instead of wandering around the world, try that instead, and see how your perspective changes.

Re: Meet the busser who’s worked at the same pancake house for 54 years

#50

Post by overcast »

bashmydotfiles wrote: post #44
justin66 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. You're making some unfounded assumptions about me there. > People are generally happier and satisfied with what they have. They work, they eat, they enjoy life with their families. They don't feel the need for more. One major problem with this "money does not affect happiness" schtick is that a person will…

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Also, key point: > Spend some time traveling the world, head to some developing countries outside of your consumer driven world. Traveling is a luxury that many people cannot afford - it requires a ton of money. You're telling me to save up money, then to spend it, to go to a place where I realize I won't need money? How do you tell a poor person with financial troubles - don't worry…

No one said anything about telling poor people to travel. The point is that many are already content with what they have. Sure, if they don't have enough food to eat, or access to clean water, that's clearly an issue. But those who have met their basic human needs, generally don't feel unhappy because they aren't buying a new iPhone ever year. I recently spent a month backpacking through India, and the people with the most have nots were some of the warmest, happiest, and inviting people I've ever met in my entire life.

From the article, it sounds like Loggan is exactly that. Never complains. Never asked for a promotion. Content with what he has.

“He could retire now,” said Javon Chambers, his grandson, himself a Walker Bros. busser for 15 years. “He’s financially straight and everything. I just think he knows when people retire, they die. That’s what he’s said: Old people don’t have nothing to do, they see their friends retire, and then they retire, and that’s when they die of boredom too. It’s like people who are married a long time — if one dies, the next goes right after. That’s like my grandfather and this place. He doesn’t want the will inside him to dry up.”

Ambition, in a time of low expectations, in a country defined by inequality, can mean holding on to what you have, internalizing your place in the world. “I think Loggan wanted to fit in somewhere,” said chef Pat Levy, also known as “Popeye”; he has worked at the restaurant 42 years, arriving in Chicago from Jamaica. “I think Loggan just decided to be a busboy. He is content. It’s all he wants. So I ask — isn’t that OK?”

For instance, the company took out life insurance on Loggan (payable to his wife); Ray says that for years he’s set aside about $50 a month for Loggan, as an informal retirement fund (subject to a 30 percent penalty for early withdrawal).

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