July 26, 2009
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Waitresses, Waiters and Minimum Wage
I was just reading an article that indicated that waitresses and waiters are excluded from the minimum wage increases and have been frozen since $2.13 an hour.
The federal minimum wage just rose from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 an hour. But the minimum wage increase does not apply to those receiving tips.
According to the article, waitresses and waiters “have nearly three times the poverty rate of the nation’s workforce.” Here is the link: Link
Should waitresses and waiters be allowed the same minimum wage as everyone else?
Comments (118)
they make mad bank in tips.
it’s what keeps them doing a good job, i think.
if they were getting paid the same amount no matter what kind of service they provided i don’t think it would work out well.
Yes, just because they get tips doesn’t mean they should be paid less. Some people are bad tippers.
If so, should customers tip less?
It’s socially accepted to tip service people.
Not tipping properly has a stigma surrounding it.
Yep, because not everyone tops like they should. Plus they seem to work a lot harder.
i think they should get paid min wage
if this were the case, people would probably feel less inclined to leave big tips, but overall i think the waitors/waitresses would gain from it.
lots of people are bad tippers. And if you are working at a small restaurant or some non fancy restaurant sometimes you are making under min wage.
I’m thinking their wages should be half what minimum wage is. Sure, they can’t make it up in tips all the time but it’s definitely better than now.
If it’s currently $7.25 for minimum wage, and they’re stuck at $2.13 an hour, that’s $5.12 difference. That’s big. Yeah, that might be one table, that might be two tables, so it doesn’t sound hard. But let’s assume it’s super slow one night and you’re only getting a table or two an hour…that’s not quite fair, is it? Nor is it fair if you have to split your tips with the busboys or whoever else. It should be half, which would make it $3.62 an hour. And definitely more than that for bartenders, because 9 times out of ten, people don’t tip them, and when they do, it’s a dollar or two, or perhaps $5 for the whole night (which is probably more than 1 or 2 hours…).
Should they be making minimum wage? No. Should they be making at LEAST half that? I think so.
@kacyy - In a lot of European countries, tips are included in the overall price of the meal. If there’s a problem, the patron has to talk to a manager or they end up tipping ten percent when the waiter or waitress could have been atrocious. It’s a better system because instead of just having people not tip, the manager is alerted to the problem.
There are pros and cons to both sides, but personally, I like the European system better.
@SimplyNita - i agree!
xo
Also, people forget that if the waiter/waitress doesn’t make AT LEAST minimum wage in tips, the restaurant does have to pay them whatever the difference is. They have to be making at least minimum wage.
At least, in Ohio.
No, but I do think their minimum wage should be increased to at least 3 or 4 dollars.
I find this very unfair, many jobs have the bonuses and great contribution payouts according to the employees customer deals. But still they have a minimum wage rate no matter what.
It takes a lot of courage to be on one’s feet all day, have customers that are total snobs and treat waitresses like dog poo. So they deserve at least a minimum wage.
I think they should pay them a decent wage and get rid of tipping. Seriously, if I have a problem with the service, I’ll take it to the manager.
Well I would say yes only because I am a waitress and what most people don’t know is that we have to claim our tips that we make every night and that we are taxed on them.
but I’m being biased here.
Plus I don’t think we make enough with all the shit that costumers put us through.. and there are A LOT of bad tippers who order the whole menu and leave jack shit!
their income should be at least minimum wage, but, it could come from some base pay and then supplement the remainder in tips. if the waiter/waitress does not raise enough in tips to increase their wages adequately, then there could be some sort of penalty from their employer.
I think the wage should raise the bar to keep up with the economy, maybe a dollar or two…and if they dont make “X” amount in a month from tips, should be allowed that from thier employer.
in illinois i think the minimum for servers is $4.50/h. i think it should be $6/h
They should get more than minimum wage. Most people turn into inconsiderate jackasses the moment they step into a restaurant. It’s hard to deal with those people and keep calm. Not to mention most people are cheapskates and poor tippers except in high end restaurants and bars.
