Still Waiting
I'm still waiting and I don't know why. Do I think that things might eventually change?... maybe, but not very likely.
I'll give you a hint as to who I am:
I make less than minimum hourly wage, and yet I still have to try and afford the life amenities that you do... utilities, housing, food, clothing, and the ever so occasional day or two of leisure. In a 3 hour lunch rush I have to try and coax you out of tips, so that my financial earnings might try and equal that of your 8 hour work day... yes that's right I'm a service industry employee, or more commonly known as a 'waiter'.
Did you know that congress is currently considering raising the minimum wage by $1.50, from $5.15 to $6.65 per hour (in 3 increments)? The last increase in minimum wage was a $.90 (2 increments) increase which was completed in 1997. "Waiter's pay" however remains $2.13 per hour. When I entered the workforce minimum wage was $4.25 and becuase of the tipping waiter's made half minimum wage ($2.13), government assuming that tips would account for the other half if not more of their income...
Somehow "waiter's pay" was not increased along with the minimum wage changes since 1991... but why? you might ask... well the answer seems simple. Increase in minimum wage would equal increase in tipping. Which should still balance out a server's income in comparison to the average minimum wage worker. Assuming of course that people would be more gratuitous with their incomes as their incomes are raised.
When I was young and my parents where teaching me the value of money they would often have me pay for meals with my allowance money, and then later with money that I made from tending a snowcone stand (age 15) they'd teach me how to budget. Well you see my mother was a bartender for the earlier part of my life, so tipping was considered to be part of the bill. When it was appropriate to tip 10% my mother made me spend my hard earned money tipping 15%... then as society changed and cost of living went up it became customary to tip 15% so we tipped at leat 17%... and now having learned my lessons about tipping, the rate servers are paid, and the fact that 17% is the going appropriate tip rate, 20% is now my minimum tip for adequate service (above average service recieving better than 20% based on the service of course).
Apparently not everyone was taught the things that I was taught. Not everyone had to struggle through hard times with a Single Mom (with 3 children including myself) who made her living by Bartending. I guess you could say I was raised on tips, and that's why it was so important for my mother to teach me that tipping is not just a gratuity it's a necessity. There are people that still tip below 10%! The other night I had a table give me $19.35 on a $160.00 bill... sure $19.35 seems like alot of money, but after having waited on your 8 person party for 2.5 hours rushing back and forth trying to satisfy your every request, and then having to clean up after you when your done... suddenly $20.00 doesn't seem like that much ... especially when it's over $7 short of 17% ($12 short of 20%).
...So instead of making a possible $12.93 an hour I made roughly $9.55 an hour... and now the lunch rush is over...
The smallest amounts can sometimes make the biggest differences. So please when you're going out to eat and you're budgeting how much money you should bring... please account for not only how expensive the food will be, and how much your party will eat (spend), but also account for your tip... in the long run 20% isn't really that much. If a server living on tips can budget 20%+ for a tip... so can you. I know that we are here to serve and clean up after you... that's what we do (even though some of us might bitch from time to time)... we've come to terms with these facts... but we would like to get paid for it.
Most importantly: If your server sucks, don't just not tip... call the manager to the table and explain what they did wrong... this creates a learning experience and if the server can learn from the experience they will grow and become a better server, and if can't grow and learn then they aren't cut out for serving and will eventually have to seek out employment in another field.. so don't be shy voice your complaints, try to be critical and not just mean ..please.
Thank you for reading my little waiter's pay rant (if you read it..*grin*). On a final note... If you're having dinner with someone don't be shy to peek at the bill, and make sure they are tipping appropriately... just because you've read this, and you hopefully have a better idea of how to tip, and why... don't assume that everyone else knows. Some say that word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, so tell your friends, tell your family, tell people you see walking down the street that you don't know (well that might be alittle too far), but my point is tell people and don't assume that everyone knows how to tip appropriately because if they did I wouldn't have to worry about paying my bills on time, or having money in the bank... I know I'm a good server... I'll get you what you need sometimes before you realize you need it... I know that I deserve to make at least minimum so please remember to tip me at least 17% or more.
SINcerely,
Rocky
PS- Servers of the world unite... Though I wrote this message feel free to edit and slap your name on this message and send it to friends, family, or post it in your journal. All the credit that I need is to start getting better tips (eventually). Education is the key. If your servers aren't allowed to tell you you're a bad tipper how will you ever know...?>!
