No-Tipping Policy In Restaurant

[TheaterDiva1]

Not sure if this belongs here or the work folder...

A restaurant in Kentucky does not allow customers to tip waitstaff. Details here: http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/147751-restaurants-new-tipping-policy-actually-wildly-popular-among-serving-staff/

I just thought this would make for an interesting discussion here.

[kareng57]

There's a new restaurant not too far from me that intends to do this, as well.

As much as I applaud the idea, I think that they could have trouble recruiting staff.  Here, wait-staff must be paid the provincial minimum wage.  And in high-end restaurants, especially those in tourist areas (such as the one I'm referring to), the waiters can make a very nice living even after portioning tips out to support staff.

[JenJay]

I love it!

[MariaE]

Awesome! I hope it spreads!

[Sharnita]

$10 or 20 percent of hourly food sales - makes me wonder if waitstaff might be tempted to hurry one table along in order to seat the next family and sell them more food.

[marcel]

i think this is a very good initiative. At the moment the US does not have a tipping culture, it has a variable pay culture. A lot of restaurants doing this for a few years, (enough to make it the standard method for restaurants) is probably the best way to get the US  back to a tipping culture.

$10 or 20 percent of hourly food sales - makes me wonder if waitstaff might be tempted to hurry one table along in order to seat the next family and sell them more food.

That is what waitstaff in a high tipping environment do anyway. It is actualy the reason I generaly prefer European restaurants over US ones

[z_squared82]

Ah yes. I’m for it. And I’m hoping to go as I live just across the river.

[lady_disdain]

There's a new restaurant not too far from me that intends to do this, as well.

As much as I applaud the idea, I think that they could have trouble recruiting staff.  Here, wait-staff must be paid the provincial minimum wage.  And in high-end restaurants, especially those in tourist areas (such as the one I'm referring to), the waiters can make a very nice living even after portioning tips out to support staff.

They will have trouble recruiting if they are offering significantly less than minimum wages plus tips. If they are offering close to that, they won't.

I think they may have more problems with patrons, since their menu prices will have to be higher than other restaurants, to pay that salary. Some people will have no problem seeing that they won't have to add 15% or 20% on top of the price, others will feel it is too expensive, since they will still be mentally add a tip, from habit.

[Luci]

i think this is a very good initiative. At the moment the US does not have a tipping culture, it has a variable pay culture. A lot of restaurants doing this for a few years, (enough to make it the standard method for restaurants) is probably the best way to get the US  back to a tipping culture.

$10 or 20 percent of hourly food sales - makes me wonder if waitstaff might be tempted to hurry one table along in order to seat the next family and sell them more food.

That is what waitstaff in a high tipping environment do anyway. It is actualy the reason I generaly prefer European restaurants over US ones

Confused, here. I've not seen no tipping in the US and we have been to large cities in the past few years and not run into a that situation.

I would abide by it and see what happens culturally if it catches on.

[rose red]

i think this is a very good initiative. At the moment the US does not have a tipping culture, it has a variable pay culture. A lot of restaurants doing this for a few years, (enough to make it the standard method for restaurants) is probably the best way to get the US  back to a tipping culture.

$10 or 20 percent of hourly food sales - makes me wonder if waitstaff might be tempted to hurry one table along in order to seat the next family and sell them more food.

That is what waitstaff in a high tipping environment do anyway. It is actualy the reason I generaly prefer European restaurants over US ones

Confused, here. I've not seen no tipping in the US and we have been to large cities in the past few years and not run into a that situation.

She means the money we leave on the table is not actually a tip even though we call it that, but a payment of services since it's pretty much required. Sure it's not against the law not to tip, but that's not kindly looked upon.

[TootsNYC]

$10 or 20 percent of hourly food sales - makes me wonder if waitstaff might be tempted to hurry one table along in order to seat the next family and sell them more food.

They already are, aren't they?

[Texas Mom]

It would be lovely to see servers paid a reasonable wage everywhere.

Where I live, servers are paid 2.13/hour + tips.

[kareng57]

There's a new restaurant not too far from me that intends to do this, as well.

As much as I applaud the idea, I think that they could have trouble recruiting staff.  Here, wait-staff must be paid the provincial minimum wage.  And in high-end restaurants, especially those in tourist areas (such as the one I'm referring to), the waiters can make a very nice living even after portioning tips out to support staff.

They will have trouble recruiting if they are offering significantly less than minimum wages plus tips. If they are offering close to that, they won't.

I think they may have more problems with patrons, since their menu prices will have to be higher than other restaurants, to pay that salary. Some people will have no problem seeing that they won't have to add 15% or 20% on top of the price, others will feel it is too expensive, since they will still be mentally add a tip, from habit.

In many instances, they'd have to pay something like $ 25/hour to match what servers currently get at a restaurant like this, including tips.  That's more than twice minimum wage here.  Let me emphasise that I'm talking about a high-end restaurant here; I'm certainly not asserting that servers at a family-type chain make this much.

As a customer, I don't like tipping in general and would be happy to pay a bit more on the menu price.  But many wait staff, especially very good ones, quite possibly wouldn't get the wages they currently enjoy.

[Peppergirl]

This is my hometown. 

I've added the link to my Facebook feed and asked my friends if any of them have gone, or are planning to visit.  I no longer live there and am intrigued. 

I shall report back with my findings.

[lowspark]

I think it sounds like a good idea. Whether or not it will spread is a different story.

The $10 is the part that makes it sticky. Because how that will compare to the 20% of sales, will totally depend on the food prices in the restaurant. If it's a high end place where dishes fall in the $30-$45 range, the 20% is easily going to top the $10. And for a restaurant where $10 might be on par with the 20%, is the restaurant going to raise the $10 base wage whenever they raise menu prices?