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The labor laws in the USA are extremely bizarre. Wait staff have a different, much lower, minimum wage than other workers. The restaurant is required to pay t
by kasey_junk 10y ago
The labor laws in the USA are extremely bizarre. Wait staff have a different, much lower, minimum wage than other workers. The restaurant is required to pay them the regular minimum wage if their tips do not make up the difference, and this is a source of many labor complaints.
For most wait staff this is not an issue. Their tips put them well above minimum wage status, but that is one of the big drivers of the tipping culture in the USA. Many of us know (as in had to pay our rent that way) that if you don't tip the waiter 20-25% it dramatically impacts their income. But that money cannot be shared with the back of house staff.
For high end restaurants this has a real impact on their ability to keep young kitchen professionals (and its also a driver of why so many undocumented workers work in low end kitchens, its a very poorly paying job in almost all cases).
- greedo 10y agoThe restaurant I worked in during the 80's pooled tips, and both the chef and the line/prep cooks shared in the pool. I think even the lowly dishwasher was included, though we all gave him part of our own tips before putting them in the pool.
- kasey_junk 10y agoYou'd need to consult a labor lawyer to be sure but that is probably a labor law violation unless the front of house staff was being paid the regular minimum wage and not the credited wage. https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.pdf https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.pdf
- greedo 10y agoIIRC the front of the house participated in the pool (I know because we were irritated with the Mgr getting our tips). The hostesses got min wage, but the managers were salaried (with bonuses).
- mcv 10y agoHow can laws on tipping have an impact on restaurants' ability to keep kitchen staff? They can still choose to pay them more, can't they?
- kasey_junk 10y agoBecause 20-25% of the bill goes to one section of the workforce & customer appetites for the higher bills above those rates that would be required to pay better wages don't exist.