I'll give you a hint as to who I am:
I make less than minimum hourly wage, and yet I still have to try and afford the life amenities that you do... utilities, housing, food, clothing, and the ever so occasional day or two of leisure. In a 3 hour lunch rush I have to try and coax you out of tips, so that my financial earnings might try and equal that of your 8 hour work day... yes that's right I'm a service industry employee, or more commonly known as a 'waiter'.
Did you know that congress is currently considering raising the minimum wage by $1.50, from $5.15 to $6.65 per hour (in 3 increments)? The last increase in minimum wage was a $.90 (2 increments) increase which was completed in 1997. "Waiter's pay" however remains $2.13 per hour. When I entered the workforce minimum wage was $4.25 and becuase of the tipping waiter's made half minimum wage ($2.13), government assuming that tips would account for the other half if not more of their income...
Somehow "waiter's pay" was not increased along with the minimum wage changes since 1991... but why? you might ask... well the answer seems simple. Increase in minimum wage would equal increase in tipping. Which should still balance out a server's income in comparison to the average minimum wage worker. Assuming of course that people would be more gratuitous with their incomes as their incomes are raised.
When I was young and my parents where teaching me the value of money they would often have me pay for meals with my allowance money, and then later with money that I made from tending a snowcone stand (age 15) they'd teach me how to budget. Well you see my mother was a bartender for the earlier part of my life, so tipping was considered to be part of the bill. When it was appropriate to tip 10% my mother made me spend my hard earned money tipping 15%... then as society changed and cost of living went up it became customary to tip 15% so we tipped at leat 17%... and now having learned my lessons about tipping, the rate servers are paid, and the fact that 17% is the going appropriate tip rate, 20% is now my minimum tip for adequate service (above average service recieving better than 20% based on the service of course).
Apparently not everyone was taught the things that I was taught. Not everyone had to struggle through hard times with a Single Mom (with 3 children including myself) who made her living by Bartending. I guess you could say I was raised on tips, and that's why it was so important for my mother to teach me that tipping is not just a gratuity it's a necessity. There are people that still tip below 10%! The other night I had a table give me $19.35 on a $160.00 bill... sure $19.35 seems like alot of money, but after having waited on your 8 person party for 2.5 hours rushing back and forth trying to satisfy your every request, and then having to clean up after you when your done... suddenly $20.00 doesn't seem like that much ... especially when it's over $7 short of 17% ($12 short of 20%).
...So instead of making a possible $12.93 an hour I made roughly $9.55 an hour... and now the lunch rush is over...
The smallest amounts can sometimes make the biggest differences. So please when you're going out to eat and you're budgeting how much money you should bring... please account for not only how expensive the food will be, and how much your party will eat (spend), but also account for your tip... in the long run 20% isn't really that much. If a server living on tips can budget 20%+ for a tip... so can you. I know that we are here to serve and clean up after you... that's what we do (even though some of us might bitch from time to time)... we've come to terms with these facts... but we would like to get paid for it.
Most importantly: If your server sucks, don't just not tip... call the manager to the table and explain what they did wrong... this creates a learning experience and if the server can learn from the experience they will grow and become a better server, and if can't grow and learn then they aren't cut out for serving and will eventually have to seek out employment in another field.. so don't be shy voice your complaints, try to be critical and not just mean ..please.
Thank you for reading my little waiter's pay rant (if you read it..*grin*). On a final note... If you're having dinner with someone don't be shy to peek at the bill, and make sure they are tipping appropriately... just because you've read this, and you hopefully have a better idea of how to tip, and why... don't assume that everyone else knows. Some say that word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, so tell your friends, tell your family, tell people you see walking down the street that you don't know (well that might be alittle too far), but my point is tell people and don't assume that everyone knows how to tip appropriately because if they did I wouldn't have to worry about paying my bills on time, or having money in the bank... I know I'm a good server... I'll get you what you need sometimes before you realize you need it... I know that I deserve to make at least minimum so please remember to tip me at least 17% or more.
SINcerely,
Rocky
PS- Servers of the world unite... Though I wrote this message feel free to edit and slap your name on this message and send it to friends, family, or post it in your journal. All the credit that I need is to start getting better tips (eventually). Education is the key. If your servers aren't allowed to tell you you're a bad tipper how will you ever know...?>!