IF they do I think they should cut tipping… I tip 20 to 25 percent… I believe they are poverty level because they don’t claim all of their tips… ON a good day here in TC during the summer a good waitress can make 150 for a five hour day… in tips alone… Doesn’t sound like poverty to me.
They should at least get paid more, if not minimum wage. There has been an increase in minimum wage, an increase in the cost of living, but no increase in waiters/waitresses wages and no increase in the customary amount to tip.
I used to work a job where I basically hosted little kids’ birthday parties for a living. The parties would run $400-500, with only two people trying to deal with 20+ kids (entertainment, games, food, the whole deal) and sometimes people would rave about how great everything was and still not tip, or they’d tip $10 (split between the two hosts). It was a miserable job for a miserable wage most days. Minimum wage would have made it a lot better.
they should get paid more, some people don’t tip well…or not at all.
I think they should make as much as anyone else. They’re the ones who have to put up with other people’s bullshit all day.
The minimum wage shouldn’t exist to begin with — wages should be a matter between the individual employee and the employer, not the government. There’s no reason why a 16 year-old kid still living with his parents should be legally forced to make the same amount of money as a working mother for doing the exact same job.
That said, let’s also keep in mind that servers receive tips largely tax-free unless they keep records and claim them as taxable income (which most don’t do); while their incomes might be lower, that also means that they get to keep more of the money they do earn. So it eventually evens out in the long run.
Also, yeah, Europe mandates that the tip be included in the total cost of the meal, but honestly, I had the worst service everywhere I went in Europe. Tipping provides an incentive for good service, which encourages repeat business and benefits the entire restaurant overall. When I was a waitress, I worked my tail off and took home $300 a night in tips on the weekends if I worked the bar; not a bad gig for a college student.
$2.13/hour is just ridiculous. I don’t care if they get tips. Tips are “optional”, which means some patrons who wish to do so, can refuse to give tips to those working in the service industry. (I used to work with a woman who REFUSED TO TIP wait staff out of “principle,” she said. If she knew how much they were getting paid, I wonder if she would have had a change of heart.) So, if you’re have a bad day waiting tables, and are earning minimum wage, you’re pretty much f&cked.
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I worked as a carhop at a local drive-in, getting paid waitress wages. It was horrible. I was barely making any money for the amount of time and energy I put in there. People don’t always tip and in fact, I would go as far as to say that 3 out of 5 people didn’t tip. And working in a restaurant situation, sometimes you’re asked to do something else that takes you away from tables and customers… therefore taking away your tips. Waitresses should at least be paid $5.00 an hour.
I’m actually opposed to minimum wage laws.
If a company can afford to pay $7.25/hr., good. But forcing all companies to pay a minimum wage increases their costs, which they have to offset by either hiring fewer employees, reducing wages, or charging more for their product. It actually increases unemployment.
People claim that workers will be stuck in sweatshop-like jobs, but employees have free choice. The reason they choose to work for a certain job is because it’s better than the alternative.
Check it out: http://mises.org/story/2130
@GermanWrench - Absolutely agree with you on minimum wage. The market should drive wages (as well as performance) not the government. I spent a good portion of my years waiting tables, even as a second job as an adult, and I made no less than $150/night, even on a slow night. Our managers only made us claim what would be needed for taxes, the rest went unclaimed, and thus untaxed. No server I know EVER claimed every cent they ever made. And as others mentioned, most states require the restaurant to make up the difference if a server doesn’t earn at least minimum wage in any given shift.
Wow. I think minimum for those earning tips it was also $2.13/hr when I entered the workforce. Back then, minimum wage was $4.25/hr. But as I recall, if the wage + tip fails to reach what’s minimum wage for everyone else, the employer is legally required to make up the difference. Though I wonder how many employers actually bother to check on that.
I don’t know about full minimum wage, but they should definitely get More than $2.13 an hour! Not everyone tips, & those that do don’t always tip that well.
