Would You Work for $2.13 an Hour?

No, they don't.

I waited tables for years at $2.13/hr. I wasnt working for the hourly wage, I was working for the $600/wk I was making in tips while only having to work 30hr/wk. The only problem was having negative paychecks from time to time because of the taxes I paid on those tips. Then I went into management and realized the servers make more money AND work fewer hours with less bull@!$%#, so I dropped back down to waiting tables. The better you are, the more you make, which is probably why I work commissioned sales now and love it!

It's not just the service, but the cost of the meal, since tips are a percentage, and not based on service, If I worked dinner I would make easy $50 or more in tips.. putting me well above min. for just a 4 hour 'rush" shift, If I worked Breakfast, an 8 hour shift.. I would be lucky to make $5 in tips.. now I am the same server, and since I made tips at night.. IT WASN'T ME!!

big difference in tips on a steak dinner with drinks to a professional couple, and a continental breakfast followed by 45 mins of coffee refills to seniors.. all guests at the in mind you..

best tips ever, was as a barista, I made $2 tips on $2 coffee.. a wad of cash from pouring coffee.. that's what you call good service!!

sure the better you are, the more you make, but also, the cheaper the customer, the less you make...

now I am the same server, and since I made tips at night.. IT WASN'T ME!!

big difference in tips on a steak dinner with drinks to a professional couple, and a continental breakfast followed by 45 mins of coffee refills to seniors.. all guests at the in mind you..

your subsequent post indicates that you have different attitudes between the two types of diners... so perhaps it is you.

Jim, when I had my own business, I provided my services pro bono sometimes, to those who could not afford me. We all do our part to help each other, don't we?

That's no fair when you do pro bono work as a gigalo, Al.

Yes we do (in case Jim doesn't reply).

Al, gigolo you say? I wish.

I had an accounting business for about 30 years. If I had been a gigolo, it probably would have lasted 30 minutes. lol

An interesting story:

I did mostly tax work and I helped a lot of attorneys with their clients. One day I received a call from an attorney who said that he had a client who was a former prostitute from New York city. She had never reported her income before but her old madam had recently been audited by IRS. His client's name was in a black book the IRS now possessed. As a result, the attorney was advising her to file income tax returns and he was sending her to me.

When she came in, it was obvious that she had to have been successful in her chosen profession because she had the looks, voice, and moves which would make her highly desirable. (As a side note, I have had clients that wanted to pay on the barter system. I don't like it. I needed cash to pay my bills. But the thought occurred to me during that interview was, what if she wanted pay me using the barter system. That caused me to sweat a little bit. Luckily she never offered.) During the interview, we were going over her expenses and I asked her about any costs she may have incurred for "protection". I am thinking body guards, she is thinking condoms. We eventually sorted it all out. And she paid. In cash.

I was, and still am, just a small town boy in the big city.

we do help those in need, are you suggesting servers should work pro bono?? not sure what point you're trying to make.?? but as to my serving experience, guests staying at the famous "Santa Maria Inn" would not be those in need.. I treated them all the same, and I would say the seniors were much more enjoyable to wait on, and the socializing with them was probably more of a generous tip, than the cash left by nighttime guests on a big ticket... just at that time and age, money was the tip I was seeking, not time with wise elders... ( since then I've had a job delivering flowers, the $1 tip from old ladys that were touched by flowers meant way way more...

Jim, sorry if what I said made you think I thought servers, or anybody, should work pro bono.

What I did was by choice. When a server refuses a tip that is offered, that would be by choice.

However, when the tip is less then expected, the server has no choice but to accept what is offered, even if it is nothing, and move on.

I was trying to say that sometimes, compensation is not measured in dollars and cents.

As for the financial strength of the people that stay at the famous Santa Monica Inn, I would have no idea, except that there are many people that live beyond their means. If a server gets stiffed who will know and who will complain?

There are selfish and uncaring people out there and they look like you and me.

thanks for clarifing.... I never felt stiffed, I was just trying to point out that tips vary not only by quality of service, but by the type, duration, and cost of the meal, and the patron, all factor to a wide range of tips $ per hour... "apples and oranges"

the greatest tips I ever got, were for delivering flowers, and seeing peoples joy...

That's no fair when you do pro bono work as a gigalo, Al.

Don't complain when you benefitted most from that pro-boning. LOL

At the risk of repeating myself, tips belong to the server and should not in any way be factored in the server's pay. This is a rip off for the benefit of the owners and that is not right. If the patron is unhappy with the meal he/I will not return there with future business. The tip is to show my gratitude for the professionalism of the individual who waits on me/us and cares for me/us during my/our stay there and has nothing to do with the management since they get theirs from their profits for the day. If their profits are down then they should look at what they are not doing or offering to cause that to happen since it is not the fault of the servers that his business is off. No customer that I know of has ever blamed their server for bad food or food badly prepared. Interestingly we were at a local restaurant where there was a table for 12 which got loud and rowdy and the servers (2) took very good care of these people and when they got up and left they left no tip and the table itself looked like a pig stye with the mess that they had made. These 12 people simply stiffed their servers.

tips belong to the server and should not in any way be factored in the server's pay.

I agree but the IRS doesn't.

These 12 people simply stiffed their servers.

Oh that happened all the time. There are many people who know how much the server makes and figures that it's the servers fault for taking a job that paid so little.

ZIP, I noticed what you did. Very clever with words, you are. lol

Yeah but then there're people like me who tip 30% on average, 50% for good service and good food, or 15% for poor service. I know that servers remember who tips and who doesn't... and I know some servers will mess with the food of patrons that don't tip. My philosophy is that if you can't afford to tip well, then you can't afford to go out to eat at all.

So if you think the tip is only a message to the server, would you be in favor of eliminating it and just handing out comment cards instead?

Not under the current pay system.

But if they paid minimum wage then you would?

Yes. My opinion is that minimum wage is hardly enough to live on. I know that and so does the waiter. Waiters know that they are not responsible for the quality of the food, only the personal service they provide. The food can be terrible, while service can be terrific. I don't tip the cook, I tip the server. A server who wants more money can get more money through their own efforts just like everybody else who works.

My experience is that poor service is rare, good service is the norm, superb service is also rare.

I generally agree with your post except with the point that tipping could be eliminated if they got paid minimum wage. I dunno, if the restaurant pays them more, they charge more for the food then the customer doesn't have the option to pay less for bad service. I like having that power, even though I'd still tip a minimum of 15%.

You are a good customer. I have witnessed instances where customers have not left a tip in any amount. On two occasions, I have seen customers leave without paying for their meal. Of course, they were chased by the staff.

We normally develop friendships with the people that serve us. Sometimes, they bring extra items which don't always show up on the bill. We pay for it all in the tip. lol

Those that don't tip get extra items not on the bill either... sometimes it's cochroaches in the burger, sometimes it's spit... they pay for not tipping in a much more unpleasant way.

I have heard of the spitting business. I don't like it at all. Spit splatters.

There are places we avoid because of advice from our granddaughter who knows some of the servers.

I worked my ass off for my tips, as my body has been starting to show me over the last few years.

There is the crux of my feelings right there. Servers, good servers, are golden for the establishment and gratuities are just that, my gratitude for excellent service, and rightfully belong in the servers pocket not the management's. Using that to rip off the server does little to enhance the management's actions.

I agree with FINutmegger.

#11.1 Exactly