15 percent is JUST barely enough of a tip for me to survive as a server..
We dont get minimum wage. It's far less than that. Then taxes get taken off. Then we "tip out" the "house" (restaurant) and other staff (bartenders, hosts, sometimes even the kitchen..) what do we have left?! Tipping out can be as high as %6 (2% to house, 2% to bar, 2% to front house staff eg: hosts)I get left 10% sometimes.. how does this figure out?!
10% of say.. $30 is $3. Once tipout and shit if figured out.. Im left with about $2. 82
Okay, so that doesnt seem so far off.. but say if it's now the end of the night and Im tipping out.. I have made $100. I cash out at $94. Not so bad.. BUT every transaction that is made WITH A CARD now must have a 2% deduction on my tip to help cover "visa costs" that visa charges the owner. Now Im at 92. 12
Again.. not so bad. I wait for my paycheck.. I have racked in 50 plus hours of grueling waitressing.. know what Im being paid for being the chefs, patrons and owners "bitch"?
$300 BEFORE TAXES.
Im LUCKY if Im taking home $240 for TWO WEEKS worth of running my ass off.
Yes.. I should stop bitching and get a CAREER.
Good thing SOME customers are worth the bullshit.
Rating:4.67
Comments
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16i agree with #10 - right on!
to #15 - wtf - have you never had to work a shitty job to pay for something like, um, college, where you need night hours? probably not. most people don't wait tables forever smart guy.
Posted 4 months ago | Report -
17Didn't read any comments, but honestly, "Times Is Hard"(see the Sweeney Todd movie). Here in Cali, it's eat or be eaten ATM, and I'm TRYING to pay you less than you ask for, so tips are virtually out of the question. I still tip, but it ain't no damn 15% or whatever we used to do back in the day.
Posted 4 months ago | Report -
18Take out a student loan to pay for school and find yourself a better job, dude. Unless you're in a solid establishment that's going to pay better for your work and the clientele is at the same level, you're fucked.
Posted 4 months ago | Report -
19Also, be glad that you have a job right now - shitty pay or not. There are plenty out there who have solid skills and a career path but haven't been able to find anything due to the shitty economy. I got laid off and haven't found anything solid, and that's since the end of February. Thankfully I have a P/T job I've been able to pick up some extra hours on.
Posted 4 months ago | Report -
20I've never been a waitress but I was a hostess for about 5 months one time. It was kind of bullshit. They payed me $7. 50 an hour to stand there and wait for people to come in, seat them, and mark it off on a little table map. But they only payed the servers something like $2. 50 an hour to run their asses off and get treated like shit.
I wouldnt blame the customers for tipping only 10%, since that is sort of the standard rate and considering our economical status right now most people don't want to spend more than they have to. I'd blame the restaurant owners for acting like a bunch of dicks. If you really put in 50 hours and only ended up with $300 you aren't even making minimum wage when you're tips are included. They're screwing you so screw them back... when the customers pay with cash dont report the tip, pocket it and go on about your day. As long as you report a couple tips now and then they probably won't catch on.
Posted 4 months ago | Report -
21You know, I don't agree with people expecting tips, but I also don't agree with people bitching about servers bitching about tips. People don't understand. I always tip really good. Unless the service is incredibly bad. If I have a $15 meal, I'll tip $5, $20, I'll tip $10.
Posted 4 months ago | Report -
22As a former waitress, I know that 99% of the time you mess up, it's not your fault, it's usually the kitchen's fault or the fault of the restaurant for giving you too many tables. And while I do agree with those of you saying that restaurants should just pay their servers a decent wage and let tips be for outstanding service, by NOT tipping you are hurting the people you theoretically want to help. So don't be so stingy and deal with the fact that we're all in an economic crisis, but your extra buck will probably mean a lot more to the waiter when it comes time to count them all up at the end of the night.
Posted 3 months ago | Report -
23gas prices keep goin up and so does everything else. less money is bein spent. 1 out of 20 times ive been out to eat, ive gotten good service. i dont dine at shitty places or steak house chains. its like starbucks, you pay $5 for a cup of coffee so some ass clown can repeat your order back to 8 times and make your drink wrong 3 times.
Posted 3 months ago | Report -
24you act like waiting is the only job out there. retail pays better than that and you do less work. you'd at LEAST start at $10 at a decent store in retail. you could make $400 by the end of the week easy. more moola than you're making now sweetcheeks. and you also get store discounts so you can have alot of new clothes and still have some money left over. use your head. or climb on a pole if you want bigger tips.
Posted 3 months ago | Report -
25Here's a tip: get a real job.
Posted 3 months ago | Report -
26i tip 15% but really think i should tip less, and i make decent money too. i just dont think waiting is anythign special -- its a labor job, and you don't get paid good for labor unless its skilled labor, and you could hardly compare a waiter to a welder or mechanic.
i sit in an office all day on my ass, doing complex brain-work. i used to labor as a caddy, and made $10/hour.
waiters deserve the low wages, and not even the tips, but i tip mostly for fear of looking cheap or getting spit in my food the next time i go to the place.
Posted 2 months ago | Report -
27You think it's not skilled labor? You wouldn't last a week... Servers in general have the best memory and multitasking skills of any professionals I know...
Posted 2 months ago | Report