There should be a minimum wage for those earning tips (I thought there was…maybe I’m mistaken).
Not all people who earn tips make bank in tips. There are people that suck at tipping. I was a waitress for awhile, and a good one, and it was a small diner and I didn’t make very good tips some days. I don’t think those making tips should also earn 7.25 an hour, because sometimes tips are pretty frickin amazing. But they should definitely have a minimum they should earn.
They do get tips, but not everybody tips well. I’ve been going out with my mom and aunt a lot this summer and I’ve noticed they tip nicely and my mom always tells me that waitresses don’t make that much so tip good if the service is good. I do think they should get atleast min. wage or their wage should go up.
that’s not everywhere
some waitresses get minimum wage and tips.
So don’t think they are all getting $2 an hour.
minimum wage is crap. it should get raised to AT LEAST $10 for everyone, the wait-staff included. because, sure, they get tips, but i had some friends that owned a resturaunt, and i know for a fact that some people are dicks, and no matter how good service you give them, they will still give a little tip.
I think minimum wage is a good idea for them but that will of course mean that our meals will cost more as restaurants are forced to recover what they are spending on the salary increases.
Yes. Because they don’t really have much control over how much people tip them. They can give the best service and still get a $2 tip for a $60 tab…And besides, running around all day trying to keep multiple people happy at once and dealing with rude people who think it is perfectly acceptable to take their personal issues out on the waitstaff just because they’ll never see them again is a lot harder than it looks.
Trust me they do find on tips along. Where I live we also get the state min.
$8.55
I did just fine working at an espresso stand, the money was real good.
Waitresses should be paid minimum wage. Tips should be optional and not mandatory.
Then again, it doesn’t matter what minimum wage is because those on top will simply raise the costs of everything to ensure their piggy banks stay full.
@GermanWrench - My daughter is currently a waitress. Here in MI, waitresses get $2.65 an hour. She has to fill out a statement at the end of the night claiming tips. Maybe it’s not that way in every state, but it is the law here. You can’t fudge much on what you claim. Most tips ARE on record because people add the tip on their credit card. Most of the time she reaches minimum wage or exceeds it, but then she still has to ‘tip out’ the hostess and busboy a percentage. On slow nights she doesn’t leave with much.
@XxskinnyxxhippoxX - Force employers to start their employment at $10, and I guarantee that their least-performing employees will be dropped in a heartbeat. The reason such jobs as servers and bus boys don’t pay as well as, say, chefs and managers is that few servers are working there as a primary means of income and it’s not a skilled job (meaning, you don’t need any preexisting training to do it). This means that these jobs are held mostly by singletons, teens, and second-income earners — not primary wage earners. This way, employers are able to hire more people because they’re paying less per individual; however, the individual’s wages are determined in large part by the quality of service (rather than quantity of hours). If you think all people are jackasses and won’t tip for good service, I would beg to differ; I once had a party of 8 leave me a $50 tip on a $115 check, because I was courteous, conversational and friendly. Some people are dicks, sure, but for the vast majority, kindness counts and is rewarded. (At least, here in the south; I don’t know about those pricks up north, who are so taxed to deah it’s a wonder they even bother to leave their homes. Does MA tax air yet?) The other thing about the minimum wage is that it creates wage inflation — in other words, once you increase the minimum wage, you have to then increase all other wages to compensate. So not only do employers then have to pay out their low-tier employees more, but everyone else gets a raise — which increases the employer’s incentive to either raise prices on goods, not hire, cut hours, or eliminate unnecessary jobs.
Especially in this economy, employees should have the option of making themselves as competitive as possible — and that means being able to set their own wages at a level both they and the employer can be comfortable with. If an 18 year-old college student only needs $5.25 an hour for 30 hours a week, why should the government step between him and the employer and say that he must be paid $7.25 an hour, whether he wants or needs the extra $2 or not?
