When I first started to venture out into the world as an adult in the late 60’s, a trip to a restaurant was a very enjoyable thing. Enjoyable that is, if you could afford it. As young man, I didn’t have much money, so you scrutinized the menu very carefully to make sure that you could afford to eat there. Even then, a TIP for the server (called a waiter or waitress back then ) was a factor. Ten per cent was the usual tip. Even then, I wondered why that cost wasn’t included in the food price. I learned that the restaurant wanted to keep the published prices of their food low and, since they paid the wait staff practically nothing, the idea of a TIP became popular as a way to augment their pay without costing the restaurant anything.

Over the years, the appropriate amount of the TIP has escalated…15%, then 18%, where it stuck for a while, then on to 20, 22 and even 25%. These days it’s not uncommon to see posts on Social Media that, if you can’t afford to TIP at least 30%, then you had no business going out to eat. 

ENOUGH!!!! We all know that “Servers” ( the 2000’s name for waiters ) deserve to be fairly compensated. Handling trays of plates in a crowded restaurant is no easy task and many of the customers can be jerks…Meanwhile, the server is expected to put on a show of being simultaneously polite, funny, informative, prompt and, if a young female, attractive and mildly flirtatious, when hoping for a good tip. 

As if those requirements weren’t daunting enough, servers in high end establishments are guaranteed to make substantially more than their less fortunate brethren who are stuck serving up bargain burgers and fries. WHY? it’s not any easier to serve a tray loaded with greasy junk food and cokes as it is carrying a tray of high end gourmet delights. At the end of the night, the burger server may be settling a $25 – $30 check for two, while someone serving Duck a l’orange and Filet Mignon may be handing over a check well in excess of $150, depending on drinks and desert. 30% of $150 is certainly a nicer take home than 15% of $30. Yet the server did, essentially, the same work.

It’s time for restaurants to pay their servers a fair wage for the important jobs that they do, and to include those costs in the published prices. They’re not fooling anyone with artificially low prices and adding to the server’s work and subtracting from their customers enjoyment. With the gratuity rolled into the price, the customer needn’t fear being “cheap-shamed” for not being able to decide between 15, 20, 25 or 30%.

Servers aren’t the only ones being abused by the current system. The kitchen staff, bus boys and hosts or hostesses all expect a piece of the server’s tip action. Imagine other businesses using a similar model for their customer billing. You’re at a lawyers office and already reeling with the expected $250 per hour fee, only to learn that there’s an additional charge for the secretary, for the volumes of paper used to print documents and for IT professional who keeps the law offices network up and running. 

How about the plumber who charges $75 and hour for connecting the pipes, with an additional sliding scale fee depending on the size of the butt crack and a per swipe of glue charge for the plastic connections. 

Tip jars are appearing everywhere along with other hidden fees…we’ve all heard “Would you like to round up your $21.76 food charge to $25 for the local hair enhancement academy? You’re not getting out of a barber shop or hair salon without a sizable grift either. Not saying that these folks don’t DESERVE the money…just charge it up front and pay yourself what you deserve. 

If you enjoyed this story you can tip me by Venmo or Paypal.