sweetjasmine Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 I didn't even know it was that low. Given that there is now a minimum wage of $7.25, how is that even legal? It's been legal for a very long time: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/subminimumwage.htm
Nexus One Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 It's been legal for a very long time: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/subminimumwage.htm The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provides for the employment of certain individuals at wage rates below the minimum wage. The government never seems to disappoint when it comes to double speak.
Shaun-Dro Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 I haven't read this entire thread, but I already know what I want to say. Bartenders make the same as waitresses do, in the US. 3 dollars an hour. The only way we make our money is off of tips. If we make you a drink, or bring you food, we expect to be tipped if our service was adequate. It's crazy not to pay someone something they deserve, especially after serving *you* a particular service. We don't get paid hourly like everyone else does. Then why are you in this pathetic service then? I could understand that a tip might be warranted if the customer demanded a mixed drink and it was done professionally. Of course the bartender should be tipped. But just a simple glass of wine which cost me $8 and took no extra time to serve? I shouldn't have to tip for that, nor should the barmaid, because its usually them, expect it.
carhill Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Here's another perspective: A bartender typically makes two drinks per minute, perhaps more if they're good and it's busy. That's 120 drinks per hour; okay, let's round down by half, say to 60 drinks per hour. If everyone leaves a buck, that's 60.00 per hour, plus salary and benefits. That's almost as much as I charge per hour in a shop with .5MM worth of equipment operating. People make a ton of money off of tips and it's part of a huge cash economy. Yes, the IRS requires them and their employers to 'report' tips, but we all know the realities of that. Myself, I try the drink before I tip. If it's light or a bad pour, nada. If it's happy hour and it's a heavy pour, double. The tip reflects the service provided, just as for table service. When I travel and receive exceptional service, regardless of custom, I take care of those service people. They may make a good living wage. That day they made a little extra because they earned it without expecting it.
zengirl Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 I didn't even know it was that low. Given that there is now a minimum wage of $7.25, how is that even legal? There's a separate wage table for Servers. Service minimum wage in my state is about half minimum wage here. Service minimum wage has ALWAYS been below the minimum wage, as there is an expectation of tipping in the U.S. I'd be fine with changing the system (I really think all items should just be marked up 15-20% and servers should just make commission, with folks leaving a little extra if they really liked the service or got something special). But restaurant or bar tipping is far from "extra" -- it's how bartenders and servers make most of their money. They generally make very little on their paycheck (most goes to taxes anyway, as they theoretically pay taxes on tips and sometimes on tips they don't make, as restaurant systems often force them to claim tips in 15% of their total sales whether people stiffed them or not) and most servers/bartenders I know see the paycheck as 'extra funds' whereas the tips are their bread and butter. Most of the money they make comes directly from the consumers. In a busy nightclub, yeah, the bartenders are doing quite well, as carhill highlights, but in a neighborhood pub or bar and grill, it's probably a different story, and a few bad tippers can ruin their night.
Star Gazer Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 WHY is this is the DATING section? This belongs in the WATER COOLER. Hello?!? Doesn't anyone know how and where to post anymore??! And yes, always tip bartenders.
TheLoneSock Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Because this is really about guys not tipping barmaids well unless it gets them a date with them. If you can't afford to tip a % of your tab at the end of the night, you should be drinking at home to save money.
Lilmisus Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Even though I have worked a few different service jobs, but I was never a server. Can anyone tell me why I should leave a big tip if Im not a demanding customer? When I go to a restaurant, I order what I want, eat the food, never complain, about anything and I leave. I dont see why I should tip the server guy while I dont have to tip the 7-11 guy next door who also makes next to nothing. If you dont like being a server then maybe go look for another job. Well...they're typically not making any money, and if you don't tip them, they typically have to pay to serve you, since they get about $2.13 an hour, not minimum wage or above like the other guy. You know..taxes, tip share if they do it there, and the likes. At my job, we do 3% tip out from the entire bill, and they have to pay taxes for like 7% of it. That means..if it's less than 10% they're not making anything. Especially when you count the fact that they have to drive to and from work, just to serve you. But besides that fact, even if you don't complain or make it a big deal at all, they're working for you for about an hour or so, depending on how long you're there for. They get you your food and drink, make sure everything is nice and clean around you, offer you extra services (even if you don't accept), and they try to make that hour as nice for you so that you don't have anything to complain about. And you think that you should just not pay them for that? If you don't want to tip someone, go to McDonald's, like my manager always says.
carhill Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 In reality, a bartender might be more like a food server at McDonald's. They smile, are usually friendly while they punch in the order and bag it up, all done generally with speedy efficiency and, if the system is working right, accuracy. Some of the bars I've been to have similar systems where the bartender punches in the drink and the automated pouring system dispenses it, codes it to that bartender, deducts the materials from inventory, and generates a receipt.
