Mandatory 16% tip at new Earls 67 locations (Stephen Ave)

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

They'll go back within a year to the standard model. This method, while way more fair for everyone, always fails.

FOH will continue to be compensated more than BOH, people will continue to Springs1 it up every time they're unhappy (and complain ad nauseum here and elsewhere about tipping and how that service they got that one time in Europe was sooo much better); and secretly most men will be happy that a little or a lot of Madmen-style chauvinism exists in their local restaurants and bars.

Yay me.

[btimbit]

Called it. Not that it was a bold prediction since every attempt to get rid of tipping in North America has failed.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Called it. Not that it was a bold prediction since every attempt to get rid of tipping in North America has failed.

well they were not getting rid of tipping anyway in this case, just making it an automatic and mandatory 16%.
maybe they should have just paid their staff more than minimum wage, banned all tipping or "hospitality fees"
then the argument would have made more sense.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

well they were not getting rid of tipping anyway in this case, just making it an automatic and mandatory 16%.
maybe they should have just paid their staff more than minimum wage, banned all tipping or "hospitality fees"
then the argument would have made more sense.

But then you lose on menu price.

And you still lose out on the people who want their monkeys to dance for them.

Tipping allows for cheap people to be cheap and for #######s to be #######s. That makes up a meaningful portion of the customers of a restaurant.

[jroc]

What are the odds that the menu prices drop less than 16%?

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by jroc

What are the odds that the menu prices drop less than 16%?

Why would the menu price drop? The 16% was on top of the menu price. Now you pay the same for your meal, but tip any percentage you want.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Well, I guess I will save 1% if I ever go back there.

I'll be stuck paying 2% more since I already tip 18% for good service. 16% mandatory was an easy out.

Disclaimer: I have never actually gone there, but if I had, the above basically would have reflected the outcome.

[blankall]

Honestly, this move wasn't totally unprecedented. The way restaurants deal with tipping is changing. Under the current system the bartenders/servers make out like bandits (as in $200 a night on a 3-4 hours shift). The kitchen staff, which has a much more grueling job, and is also responsible for making sure your food comes at in a timely manner and is of high quality, gets next to nothing.

It's at the point where most restaurants have trouble staffing their kitchens. The restaurants also can't simply afford just to pay their staff more either. You'd be surprised at how slim margins in restaurants can be, especially in Canada where regulation has kept the cost of production and food through the roof.

[GGG]

The solution to that problem is just to increase tip out or go to straight tip pool. It will make staffing the front of the house more difficult but it would be easier to staff the back of the house.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by GGG

The solution to that problem is just to increase tip out or go to straight tip pool. It will make staffing the front of the house more difficult but it would be easier to staff the back of the house.

The straight tip pool relies on servers adequately reporting their tips. The mandatory minimum tip allows the restaurant to share tips more equally while still giving the servers the opportunity to earn extra by going that extra mile and getting clients to tip beyond the 16% minimum.


I'm not sure what the best system is and it will probably vary from restaurant to restaurant.

When I worked in the kitchen, it was a few years after the change to all female servers at restaurants like Earls was happening. There was a huge amount of animosity between the kitchen staff and the front of staff. It made the restaurant a lot less fun to work at, as a whole. The back of house could only staff career kitchen people or high school kids for any length of time.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by blankall

I'm not sure what the best system is and it will probably vary from restaurant to restaurant.

I know it's probably not realistic, but the best system would be no tips across the board, and to have the food be priced at whatever is sustainable for the restaurant and their employees. I don't pay my dentist or accountant on some sliding scale based on how hard I think they work, or worry about how the money will trickle down to the cleaning lady. The price is what it is, and they can do with it as they see fit.

The guilt-trip games and needless math at restaurants is the worst part of eating out.

[jroc]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Why would the menu price drop? The 16% was on top of the menu price. Now you pay the same for your meal, but tip any percentage you want.

Whoops! I was thinking that it was reflected in the menu price, but yes, it does make sense that it would be added afterwards.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

well they were not getting rid of tipping anyway in this case, just making it an automatic and mandatory 16%.
maybe they should have just paid their staff more than minimum wage, banned all tipping or "hospitality fees"
then the argument would have made more sense.

If they did that it would have failed after 6 days, not 6 months

[FireGilbert]

With the higher minimum wage is tipping really necessary anymore?

Come on CP get it started: Tip 15% for the next year, then tip 10% for a year, then 5%, then only tip a few dollars for exceptional service. You can do it!

[Tron_fdc]

I've already adjusted my tips to 13% at most places. Am I doing it wrong? With min wage up I thought everyone was 5-10% already?

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by FireGilbert

With the higher minimum wage is tipping really necessary anymore?

I cut back to 10. Will likely go to 5 or not at all next year, except maybe for places I frequent more.

[CroFlames]

I hate tipping culture. That's one thing Europeans have figured out.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I hate tipping culture. That's one thing Europeans have figured out.

Yeah...thats the one thing.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I cut back to 10. Will likely go to 5 or not at all next year, except maybe for places I frequent more.

Depending on tip out 5% could be -1%.

For those working in industry right now what is the average tip out these days.

Also if you go to the states and are in states with tipped minimum wages 25% of the minimum wage be sure to hit that 15% tip.

I think 8% is a good number for us to standardize on with a $15 dollar minimum wage. If you have a 6% tip out and average 4 tables per hour and $100 bill totals you end up with a $23 per hour wage.

[Calgary14]

What annoys me is how the new interac debit machines almost all have a tip option, regardless of what the business is. Even some fast food places have a tip option on their machines now. The tipping culture and the expectation of a tip is brutal