annabelle

That's called cherry-picking. People do it all the time in all lines of work wherein one deals with the public.

The custom itself may not differ. Diners are not obligated to tip although it is considered poor manners not to tip a little something. Some people are generous, some people are penny-pinchers. My post was speaking more to what it is that servers are looking for in terms of income and the factors that are at work in determining the value of a minimum wage versus the wages that are common in the city/state in which one works plus tips.

Servers who live and work in destination cities and resort spots are going to make more money than do servers who work at a steakhouse or pancake house in flyover country. Minimum wages (set by the by the federal government) aren't meant to be a living wage, they are specifically for unskilled entry level jobs. The raising of minimum wages forces the job market to contract resulting in the loss of jobs. I don't see the lack of homogeneity as a problem. People have different ideals and beliefs and ways of living in different parts of the country. This isn't a bad thing. It is an American thing. The very people who whine and bitch about the homogeneity of fast food and dining experiences are now complaining that the custom of tipping differs in different parts of our great land. It is what it is and that's all that it is. (Thanks, Sigma.)

Who is resisiting change? I submit it is the servers who don't want to work for minimum wages. You said yourself, pastrygirl, that you enjoy your high-paying city/state. We aren't a homogenous country, we are a vast land of 300M+ souls with 48 contiguous states with thousands of counties and tens of thousands of cities, towns and villages. Blanket policy making and harrumphing about it isn't going to change anything. Frankly, I would prefer to leave policy decisions to those people in those cities, states, and towns and their citizens to do as they see fit.

If the whole idea of tipping is not To Insure Proper Service, but rather to provide a living wage (which is itself relative), then it sounds like those who dislike tipping think we should end the practice and pay servers a straight minumum wage. This will drive up costs for the owner, most likely resulting in one or more server losing his job and the remaining servers making less money and/or possibly working fewer hours.

I worked on commission for over 15 years. It separates the sheep from the goats in no time. Commissioned sales is a meritocracy and is one of the natural homes of type A personalities (I speak from experience as a luxury and domestic car salesman). The house/store will pay you minimum wages for 90 days to try you out and to train you, but if you aren't selling anything by then you're out on your ear. It's fantastic experience and one I truly enjoyed. Unions seem to be home to a lot of slackers. Not all of them of course, but look at the Post Office, for instance. I had a woman tell me that working at the Post Office was a fantastic place to practice her alcoholism, since there wasn't a lot of work to do, too many workers to do it and no accountability. All with a pension attached!

jrshaul, I am unfamiliar with the laws in the state of Wisconsin, but it would stand to reason that if your friend is only making $600 she is eligable for your state's version of Medicare to cover her health insurance and likely for some kind of food stamps and all other programs structured for those who can't make ends meet. Likewise, she is eligable for free student aid/grants to help her learn to cope with and defeat her dyslexia and help her find a job or a career path that will be more rewarding financially and not as taxing on the body as she gets older. The upside to restaurant work for young people is that it is transportable in that there are restaurants everywhere. All that said, I concur that Culinary Academies are a waste of money as are design schools and any other technical-type school. It's best to go for it and get a four year degree that generally ends up costing just a bit more but carries much more prestige and will give one a springboard to further education if one should desire to go further with one's studies. Four year colleges and universities offer hospitality programs that are well regarded. None of this is going to change the structure of tipping, however. If one is attentive, has a good memory, is intelliigent and well-groomed, polite and accomodating, well the world is your oyster as a server. Conversely, the work in a kitchen is much more labor intensive and often unsatifsfying financially not to mention the toll it takes on one's body.

Tipping isn't always reflective of good service. Some people are just generous. Some people are just tightwads. Many years ago when I was a server (we were waitresses then), I gave good service to all my tables regardless of how demanding and/or demeaning they were or conversely how jolly they were to have as guests. I made excellent money and I tipped out to the bartender and the busboys. It was not common practice to tip out to the kitchen, but we would bring the cooks pitchers of soda pop or water and oftentimes a pitcher of beer at the end of the shift when they were cleaning up. It could be that there was a grievance of some sort held by the cooks against the FOH, but I am not aware of it. One of my coworkers was dating the head chef and she spilled about everything that was going on between them so I'm sure it would have been brought up at sometime if it were the case. At one point, the AFL-CIO approached our restaurant and tried to get us to vote to join the union. A vote was held and they were soundly trounced. Most of us had had bad experiences with working in union stores before and didn't wish to revisit them. It sounds as if some others experiences are quite different and if that works for them, then that's fine. Sort of off topic, but I am going to take exception to this characterization "Ugly American". I don't like it and it is a stereotype.

Oy, Skoop. Now you're asking for it.

It's a matter of choice, EdwardJ. We are not living in Medieval times when one was destined by birth to work in a particular trade. And, I see that sigma beat me to the punch.

Pastrygirl spoke of income inequality in one of the first posts to this thread.

What attitude, EdwardJ? You can't pull a cook out of a kitchen and expect him to serve tables. Neither can you take a server off the floor and expect him to cook. They are different skills and require different training. Waiting tables is usually a transient job that one performs while training to do something else. Of course there are persons who make a career of it, but I've met few. The kitchen is a different story with a lot of lifers who also tend to move around a lot.

Cooking and being a waiter are two completely different skill sets. Of course there is going to be income inequality. No one is forcing either set of employees to do that kind of work if they find the compensation distasteful.

I believe she used to be a primary school teacher --- and it shows. She's scatterbrained, too. Her delivery and her lousy Italian accent bother me, as well. My Italian SIL and I used to watch her and laugh at some of the things she made and the mess she made. Of course, my SIL would always toss in "My nonna never did it that way!"

Any of these chefs who get on to the show and then spend a tremendous amount of time and energy grousing about the ingredients, the challeges and the other contestants while simulateously bragging about how they are So. Frackin'. Awesome! (I'm lookin' at you John) need to get smacked with a clue-bat. How many seasons are we into now? Send them off to the gas station vending machines for a challenge and let 'em whine.

I still want Stefan to win. He was robbed in his season.

I never said you were intolerant. I asked you why it raised your blood pressure. As for the Obama vote? I'd have drawn a line through it and got on with my day. Good one, gfweb. I love low-hanging curveballs.

I wouldn't care. I'm secure in my beliefs and don't get my hackles up about others'.

My blood pressure did rise a bit when I saw it, but I ended up coming down on the side of "mild annoyance" rather than taking real offense. The girl was very young - maybe it was her first job. And the restaurant is one where I've been a regular for years, and nothing like that has ever happened before. I ended up writing an email to the management, suggesting that they mention to her that preaching via cash register slip is inappropriate. Why would the waitress giving you a blessing make your blood pressure rise? Would you object if the setting were different? More ethinic or some such? I'd certainly rather have a nice young lady wish me a blessed day than listen to servers throwing around swear words within earshot of the guests.

I gave up on it and will watch the reruns next week.

I'm really starting to dislike this John whatshisname who wears his eyeglasses on his forehead. He's rather too self-important to suit me. *sigh* I miss watching the British cooking shows. Everyone is calmer.

Perhaps. I've met plenty of Europeans here in the US on business or pleasure who also dislike seeing whole fish on their plates. Certainly your average NYer is no more cosmopolitan than the rest of the country.

Why would you say that? I know plenty of white people who are avid fisherfolk.

Heh. Manager to Server: You bring great shame upon this Chilly D's!

Exactly. Beat me to it, g.