Johnny85 Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 In reality, a bartender might be more like a food server at McDonald's. They smile, are usually friendly while they punch in the order and bag it up, all done generally with speedy efficiency and, if the system is working right, accuracy. Some of the bars I've been to have similar systems where the bartender punches in the drink and the automated pouring system dispenses it, codes it to that bartender, deducts the materials from inventory, and generates a receipt. Sounds to me like somebody studied accounting. lol:p
zengirl Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 In reality, a bartender might be more like a food server at McDonald's. They smile, are usually friendly while they punch in the order and bag it up, all done generally with speedy efficiency and, if the system is working right, accuracy. Some of the bars I've been to have similar systems where the bartender punches in the drink and the automated pouring system dispenses it, codes it to that bartender, deducts the materials from inventory, and generates a receipt. Except if you've been to a McDonalds and been to a halfway decent bar, you can see that they tend to employ different sorts. The barman I see most frequently at the local pub near my house has a Masters degree, chats with me about philosophy, and dresses reasonably nicely. The people at the McDonalds nearest my house can speak less English than the people at my McDonalds in South Korea could (sad, really) and look halfway homeless.
nittygritty Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 I didn't even know it was that low. Given that there is now a minimum wage of $7.25, how is that even legal? Employers are required to make up the difference if an employee doesn't make minimum wage but tips are included and reported as earnings. The reality is that servers and bartenders usually make at least $20 dollars or more an hour in tips if they are any good at their job at all and the business has customers. If servers and bartenders in the US were only making $7.25 an hour, minimum wage, there wouldn't be any.
nittygritty Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 In reality, a bartender might be more like a food server at McDonald's. They smile, are usually friendly while they punch in the order and bag it up, all done generally with speedy efficiency and, if the system is working right, accuracy. Some of the bars I've been to have similar systems where the bartender punches in the drink and the automated pouring system dispenses it, codes it to that bartender, deducts the materials from inventory, and generates a receipt. Except most people don't tip at McDonalds. I know I don't. You have to get your own drinks.
carhill Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Except most people don't tip at McDonalds. I know I don't. You have to get your own drinks. Yes, it was an argument against tipping bartenders. I was comparing the food item and McD's to the drink item at the bar. The variations in personalities are pretty much a given in any working environment, so neutralize each other. However, I can see the advantages to being a positive and upbeat person when working with an inebriated public
nittygritty Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Yes, it was an argument against tipping bartenders. I was comparing the food item and McD's to the drink item at the bar. The variations in personalities are pretty much a given in any working environment, so neutralize each other. However, I can see the advantages to being a positive and upbeat person when working with an inebriated public I just misunderstood. Probably best for people to just not go to bars or McDonalds.
musemaj11 Posted April 24, 2011 Posted April 24, 2011 Well...they're typically not making any money, and if you don't tip them, they typically have to pay to serve you, since they get about $2.13 an hour, not minimum wage or above like the other guy. You know..taxes, tip share if they do it there, and the likes. At my job, we do 3% tip out from the entire bill, and they have to pay taxes for like 7% of it. That means..if it's less than 10% they're not making anything. Especially when you count the fact that they have to drive to and from work, just to serve you. But besides that fact, even if you don't complain or make it a big deal at all, they're working for you for about an hour or so, depending on how long you're there for. They get you your food and drink, make sure everything is nice and clean around you, offer you extra services (even if you don't accept), and they try to make that hour as nice for you so that you don't have anything to complain about. And you think that you should just not pay them for that? If you don't want to tip someone, go to McDonald's, like my manager always says. I understand that. I do tip because I know waiters get paid less than minimum wage. But I see no reason to tip them more that what other minimum wage workers get unless I'm a demanding customer who asks him to do this and that. I just come, I eat, I leave.
Shaun-Dro Posted April 25, 2011 Posted April 25, 2011 So is it reasonable to tip a dollar for a drink that cost $8? I dont think any thing over a buck is deserved unless I'm making special orders. That's just my opinion.
Thedude22 Posted April 25, 2011 Posted April 25, 2011 You're supposed to, they only make like 2.30 an hour after all just like waiters. I tip like a buck a drink, but if the place is slammed and they are slow, I don't tip ****. They are too busy to even notice.
Citizen Erased Posted April 25, 2011 Posted April 25, 2011 I never ever tip. When they stop ****ing ripping us off (8 dollars for a pint??) then I will tip. Until then I'll spend my heard earned dollars as I see fit. But then again I live in Australia. Drinks are a lot cheaper in the US than they are here in Oz, as it's fricking illegal to pay our bartenders $2.30 an hour (which IMHO is criminal to pay that, people in third world countries can get paid more than that and I cannot believe that crap is tolerated but anyway).Trust me, go to the US and you won't mind tipping them, their drinks are ridiculously cheap.
Thedude22 Posted April 25, 2011 Posted April 25, 2011 Well in America everyone in the service industry makes their cash on tips, so they don't make minimum wage. Minimum wage is like 7.25 but they factor tips in so they drop it to 2.35 or something. That's why tipping is so important here, without tips they are basically bar slaves.
Recommended Posts