4 ms·

The problem with taking "revenge" is that you only hurt the employees. Assuming the employer is not stealing tips, not tipping doesn't affect the bosses at all.

The problem with taking "revenge" is that you only hurt the employees. Assuming the employer is not stealing tips, not tipping doesn't affect the bosses at all. If you want revenge, stop visiting the place.

actionablefiber 4y ago
> If you want revenge, stop visiting the place. This is certainly one possible long-term outcome too. Restaurants seem to be going for the triple whammy of raising prices+adding opaque fees, and also soliciting tips more frequently and expecting to receive them in higher amounts, and also automating/paring down more and more of the restaurant's processes. This is all very exhausting and irritating to experience as a consumer especially knowing I could eat about just as well for 1/8th the price at home, so I limit eating out as much as I can.
jzb 4y ago
Yep. The person who's getting punished here has literally no influence over what percentage is being suggested on the tip screen. Also 18% is diddly. I pretty much tip 20% or more with very few exceptions. Times are hard, prices have gone up, but I still make tech money and service folks make a lot less. I did restaurant work in my teens and 20s and have no interest in doing it again. But I do like being able to eat at restaurants and get carry out, so the least I figure I can do is tip generously to support the folks who make that possible.
changoplatanero 4y ago
I think not tipping would effect the ability of the bosses to hire good employees
commoner 4y ago
Refusing to tip or tipping less does affect restaurant bosses, but the effect is one step removed. By not tipping or leaving smaller tips, customers reduce the total take-home pay of the servers, which pressures restaurant bosses to increase the base wage in order to retain the servers. On the other hand, leaving excessively high tips encourages restaurant bosses to keep the base wage low, since you are relieving the bosses of the market pressure to pay a competitive wage.

actionablefiber 4y ago

> If you want revenge, stop visiting the place. This is certainly one possible long-term outcome too. Restaurants seem to be going for the triple whammy of raising prices+adding opaque fees, and also soliciting tips more frequently and expecting to receive them in higher amounts, and also automating/paring down more and more of the restaurant's processes. This is all very exhausting and irritating to experience as a consumer especially knowing I could eat about just as well for 1/8th the price at home, so I limit eating out as much as I can.

jzb 4y ago

Yep. The person who's getting punished here has literally no influence over what percentage is being suggested on the tip screen. Also 18% is diddly. I pretty much tip 20% or more with very few exceptions. Times are hard, prices have gone up, but I still make tech money and service folks make a lot less. I did restaurant work in my teens and 20s and have no interest in doing it again. But I do like being able to eat at restaurants and get carry out, so the least I figure I can do is tip generously to support the folks who make that possible.

changoplatanero 4y ago

I think not tipping would effect the ability of the bosses to hire good employees

commoner 4y ago

Refusing to tip or tipping less does affect restaurant bosses, but the effect is one step removed. By not tipping or leaving smaller tips, customers reduce the total take-home pay of the servers, which pressures restaurant bosses to increase the base wage in order to retain the servers. On the other hand, leaving excessively high tips encourages restaurant bosses to keep the base wage low, since you are relieving the bosses of the market pressure to pay a competitive wage.