Yes they should be making minium wage, and they should able to keep thier tips too. Thier tips should not have to be taxed. They work hard for thier money and have to tolerate a lot of rude people.
@angi1972 - I agree !
I don’t think they should get minimum wage but they should continuously get the same percentage increase as what is given when min. wage increases. When people go into that profession they know what they are getting into and, for the most part, they do make a lot in tips.
@GermanWrench - $2.13 sounds like sweat-shop wages, but wow, $300.00 a night in tips? I feel good with that in a day, working construction.
Its complicated. Some make really good money in tips (my friend can make upwards of $500 a night in tips alone), but then there are those that don’t make as much in tips who could use the boost to their income. When I worked as a waitress in a mom and pop restaurant, I was lucky if I made $20 bucks in tips a night, and I was only making $5 an hour. It sucked royally.
Yes! Tips are supposed to be above and beyond your pay, but they’re not. They ARE your pay. I spent more than 2 years serving! People who think servers bank on tips are wrong. I averaged between $10-13/hr– if I worked ONLY during the busy times. If I worked doubles on the weekends or had a couple slow days, that really pulled the average down. That means I was making about $400 every two weeks. That is so NOT bank!
Considering all the idiots,cheapskates, weirdos, and annoying kids they have to deal with? Good God, yes!!
Yes! Waiters and waitresses are people too!
I don’t think the minimum wage for professions that receive tips should be the same as the ones that do not receive tips, but I think it should definitely be raised a bit.
Honestly, I think tipping is a bad idea. I agree with those that said waiters + waitresses should just get paid the minimum wage like other professions and just leave the tips out of it. Do away with tipping altogether.
I thought minimum wage was $8/hour 0.o That’s what I get paid.
I think they should get paid the full min. wage. It’s not fair. Some people tip badly.
Yes, people aren’t tipping nearly as much as they should.
yes, because they are working at a minimum wage anyways. Tips might not add up to equal the same amount of hours worked.
And why is min wage so low! it;s like going up to 8.75$$ CND where i live :/
i have a frd whose a waiter and he makes around $20/hr
and its not a classy restaurant too.. just a regular family restaurant
another frd works at swiss chalet makes around $15/hr
their hourly wage is around $6 .. or maybe $7?
i think thats reasonable.
I was a waitress and yes the paycheck was crap but the tips are worth it I guess. But not all restaurants are going to get a long line of customers like the restuarant I worked at did (the food wasn’t even all that good) so waiters and waitresses should be able to be included in that rise too. But it’s more of a college job, but unfortunately, there are some people who actually do that for the rest of their life…
no because they don’t have to claim the tips on their income tax so that is a big bonus.
as a waitress. hell yeah. 2.75 would even be a nice raise. waitressing is hard. very hard.
@kacyy - No, they don’t. You’ve clearly never had to work for tips.
That 2.13 basically goes towards your taxes, i recieve paychecks that are $0.00, im living off mainly my tips, and not every night you work will be a great night, you go through phases some weeks you’ll make alot and then other weeks you wont make anything due to horrible tippers.
Basically it’s slave labor. The owners get the most for the smallest outlay. In the eighties while going to school I worked as a head waiter at a five star restaurant. Now, as the head waiter I couldn’t complain, for I was making $6. per. and taking home anywhere from $200- 350. a night on tips, but when I went to work at another establishment it was min.+ tips. What I noticed in the new place is that when it was quiet, the owner would make the girls do sidework. He asked me and I laughed, “not at min. wage”, I replied laughing. He just walked away and swore at me. Waitresses are on their feet for almost 8 straight hours!!! After that, they usually have raise a few children of their own. So, you who disagree with this are blowing smoke from an orifice.
I waitress, and we make $2.83 and that’s it. It’s been hard, especially recently. People aren’t going out for lunch/dinner like they used too. And if they ARE going out for lunch/dinner, the tips are horrible. In my opinion, if you can’t afford to tip well, you can’t afford to go out for lunch/dinner. Period.
