Quote:
Originally posted by Agamemnon@Feb 8 2005, 07:58 PM
The argument appears to be, "Servers get tipped because they're wage is so low". The reason I started this thread is to point out the possibility that "Servers get tipped because Restaurant Owners have cleverly passed their wages on to the customer in the form of Tipping".
The question is more about whether Servers (and the public) are being 'screwed' by Restaurant owners who are passing their expenses along to their customers. I understand this happens in business all the time, but I have no idea why it isn't 'hidden' like all other supply/demand issues from the customer.
A price for the product should be presented, plain and simple. I want to know what x product (service, etc.) will cost _before_ I pay for it. I think its dumb to 'rate' the service through a tax-free (?) donation that is _expected_ by the employee.
|
I'll give it a shot. THis is all suppostion mind you .
I do not think it is a clever way that restauranteurs have passed their labour costs to the diner.
I think tipping came about as a way for rich people to show their appreciation to a stranger for going out of his/her way. (The rich may also have seen it as a bit of a status symbol "I'm extremely wealthy, so here's and extra $5 to show how good I am")
They wouldn't give their butler a tip, but the hotel bell-boy gets one for doing the same job.
I think that today if a restauranteur wanted to abolish tipping in his place the price you would see "before you pay for it" would be so out of whack with what we are used to the industry would suffer. (an extra 7% cost the industry millions) Imagine, one day your entree is $15 the next day its $25.
Would the restaurantuer be better off trying a commission system? You know the cost of everything, the waiter tries to get you to spend a bit more to increase the comission paid by the boss, not the patron. The waiter sells more, the restaurant makes more, the commission is higher. Could it work?