4 ms·

Because a "fair" wage is not merit based and most servers would leave the industry if they were not tipped. I was a server for over a decade, and a very good on

Because a "fair" wage is not merit based and most servers would leave the industry if they were not tipped. I was a server for over a decade, and a very good one at that. I did very well for myself, especially compared to similarly skilled labor. You pay more for a $400 bottle of wine because you decided to go to a restaurant and buy a $400 bottle of wine. If you don't want to do it, don't go. You're paying for the labor and service in the tier of restaurant you're at. Not just the act of opening a bottle of wine. The type of servers that work in places that serve a $400 bottle of wine are going to be a lot better than the person that works at Applebees. They're going to have extensive menu knowledge, usually know a lot about taste profiles of their food and beverages, multiple years of experience, etc. It's no different than freelance developer work. Compare the quality of service of people that do "their job" to those that are rewarded for doing their job exceptionally well on an individual basis. Serving food table-side is participating in one of the most intimate rituals of human existence. It's in a whole different tier of customer service than fast food, clothing, etc. Do you have any idea how much restaurants would have to raise their prices to pay a "fair wage"? Enough to where the number of servers they could employ would fall dramatically, not only disincentivizing great service, but also the pure availability of it. There are razor thin profit margins on food.

mattdeboard 8y ago
All true: - The system we have is internally consistent, which your comment very ably pointed out. - Restaurants are incentivized to employ workers whose pay falls under the "tipped workers" regulations. - Americans are used to tipping, and we understand the trade-offs, and those of us who don't work for tips (like you and me) generally like a tipping-based system. What's not to like about a system that gives us the power to control or punish service workers according to our whims? ;) Finally, citing profit margins as the reason to artificially depress payroll obligations of employers to employees might be accurate, but it's also a great example of how the system is broken: Why do restaurants exist that can't afford to pay their workers a fair wage?

mattdeboard 8y ago

All true: - The system we have is internally consistent, which your comment very ably pointed out. - Restaurants are incentivized to employ workers whose pay falls under the "tipped workers" regulations. - Americans are used to tipping, and we understand the trade-offs, and those of us who don't work for tips (like you and me) generally like a tipping-based system. What's not to like about a system that gives us the power to control or punish service workers according to our whims? ;) Finally, citing profit margins as the reason to artificially depress payroll obligations of employers to employees might be accurate, but it's also a great example of how the system is broken: Why do restaurants exist that can't afford to pay their workers a fair wage?