We’re all getting screwed. Everyone has bills to pay, but most of us are behind on paying just about everything.
It sucks. Raise the server wage and make everyone happier.
The minimum wage for servers should be increased with an equal percentile to the standard minimum wage.
Particularly during the recession where people go out to restaurants less often and are less frank with their tips.
@AibellFaeire - This makes the most sense.
No.
The article citing wait staff as twice as likely to be without health insurance is pretty ridiculous. An work force that has a huge number of only part-time works are more likely to be uninsured? No way!
I’m sure waitresses and waiters love the idea of getting more money they actually must report and less money that largely goes unreported.
A minimum wage is generally a bad economic idea, but this one is just god-awful on all fronts.
@AibellFaeire -
A fun side-effect: Service at restaurants is generally pretty shitty in comparison, at least in the countries I’ve been.
their minimum wage should be increased a little. my boyfriend makes a lot of money waiting at ruby tuesdays everyday
Yes. In Canada they get minimum wage, and still do a perfectly fine job. There’s no reason to get such shitty pay.
No, they shouldn’t have both minimum wage and tips.
But their hourly earnings definitely should NOT be in the two-dollars zone.
I’m with Mr. Pink on this one.
“waitresses and waiters have nearly three times the poverty rate of the nation’s workforce.” That quote belongs in DUH! Magazine. They don’t report their tips to AVOID taxes. God bless ‘em!
I think a lot of waiters and waitresses, or people who get tips in general (strippers, etc.) don’t claim on taxes how much cash they’re really getting, or they have to pay more in taxes. So I don’t think totally that their wages should be bumped up to the federal min. wage, but I think their minimum should be increased.
2.13/hr too lil…maybe up it up to 5/hr. Waiters in NYC and bit cities make a lot of money. But for those small towners, maybe they should be paid more.
No. I used to work in resturaunt biz.
they make enough in tips.
THEY ALREADY ARE.
Theycan make minimum wage if that’s what the restaurant owner/manager decides to give them. There’s no law restricting their pay to that amount. And if they think they could get more elsewhere, then they should be looking for a new job… if the wages are too low in one particular unskilled spot, the wages will start to go up. Basic supply & demand.
@errolmartins - I worked in food service for a summer. I often worked twelve hour shifts, often two or three days in a row. I was not a waitress exactly but I did receive tips based om my service. It was never very hard to work that long (as long as I got one or two fifteen minute food breaks and one or two 3 minute bathroom breaks during the shift.) And I loved every penny that I got in tips, because it was cash money that no big government was going to stick its hands into.
In comparison, I probably shelled out $600 to social security alone in that summer. That’s $600 that I will never see again.
Yeah duh.
bullshit on that poverty rate crap. a good waiter or waitress who knows how to provide SERVICE will earn a whole lot of (basically) tax free money. i know of waiters and waitresses who make a minimum of $300. a shift , many make much more.
No. Absolutely not. They make money hand over fist. I’ve worked in resturaunts for the past 6 years so I know first hand how much they make. The full time servers at my Bob Evans make an easy 400-600 a week in cash alone. That’s easily more than anyone in the back of the house (cooks, etc). Even on the slowest of weeks, they still make 13+ an hour. They don’t even have to try. The part time girls at night even make 50+ a night (not bad for a breakfast resturaunt and only working 3 or 4 hours).
And here’s the truth that most servers wouldn’t want you to know. For every person that stiffs them, there’s another person who leaves them a more than generous tip. That is absolutely 100% true. As much as they complain (because they are notoriously greedy), they are still pulling down huge wads of cash every single week.
And this is just in a little breakfast resturaunt! You go to fancy high-end tip places… forget it. They make more in 2 days then I make cooking in a week.
For the crap they have to put up with everyday from rude customers? They should be paid the same as everyone else and a mandatory (good) tip from every asshole they have to serve.
