should the customary 15 or 20% tipping be banned?

[srican69]

I think all restaurant service staff need to get their full pay fair and square from the managers and not have to rely on the generosity of its customers ... any slack in service should a reflection of the management rather than the individual.

[wercal]

1. I think most servers would prefer tips

For starters, they often don't claim all their tips for tax reasons. Not saying its right...but that's the reality.

And I don't know what would constitute 'full pay'. I've got a feeling the starting point would be minimum wage. At a good restaurant, the tip for a meal for two exceeds minimum wage - and that's just one table.

Over a period of time, it is possible that server wages would go up, but that would be a hard sell.

Also, if you take the tips away from the servers, we're talking about bus-boys and hostesses too.

[stevenleser]

3. Servers I have talked to that have lived under both systems don't prefer ours

If you talk to waiters that have waited tables both here and in Europe, they prefer the European system where they have a living wage and people tip 1-3 euros at the end of the meal.

[wercal]

9. I don't know anyone personally who has worked as a server in Europe

But my stepson is a server in the US. He can clear $200 a night, during a 6 hr shift. Even $15/hr wage cuts him in half on those nights.

I'm sure it depends where you work and how successful the restaurant is.

Somebody on here proposed a melding of the two - a full wage while opening and closing, and the tip wage while on the floor actually serving customers. I think that's where servers feel really used and abused - closing for an hr and getting 2 bucks for their effort.

[seveneyes]

2. Waitstaff should be paid a living wage

No need to ban tipping for extraordinary service.

[treestar]

4. Yes. Just put it in the wage.

They do it that way in Australia, and it works.

The whole idea is to "reward" good service, but at this point, it depends too much on what others are doing and may thus not be so "fair." Maybe the cook happens to have a bad night for your particular orders, etc.

[Yo_Mama]

5. Geeze, if they had to rely on the generosity of their employers...

you would be duking it out with your starving waiter/waitress to eat your food before he/she did.

Terrible idea.

[Fumesucker]

6. Too bad for those who work in traditionally non-tipping enviroments

I've been tipped precisely once in my life for doing my job, I was so shocked I was speechless.

[Yo_Mama]

14. Yup. n/t

[FarCenter]

7. Just put the standard 18% service charge on all bills.

If you don't like the service, don't eat there.

[backscatter712]

8. Make it mandatory. Turn it into an 18% gratuity.

That will deal with the problem with servers being stiffed.

[taught_me_patience]

10. Good servers prefer tips and bad servers prefer higher pay

Better service=higher tips=higher pay. Service at American restaurants is vastly superior to most of Europe.

[Iggo]

11. You're going to ban me from tipping?

I'd like to see you try.

[AlinPA]

12. So you ban the tipping custom and think management will "pay fair and square"? You are dreaming.

[Nye Bevan]

13. As a fan of capitalism, I prefer the current "pay for performance" system.

Discretionary tipping rewards friendly, personable, efficient waitstaff who make sure to take good care of their customers. Giving every server 15% regardless of performance will reward the poor quality servers at the expense of the good ones.

[duffyduff]

15. Just add a service charge to the bill like they do in Italy.

I don't like the fact workers virtually have to beg to get more money to survive.