Re: Restaurants that include the tip in the bill. Ud 27, 58

[Sharnita]

I understand the difficulties in finding a way to make sure that servers are adequately paid, while maintaining a way of rewarding a good job beyond the minimum.

IDK, just about everyone else who works in this economy is adequately paid and is held to certain standards of quality in doing his/her job. Many jobs have rewards/incentives for excellent work. What is so different about waiters?

I find the whole "tipping" system outdated.

Yeah, I don't see this as being at all a certainty.

[RooRoo]

I, too, find the tipping system outdated. (I also find it demeaning - people shouldn't have to depend on someone's whim to earn a living.)

But until the laws are changed, we're stuck with it. And I will continue to tip enough to (at least) make it up to minimum wage, because many employers ignore the law* - and also because a lot of servers deserve more than minimum wage.

*The DOL doesn't have undercover investigators, so the law doesn't get enforced unless a few people complain; and enough servers are ignorant of it that it rarely gets reported.

[Barb3000]

Barb here again - I live in the US - I am not saying to NOT tip, I just think the whole system should be changed so that waitstaff gets paid a good wage and does not have to depend on tips. Like they do in Europe. I doubt that will happen though.

[Danika]

I completely agree. I hate the fact that tipping is becoming expected in the U.S. in a lot of places. I buy coffee, there's a tip jar. I order pizza, I pay a delivery charge, but I should also tip the driver for doing the job he/she was already being paid to do. It's ridiculous. I take a taxi, I need to add a tip, etc.

I feel like it's like another form of bait and switch. While I'm on my soapbox, I also hate that prices don't show the tax, in the U.S. the way other countries do it. I have $10 in my wallet. So I have to think "Ok, I can only order $6 worth of food because they're going to add tax and then it's going to be $8.37 and I have no pockets, but they're going to give me back $1.63 and I have no place for all the coins, so I might as well use the $0.63 for a tip, but that's not enough, so I'll add the $1 as well. Too much drama. Just tell me how much the sandwich is. In whole dollar amounts. And let me eat it in peace!