Tipping Question - Part 37 (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

Depends on the establishment, but no, they may not be.

Our state minimum wage just increased here in Vermont as of today. Here's the current structure for minimum wage and for tipped employees:

MINIMUM WAGE, effective 01/01/2004: $6.75 per hour worked

MINIMUM WAGE, effective 01/01/2005: $7.00 per hour worked

Employers engaged in the hotel, motel, tourist place and restaurant industry shall receive a tip credit for tips actually earned and retained by *service or tipped employees. For service and tipped employees the basic wage rate will be:

Minimum Base Rate Maximum Tip Credit Allowed
Rate, eff. 1/1/2004: $3.58/hr. $3.17/hr.
Rate, eff. 1/1/2005: $3.65/hr. $3.35/hr.


*Service or Tipped Employees – is defined as "All those, in either hotels, motels, tourist places, and restaurants who customarily and regularly receives more than $30.00 per month in tips for direct and personal customer service."

So yes, base pay for tipped service employees can be substantially below minimum wage, with their tip income expected to make up the difference.

 

[Shane Martin]

Answers:
1. Yes but not the normal 15%. Just a buck or 2 usually.
2. No. I would never assume a drink is complimentary.

 

[Scott L]

I deliver pizzas and I wouldn't leave a tip if I'm driving to get the food. The waiters get tipped to wait on you, not to put your food in a bag.

edit- forgot to mention there's no law who you can and can't tip. One of my previous bosses always tipped these middle eastern guys at a to-go place they ran. They always gave him impeccable service and great food.

 

[Don Black]

How much do you guys tip on delivery? For me, it's always $2 for $15-$35. If it's snowing, then I give another $1-$2.

 

[Shane Martin]

$2 bucks usually is my norm for delivery.

 

[MattBu]

$2 unless we're around the holidays, then $4.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I never lucked in that fashion and I used to deliver pizza myself. I personally believe a person should tip just as a protection from workers remembering the "s/he doesn't tip" type of rememberances and the restaurant horror stories they conjure.

I'm a $1, $3, or $5 tipper based purely on quality of service.

 

[Adam Barratt]

Thanks for the information guys.

Adam

 

[Lee L]

I tip the pizaa guy a couple bucks + the change if I use cash.

If I call somewhere and place an order, then drive to pick it up and walk in to actually get it, I don't tip. If I go somewhere like Chilis or Outback where they come out, take your order, bring the food out and everything, I will tip a few bucks but nowhere near what a regular waiter would get.

 

[AllenD]

1. I'll tip a buck or two. A cute female server/worker in the back had a nice conversation w/me once to entertain me since my order was never made when I arrived. I tipped her a $5.

2. I never assume a drink is free at a bar.

 

[MikeH1]

In the US they don't have to pay you full min. wage cause your tips will cover the rest of the min. wage?

Never heard of that one before. Here in Canada you get your min. wage AND your tips. I don't need the gov't getting their greasy paws on every nickle I make. That tip is given to me because of my professionalism and smile and most importantly, good service. Call it incentive to be a better employee I guess. For the gov't to say to an employer you only have to pay them half of min wage because they get tips, IMO, is wrong.

Then again, delivering pizza here you get no help for fuel. Usually you get $2.00 - $3.00 a delivery + tips. Perhaps on a Friday night when I delivered pizza 10 years ago and after I filled up my tank to where it was before I might have $60 - 70 dollers left over. Yay. Beer money.



Wow.

I tip according to what the service was like. Lousy service = little or no tip. I usually tip 10 - 20 % depending. I think thats fair. I also think that its unfair that the government can lower the wage and "force you" to tip. Because, basicly, at $2.13 an hour(like in some states) if you get no tips your screwed. Another way for them to take advantage of the people. And now, when I get my food at the restraunt, I'm left thinking the server really needs my tip just to survive even though the service was lousy. Puts me in a bit of a spot.

 

[Shane Martin]

Yes correct.

 

[Scott Leopold]

1. I never tip when getting food to go. If I order something to go as part of my regular meal, I don't include that price when figuring out my tip, which is generally 20%, unless the service is exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. I view the tip as compensation for service, and bringing me food in a sack doesn't figure into that. When I was waiting tables, I seldom if ever had anyone figure the to go price in with their tip, and I was not required to base my tips on to go items.

As for pizzas, I'll generally tip around 10%, or as much as 15% if it arrives quickly. If the place charges for delivery, I generally don't tip. I usually add a bit if the weather's bad. I once had to argue with one of my managers who was planning on not tipping the delivery guy at all when we had ordered pizza for a large team meeting. The guy brought in $300 worth of pizza, pop, potato chips and pretzels in the middle of an ice storm. I guilted the manager into giving the guy $60, and then gave him a hard time for being stingy when it wasn't even his money. It was on his corporate card, and all he had to do was file an expense report, while this kid had to drive in hazardous conditions and bring in the entire order on his own.

2. I would never assume that I was getting a free drink at the bar. One thing that does upset me, though, is when places charge for refills on soft drinks. We were at one bar once where the waitress kept refilling my iced tea without me even asking. She'd usually refill it before my glass was even half empty. I thought I was getting good service until the bill came, and I'd been charged $1.35 not only for the first full glass, but also for all 7 of those half glasses that followed. The best the manager would do was knock it down to 3 refills. On another occasion I was the designated driver when we went to see a friend's band play. I asked for a water and was told it'd be $2 with no free refills, served in an 8 oz. glass. Draft beer was on special that night for a $1 for a 20 oz. glass. Not a tough choice, as far as I was concerned.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Here is my simple answer. As of right now people in restaurants do not even make minimum wage and rely on tips. Until the day that they are paid like a normal person, I will continue to tip. It's just part of my bill. I wish it wasn't like that and tips were only reserved for outstanding service, but it's not.

 

[MattBu]

Compare your tax rate to ours.

 

[MikeH1]

Compare your health coverage (without breaking the bank) for a family of 4 to ours

Seriously, we could dicker about all the benefits of either country. The bottom line is min. wage sucks and for the gov't to reduce it even more is horseshit.

Remember, nobody has to tip. Thats where I'm left scratching my head when the gov't says its ok for an employer not to pay min. wage.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Actually, if minimum wage was put into effect for waiters, then all that does is raise the price of the food entrees on the menu (because restaurants aren't going to suffer the loss of 15% in revenue overnight). For some reason, people would rather have "cheaper" listed prices on the menu, and tip their waiter than paying more upfront for their food at places with waiters. That's the system we have in the US, as screwed up as it is.

 

[Bryan X]

Not me. I'd much rather have the higher price on the menu. Let the employer pay his own employees. Don't leave it up to the customer.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Really. All it shows is that the waiters are being put on parade, and the customer is supposed to pay them just like voting for Miss America. Raise your hand if you have never added more just because she/he's cute.

I'd love to get a job and be a real prick at it, and get no tips at all - keep records, and ask the IRS for the balance when tax time comes around.

Hey, if we all tip the IRS a dime when we send our returns in, they'll get tips and next year we can just send in half!?

Glenn

 

[Bryan X]

I'll admit it. I leave a bigger tip for a hot waitress.