Waiters aren’t poor because of their wage — don’t get it twisted. It is the fact that being a waiter requires very little training or skill besides speaking English, thus a large % of the population can be one. This leads to many uneducated and poor people choosing to be waiters. In terms of minimum wage, it is always better for the economy to keep minimum wage low. When it’s raised, all it does it fuck over small businesses and reduce the amount of entry level jobs available. Besides, most waiters don’t report their tips as wages, so they’re basically shafting the government.
@SuperEvilPopTart64 - actually, i work for tips at my current job. bad servers don’t make good money, good servers do.
I tip what I do because I know my servers are relying on them to make ends meet. If they were paid minimum wage then my tips really would reflect the level of service I received. Tips really would be a marker of a job well done, not something you have to do so your server can have a roof over his/her head.
I’m a waiter. Some nights average out to about $20 an hour.
I don’t get to work as much as I want to, but with pay like that, I can’t quit.
And if I didn’t like it, I would just get another job.
It should get an increase.
I say yes because I don’t always tip.
If the service sucks, it sucks. No tip.
The person doesn’t care about their job, then they should be paid as if they don’t care about their job.
It’s proof.
It’s optional and if it was mandatory, it would already be in the bill.
Of course they should. They are people trying to raise a family, and it is a job, so minimum wage should pertain to them as well. Although the government doesn’t see fit to get them they money they should be getting, it is just a proven point the government does not give one flying fuck what happens to anyone in this country. I could say have fun, but I am in the exact same boat. No job, no income, which means no recreational time or even the small little things I want. It is ridiculous how they think we can survive on this.
no. fuck em
well that’s not true for everywhere. I got 4 something when I was waitressing.
3 something at another place.
Coming from a waitress, sure it’d be nice to get minimum wage instead of below and earning the rest… because people are cheap these days.
it all evens out in the end though…
I think that wait staff should absolutely make minimum wage. I have worked in the restaurant industry, and I have work in other minimum wage jobs. All of my other min wage jobs (where I did not get tipped) where not nearly as difficult as working as a server. It is hard on your body and it can be very stressful as well. And no, not anyone can serve, at least in many restaurants. The restaurant I work in fires someone so fast if they aren’t up to par. Most of us at the restaurant currently have or are working towards university degrees, but we can’t find work elsewhere (or we like it and we stay).
And let’s be honest, some people are not great tippers: I noticed a huge drop in tips when the economy sank (my service didn’t change), individuals at the same table who receive the same service will tip dramatically different (some will tip ok, some will be horrible). And, I live in a place where there are many tourists (this includes European), which means some nights (like last night), I make nothing on some tables (and at my restaurant I even have to tip out the Back of House staff regardless of what tips I make, so I basically had to pay out of pocket to serve some of these tables). So even a good and experienced server can get really poor tips and make very little money some nights.
I think it is very lucky that some servers can rake in a few 100 a night, but this is not the case for everyone. I work at a fairly nice restaurant, but I haven’t broken $200 in ages, and since people are trying to save their money lately and don’t eat out as much, I have had a hard time even getting $100 a night.
Don’t even get me started about benefits! I have to think about going on maternity, and (at least in Canada, where thank heavens I get paid min wage), I get paid maternity based on 60% of what I have on average made the last year. I cannot fathom how I could get by on anything less than minimum wage.
Ok, rant over.
yes
tips are aptional, and some people are such d-bags!
Yes. It’s hard work!
I’ve worked in a resturant for two and a half years, my friend for five, and I know how a person can push themselves to the brink of exastion and still make only a few dollars. What really angers me (on my friends behalf, since my job has a set salary of $10hr / no tips) is when a resturant can actually pay a lesser salary depending on how much is made in tips. For example, if my friend make more than a hundred in one weekend, his boss can deduct or even cancel that week’s payment.
Not to mention, bad tips and such….
i think they should!
i actually will not get a job as a waitress, because i think the job seems very stressful and like a lot of hard work…for not very much money.
