Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Take Out or Buffet Tipping

Well...unless you cover the restaurant owners employment costs.....the industry will collapse!


The reason most restaurants fail in the first two years is because cheep bastards like you who wont cover those operating costs.

Its systemic.

Since the pandemic started I tip fast food just because I think the people that actually show up to work should be rewarded.

When life settles down again, I'll probably go back to tipping table service / delivery only

Always tip for good service.
Tipped 15% for takeouts during the pandemic. Always leave a couple $’s at buffets where I eat, nice not to have to ask for drink refills, napkins or lemon.

It may have started out that way but today “servers” can be paid a much lower wage than the standard minimum wage due to their tips-earning potential. When I was in college I worked as a waiter & bartender and was paid $2.52/hr by the restaurant at a time when fed min wage was $5-ish (IIRC), relying heavily upon my tips.

Remembering what that was like, I tip generously if well served. Having been in the industry and having high standards, I am less generous if the job isn’t done well. Even so, I’m paying them for a service as many have pointed out so I don’t stiff people.

Cultural differences evolving as they do, a custom developed for a particular reason can morph into something altogether different over time. I don’t know about your historic assertions made above, but as far as today’s world goes I’ve laid forth the reasons as they exist now

Gawd...what an industry.


Telling your employees that the customers will pay the bulk of their wages....and if they dont...tuff schit.

Shoulda stayed in school sucka!

ALL businesses’ customers pay ALL the wages. Just a question of how directly

The government has allowed this situation; they’re the ones who said it could be accounted this way.

The industry could just build the service costs directly into pricing, but then the motive for outstanding service would be diminished.

I was in the fine dining industry in a medium sized Midwestern city and did VERY well for a student, but I’d not want to have to raise a family on those wages.

The motivation for outstanding service angle is BS.


The motivation for a lake house is not.

What I don't like it a forced tip. Built into the bill.

If nearly non-existent wages and the tipping system works so well....why are you more likely to receive poor service than great service?


Is it the added benefit of 39 hour work weeks?

If you say so I can’t speak for others I just know it sure wasn’t for me.

And in case our wires have gotten crossed (and I’m sure they have I can’t understand where you’re coming from half the time) here I’m not defending the system as it stands just explaining what I understand of what it is.

If you Wanta talk about the possibilities of a perfect world, no one would pay for food nor have to serve it.

Sure...some people go above and beyond.


Most just do enough to bet by.....mainly because tipping is now seen as compulsory.


If a restaurant owner paid good wages....we wouldn't have to suffer with schitty service.

Notice how there is virtually no competition for most restaurant jobs?

Its no different than welfare dependency.



If people ONLY tipped for excellent service and quality food....your argument would be valid.

Yes, I'm aware of all that. As I said I tend to tip well when I'm in the U.S. because the system has been set up to require it for the waitstaff to make their income. What I'm saying is it's a effed up system that's only prevalent in the U.S. We allow employers to skate the minimum wage laws under the basis of "tips will make up for it" and restaurants have figured out how to shift the burden of paying their employees onto customers instead of themselves where the burden should rightly be. Yes, I realize the customer ultimately ends up paying for everything, the system now is a slimy way of doing it. There is no other business sector where someone expects to be paid extra for merely putting their product in your hand.

It's become a monster which fosters some blowhard tossing a $100 bill on the table so a kid will ignore the rest of his paying customers in order to kiss the butt of his benefactor.

I disagree, if what you’re saying by “good wages” is “similar to what others in the restaurant are paid”. I’ve gotten BBS d service at fast food restaurants more consistently than I have at sit-downs where tips are in play.

Now if you’re talking “good wages” in the sense of “living wage” I’d say that there was a reason I had those jobs as a student and don’t now. If one wants a living wage serving food isn’t and never will be the place to get it. The margins are super narrow.



My argument is valid (note I used the word “diminished” in my original post) to a certain extent regardless because meritocratic systems work on those motivated enough to take advantage of them.

I agree with the bottom line you’re pushing… that restauranteurs should pay servers the same as everyone else with tips being optional for excellent service.

Ps I’ll add “and tips should not be taxed”

Dang I wish I’d have served some of those blowhards $100 buys a lotta shots fer after work. I never had such terrible luck…

There's no shortage of good food servers and bartenders at the higher end well managed restaurants and bars.

As for me, I would rather pay the server directly so that he can stiff the government as much as possible.

Excellent post!

I considered swapping tips with another table once.

I realize you did qualify "most" restaurant jobs, but top serving gigs are actually very coveted and competitive.

I've worked with several folks that would average near or better than $2k a week working 30-35 hours, paying tax on less than 1/2 that.

$100k+ a year for essentially part time work ain't a bad gig. It is fairly rare, obviously.
Many serving jobs can pay a decent "living" wage though.

There are however very few serving jobs that supply any benefits, PTO, insurance, etc....