I was in the same industry for ten years, so I'm familiar with how it operates. From fine dining to fast casual. You and I differ a little in our thought process and that should be ok? I didn't care if people came in and couldn't tip a full 20% or more, and I didn't care to guess based on their look or accent how much they'd tip. Everyone that sat in my section got the same service. It was my job and it all evened out, in the end. I was more than able to survive on my tiny base pay and tips. Some nights, better than others. I also had to tip out bar, bus service and hostess. My job was to serve everyone who walked in and ensure they had a great experience.
We chose to work in an industry where our livelihood was based on the charity of the people we waited on, in a sense, right? So,saying you aren't providing a social service while relying on customers to provide you one doesn't track. I believe owners should be responsible for their employees earning a living wage, but most servers would hate that because most often that'd mean they'd make less money. There aren't actually great dining out options for every wallet. Fast food shouldn't count and is also out of control (price wise) lately. Hole-in-the-wall diners may be the last bastion of 'affordable' and they're dwindling also.
It's ok that you don't agree with me but I worked in the same field, worked hard and had amazing regulars who ran the gamut from poor tippers to great tippers. I liked them all the same. I know how demanding the job is but I believe most people tip what they can and often overtip, so waiting on a table of bad tippers once and awhile isn't going to break the bank and it could afford someone who doesn't get that experience much, a really great memory.
Now, if they throw a dollar of spare change my way on a $100 tab, that's a different animal. If they're rude and demanding and leave a couple bucks, terrible. But, tipping a percentage that they're accustomed to or are able to, that's fine as far as I'm concerned. I get where you're coming from but I'm seeing a lot of people being pushed out of things they used to be able to enjoy. Inflation, excessive tip demands (upwards of 30% I' ve seen asked in the U.S. lately).
At some point the business has got to start meeting the employees needs as much as the consumer. Maybe that starts with regulations that allow some red tape to be lifted, so their overall costs are lowered and that budget moves to labor costs, who knows? I do know restaurant owners in the States that pay their staff a very high minimum wage and cut out tips all together while remaining fairly affordable to their communities and they retain more of their employees and customers, they're thriving. I think there needs to be a new model at some juncture.
That was the basis of my comment. Not to shun you for not agreeing. I just remember co-workers judging people so harshly and refusing to wait on certain tables that I'd gladly take and we'd all walk out with roughly the same amount after our shift. So, who knows. Maybe I was running a charity all those years, but I loved the job and had a really great time doing it.