Some restaurant establishments like the Chinese restaurant that I worked at… The boss kept all the tips to himself and didn’t give any to the waitress. Selfish bastard!!
the wage obviously needs to go up. i waitressed for two years and it was hellish. yeah, you get tips, but sometimes it’s not much. and i would say that people are probably tipping less now than they used to, and it’s more expensive to live…yet servers are still making the same amount. the math doesn’t work.
The theory is that servers are easily able to make up the difference with what they make in tips. In theory, Sonia Sotomayor is also an unbiased judge.
I worked one summer (1984) as a waiter in an inexpensive restaurant (most expensive menu item was $5.45) right after Reagan signed the law which allowed employers to pay waiters/waitresses as much below minimum as the employer believed tips would reach minimum. Minimum wage at the time was $3.35. My salary was $2.50. All the tips that the two or three of us who worked each shift earned were put into a common tip jar because the cook also was being paid below minimum, even though she was not directly earning tips for service to customers. Each night, as we divided up the tips into two or three shares, I observed that I was taking home well below minimum wage. That entire summer, I had only one night when I earned as much as $3.00 per hour, tips included.
And that was a situation in which the employer was my best friend’s father. I can just imagine how bad it would have been if the guy was a real jerk.
That’s why I always tip generously, unless the service was epic in its abysmal nature. I know from experience how unfair that law is, and I think it is one of the most criminal practices perpetuated upon workers by corporate America. Tips should ALWAYS be an extra added to one’s salary. They should not be an expected part of one’s salary. Only the kind of corrupt politicians we have in Congress (and the kind of greedy monsters who sit in corporate executive offices) would assume workers should be paid below minimum wage by their employers and should rely upon the generosity of the customers to help them put food on their own tables. . . .
@GermanWrench - You’re required by law to report your tips, but most people don’t report what they actualy earn, especially if they’ve had a good night.
yes. If minimum wage has value at all it should be applied universally.
And tips should be abolished. Replace it with performance adjusted salaries.
I dunno if this has already been said, but has anyone thought about how much more expensive it would be to go out for dinner if this happened? Someone has to pay for these wage increases, and you can be sure it won’t be the employer…
I know people making $100 bucks a night waiting tables. No I think their min wage is fine.
it’s not the $2.13/hour that’s the problem. it’s people not tipping properly. by keeping the $2.13, restaurants are able to keep prices low and keep people coming in. when people come in, the tip is an afterthought. people are able to mentally approach the cost of going out as the cost of the meal rather than the total cost including tip. by raising the $2.13, prices in restaurants would skyrocket. as well, the tip is kind of like the proverbial carrot on the end of the stick. waiters work hard because of the potential to earn a good tip. as a server, i know i wouldn’t work nearly as hard if i was getting paid exactly the same regardless. i would only work hard enough to keep my job. when people tip properly, a server can make far more than minimum wage. the problem comes when people don’t understand why they have to tip and leave a $2 tip on a $40 meal. if everyone were to tip 20%, a server can earn more than minimum wage even on a slow day. i’m not saying to leave a 20% tip for poor service, but where i work, i will work my ass off and end up with less than a 10% tip. by having the majority of a server’s income come from tips, it keeps restaurant costs down and gives the server incentive to provide good service. it’s just a matter of getting everyone to tip properly – granted, no easy feat, but if achieved would be a better alternative to raising the minimum wage for tipped positions.
I’ve never been a waitress so I’m probably not one to judge…however I do believe they should be paid more than what they receive now….not necessarily minimum wage, but at least $5/hour…I mean they DO receive tips…other jobs do not.
Yes.
In this economy, yes. I fortunately got out of the industry before the newspapers started writing about the bailout debates. It was about then that my friends who still worked at the restaurant I used to work at told me they weren’t making money anymore because people would decide that they had enough money to eat out but they didn’t have enough money to tip for good service anymore.
I made more money as a waitress than I did in any job I’ve had so far. Even on a slow night at the restaurant I worked at, I still averaged at least $8/hour in tips; on a good night it’d be like $30 an hour. I’ve never known any waitresses who had a problem with it either, though I’m sure there are some out there.
