Personally - I don’t care what someone’s salary is.
If it’s a tipping job, I tip.
$20K an hour is just $40,800 a year - if they’re working 40 hours x 52 weeks. Not that much - and they likely aren’t - and tips help them get to a real wage - and food servers spend hours of down time, rolling silverware and more - getting ready for the next meal crowd, etc.
I think that is the question at hand. What IS a tipping job? Why tip a restaurant server and not the person who bags your groceries? Why not tip the person at the gas station convenience store.
We’ve gone to remote work for jobs that were ‘always’ in the office/person. we’ve gone from a person at customer service to a phone tree. We’ve gone from running to a number of different merchants to one click on Amazon. Things change…why not tipping culture?
Time for a change…
Historical precedent. If someone takes your groceries to your car, maybe you slip them a few bucks. A 16 year old is happy as can be. But do so at Publix (a local grocery where I live) and they get fired - they’d refuse.
I’m not interested in knowing the salary of food servers. I know where I live they make $2.70 and it makes me sick.
My job comes with a car - I get paid well. Certain jobs come with extras.
Waiting tables comes with tips. Frankly, all servers should get minimum wage IMHO.
Anyone can tip anyone they want…or not tip.
I’m a tipper - especially servers. If I eat out, it’s part of the cost.
I get great service and hopefully next time no one is spitting in my food…I’m not kidding btw - it’s a worry I have. When I go to a repeat place, I feel like I am better served - because people know - I’m taking care of them.
If we are going to change tipping culture, then let’s pay folks enough to make a living - and post - our people are paid well. Tips are not accepted.
Then I won’t tip.
PS - the one challenge I have is counter ordered - but they wait on you for everything else. That one confounds me - I usually do 15% or if they have a tip bucket, i’ll throw some singles in.
It’s expensive to live so I try to be generous. I’m in a position to do so though…I figure I spend an extra $500-$1000 a year and can make people feel better about themselves.
I am old and grew up with the idea that you don’t tip if someone owns the business. If, for example, a hair stylist owns the salon, I shouldn’t tip them.
My dad did that too - or he said, if they’re renting a booth, they’re an owner - they’re keeping the fee - I just have a hard time with that - but as a guy getting his haircut maybe 8 times a year, we’re talking $40 on a $20 haircut, etc.
I am another believer in tipping regardless of what their salary might be. Tipping more to acknowledge particularly good service is appropriate too. We tip daily for hotel housekeeping because the employees change shifts and we want all to get their tip. We are at a new hotel and one young man was particularly nice and helpful. My friend gave him a tip for helping both of us. My DH and I came back later and were chatting with him, and gave home an additional tip. we will be here for a few days and will reach out to him if we need something. He was nice (thank you, Juan). One staff person (Stephanie) was rude. i might consider letting management know. Haven’t decided yet.
I think if restaurant servers are making this much then I personally wouldn’t feel obligated to tip. There was a bill introduced in Maryland this year to pay $15/hr minimum wage to “tipped” workers. It wasn’t universally received well by many of those workers as many of them earn much more than this amount after tips and understand that if they are paid more in salary they would potentially be taking a pay cut because of then losing our on tips. Obviously we all make personal choices about how to spend our money and that includes tipping.
not sure where you live, but where I live they get a few dollars per hour unless the tips do not add up to get them at least to minimum wage, so in effect they get minimum wage plus…
I was in London recently and all of the receipts now include a discretionary service charge (15% I think) added to the bill. we did not realize it was optional at first, but always paid it in any case. In Germany I saw a few signs in the restaurant saying tips not included. we were in 8 other European countries and I do not remember seeing anything else.
My understanding has been that many servers do not want to give up tips as it is tax free given they illegally do not report the full amount.
TN - yes you must earn $7.25.
But think about a busy lunch shift - then they spend hours rolling silverware for dinner.
They still average over $7.25 - but why shouldn’t they get at least the minimum wage in salary?
I was just at a restaurant in Charleston - cash only.
No need to wonder why - you nailed it.
On a happier note, I was in California a few days ago. I went to two places where no one pressured me to leave a tip. At one place, there wasn’t even a tip jar, which surprised me. In the other place, there was a tip jar, and I put a couple of bucks in, but it was very much a “tips optional” vibe.
My kid got a w-2 form…and his tip amount was included on it. He most definitely paid taxes on his tips.
I’m sorry, but I find this very very insulting to the many waitstaff who are honest and pay taxes on their tips.
The waiter told me - I asked.
It reminded me of a steakhouse in akron that is cash only - and if you have no cash - you can send a check later. at least it was.
this place in charleston doesn’t even have computers - the cash register is an adding machine. Hadn’t seen one of those in years.
I was like you all need to be in the 21st century - and he said then there’s be a tax issue, like paying them.
wasn’t me.
My bros in law works for a hotel in vegas. He also has tips included in the W2 - it’s a guestimate because all the tips are in cash - so he has a union average salary + whatever estimated tips they put in.
Vegas is all about the workers avoiding taxes on the “additional” - there’s no societal secret there.
In the case you bring up - restaurants are paying out by CC so yes, they put on the W2. But rest assured, most that are collecting cash tips on top - where someone pays with actual $$ - I’d be surprised if anyone is reporting that. Perhaps some are - but it’s be surprising to me.
That’s why servers sometimes smile at you more when you leave a cash tip.
Doesn’t make it right but it’s reality in most these cash jobs.
At the very high end restaurant where my kid worked, ALL tips were put in a pool and divided up at the end of the shift. Some went to back of house, host, waitstaff. The owner or manager dealt with it…and it was recorded and all taxed.
We had friends who ate there and wanted to give our kid a huge tip. He explained the process. They left a generous restaurant tip, and did something else special for our kid.
I think…as you say…that we can move on from this.
yes, some tips are reported but I am very confident that much of the tipping that is done in cash is not reported to the IRS.
I think we can move on from how tips are reported/taxed.
Went to an Indian fast food kind of place. After the order, I was expecting him to show me the tip screen before putting in my card - but he just went past that screen and showed me just the actual amount. Didn’t give me a chance to tip 
I made bad decisions this weekend, one of them being an online pick-up order at Burger King for lunch.
They had a deal for a Whopper, small fries and a small drink for $7.99($8.55 with tax). There is no tip option.
It tasted good. I shouldn’t have eaten it.
I was happy not to tip anyone, but why shouldn’t they be tipped if everyone else gets tipped?