re: I Got Rid of Tipping at My Restaurant to Fight Racism

I waited tables in college. There are absolutely differences in certain demographics when waiting on them.

It's true, the worst tables I got were black diners. They generally tended to be needy (they never consolidated things they needed in one trip for me causing me to run back and forth between their table and the wait station constantly), I frequently encountered them trying to get out of paying for dishes they'd completely eaten, I was frequently accused of over charging them or adding extra drinks to their check, and they generally don't tip well. Plus, if it was a group of them, you know they were all gonna split three apps, but when it came time to split the check it was miraculous that not one of them had a bite of any of those three apps.

One of my favorite co-workers when I waited tables was a black girl. She was hilarious. She would bitch and moan when the hosts sat her a black table. She'd always say, "Great, looks like I'm about to make 70 trips for a dollar tip."

Now, Asian tables on the other hand...We all begged and pleaded the hosts for those. Very easy, always knew what they wanted, typically ate family style, never split checks, and always tipped well. On top of all that they were just generally more polite and pleasant. Most of the times they'd even stack their emptied dishes on the table.

White tables were hit or miss and generally somewhere between black tables and Asian tables.

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If I'd died years ago and this reality I'm experiencing was just an incredibly stupid dream, you guys would tell me, right?

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You were actually struck in the leg with a spear and are experiencing a fever dream while being held in the black cells.

I spoke with a waitress in Vegas once. She basically made it sound like Vegas was server heaven. They basically make a real wage. $12 an hour back in 2003 and its Vegas so tipping was still expected. Don't know whet here there was a union or some city ordinance or just an unwritten rule, but servers in Vegas made a real wage. She mad it sound like nobody made the $2 an hour wage and lived on tips. She said that is why you see women from Barbie dolls serving cocktails at Bellagio to her (she was mid 40's and working a cafe at Monte Carlo at night shift) to the OLDER cocktail waitresses still pushing tits up out of dresses on Fremont Street. It can be a career there.

Seen the black thing first hand many times. Best was on a cruise years ago. My buddy and I found a favorite Russian bartender. Blonde and sounded like Kournikova. Looked like a rough Kournikova though. Anyway we are drinking beer in her then empty bar (3-5 people tops) and chatting with her. Just bullshitting about Russia and life on a cruise ship etc. she appeared to be genuinely amused with our dumbasses and questions and of course we are tipping with each round of beer we buy. A show or a dinner lets out and a large group 30+ of 90% black folk come in, and her face was hysterical. Went from amused chick just talking to guys, to ALL BUSINESS!

If she could have spat on the ground I believe she would have. Immediately the soda cards start coming out and the flasks start coming out of jackets. Which is fine, save $$$ when you can, but they took up every stool at her bar. To drink free soda.

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On our menu right now it says, "We include a 20 percent service charge with checks so everybody in the restaurant makes a living wage." It gets shared. It's distributed. Nobody in the restaurant makes less than $14 [an hour] at the end of the day.

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I give his business 6 months. Ain't nobody got time fer dat.

I guess this will cut down on what he probably views as racist rhetoric in the kitchen. Simply put, certain demographics just do not tip well. It's an unfortunate fact of working in the restaurant business. The true nature of liberals comes out after they wait on such tables and get stiffed. Just stand in a kitchen at a busy restaurant for a day. You'll see.

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Or my favorite, water with extra lemons and sugar.

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My girlfriend in college worked at a locally-owned wings place. On Sunday nights, they would have $0.10 wings. She would complain about all the people who came in and ordered $1 worth of wings, made their own 'lemonade', and left zero tip.

then it wouldn't be ... (a market driven)

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I like the food for the price

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Just stand in a kitchen at a busy restaurant for a day. You'll see.

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I was at a McCormick and Schmick once with the wife. Had a drink at the bar. While we are sitting there a large table (office Christmas party) is in back. Just sounds like a good time. The waiter is black and is hustling. Every waiter who talked to him slapped him on the back or gave him a chuckle and a nod. He was sacrificed for the good of the many. I guess it's known too that if somebody is gonna get stiffed it should be their own people, and maybe they are less apt to stiff them?

The most amusing thing was the number of drinks we saw come back. One the girl walked up personally saying "it's just not right." The drink was a Knob Creek and Seven!!!!??? What is there to screw up?

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did it read everyone made the same ?

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It read that positions that normally get $45 get paid only $30 so that he can afford to pay $9 positions more. This means he gets the pick of dishwashers and onion choppers. But the improvements in those positions result in microscopic improvements in your dining experience! Now cut the pay by a third of the highest paid positions and service and the overall dining experience go down. Not going to make it unless he is in an affluent liberal customer base that falls for income equality arguments. Of course this assumes that they continue to pay the same for a lesser dining experience!

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If employers actually paid decently, you would be charged more for your food/service and you could choose to tip someone.

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As somebody that waited tables for a time in college I would much rather work for 2.13 and tips than minimum wage and very little tips. A good waiter can rack up on tips if they do a good job.