I don’t believe in a federal minimum wage to begin with. It’s unconstitutional.
the combined tips and hourly wage are supposed to add up to minimum wage for waitstaff. The difference is supposed to be paid by the employer. this is law. most waitstaff do not know this and even if they do, if they bring it up and expect that, the employer will most often laugh at them or worse, fire them.
it sucks but it’s true.
I know this cause my mom, a 57 year old woman who works 56-60 hours a week, makes $2.50/hour and doesn’t get overtime pay either. She has brought this up and been laughed at for it. and she gets crap for tips too.
I think that waitstaff should NOT be exempt from this minimum wage law.
I don’t know if they should be paid the same exact rate as the rest of those making minimum wage should, but I don’t think their wage should stay at $2.13 either. Like someone else stated, maybe somewhere around $3-4 would be fair?
Maybe not as high…but higher than what they get. I mean… there are a lot of people that don’t tip, and they often end up working all damn day just to lose money. So…they should definitely get like..5-6, at least.
@kacyy - not everyone makes mad tips. and there are those of us who have worked those jobs who had an urge to do a good job regardless of tips.
This increase should apply to them. Its just archaic and inhuman to not.
@Morningstarrising - I’m curious… why shouldn’t they be paid the same rate?
@Mina_Xue - Because they receive tips. Now if a tip was worked into the amount you pay each time you go to a restaurant, then of course they should receive the same rate as everyone else.
@Mina_Xue - having the urge to do a good job and doing a good job are two different things. also good service can merely be having good people skills. unfortunately if you don’t know how to interact with the public in a certain way it can make getting good tips hard even if it’s not your fault. i don’t think that means you should get a hand out though. -shrugs- i didn’t really comment to argue, i just wanted to put my two cents in.
Of course they should. Especially with the economy right now, people aren’t tipping like they have in the past. In fact, my grandpa always tips a straight 10%, no matter what. I think that’s rude. I normally tip 15%, and if I’ve received good service, I tip 20%. And actually, tipping doesn’t have everything do with their wages either.
Up until last month, my sister was a waitress at a very popular Mexican restuarant. She was there for about a year. Towards the end of her employment (she quit because she moved), the restuarant barely had enough business to keep all the waiters and waitresses busy and schedualed. She would text me on Saturday nights, saying she was bored because there wasn’t any customers! I went to eat in her section on a Friday night at about 6:30, which at that time a restuarant should be mad crazy busy, but we got seated in her section right away. She spent about half the time we were there standing and talking to us because there wasn’t enough customers in the place to keep her busy. So, of course, she hardly made any money at all in tips because people aren’t eating out as much anymore.
@WintersWitch - Yeah, but they probably work somewhere where the menu is pricier. If you look at a normal restuarant like Olive Garden, where the total is about $30 for a couple to eat. If they are there for an hour, and leave a 15% tip (which many people leave less), that’s about $4.40. Now say they have 8-10 tables a night, that’s less than $50. That’s the case with most waiters and waitresses. I’d say $100 a night is an exception.
those who are saying NO need to get out there and work a few days as a server. i guarantee you your mind will change after only a few hours.
it’s a difficult job, one that is met with little respect from customers. it’s certainly a job that not just anyone can do.
i made $2.13 when i waited tables. i busted my ass and put up with some extremely rude-ass people. i made great money in tips, but i worked my ass to the bone for it. there were times college students would hog up 6 tables for my entire shift, studying, ordering nothing but coffee, and leaving a $3.00 tip.
servers should make minimum wage. there’s no doubt about it.
by the way, i worked at an ihop and earned about $200-$300 a night in tips. i worked my ass of being a damned good server. i took pride in my work and would do so even if my wage was higher. it is called being driven by work ethic. NOT by money.
yes. Restaurants/bars, etc….are using their clients to pay their employees…..