"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Tell this to the restaurant management who makes you report it based on
> what
> they show you sold, not what is in your pocket. Trust me on this one.
>
> Oh, while we're at it, why the hell should a server have to share tips
> with
> the bus-boys and bar-backs who make at least minimum wage or more?
> Servers
> are paid sub-human wages and rely on the good graces of the customers to
> make up the difference.
>
> NOTE: I am not saying one should tip if the service is lousy. I'm
> nothing
> if not a little more critical than people who haven't worked in a
> restaurant.
>
> Jill

Are you trying to say you are paid LESS than minimum wage? That is illegal.
Why on earth would you even agree to that? Anticipation of tip earnings???
"Relying on good graces of customers to make up the difference"???? That
perpetuates the main problem!

If everyone was making a decent wage to begin with, tipping would truly be a
gratuity, and appreciated as such. As it is, many servers feel that tipping
is based primarily on the fact that they know they are "more" under-paid.
News flash.. the kitchenstaff is underpaid, as well. I amaze servers when
they discover they often pocket more cash after tips then I earn by wage on
a busy night. Remember, cooks make the same wage whether they serve 100 or
300 in one night, unless there is a tipout system. We are the ones making
the product all the servers serve. No product, no need for servers. Poor
product, why tip well? The bottom line is, all personnel should be paid a
decent base wage. And, servers who are well-organized professionals should
be paid more than those who aren't, just like any other position within the
restaurant; pay should equal skill-level and the direct effect they have on
volume of business. How many professional servers do you know?; I mean
trained with extensive experience. Most of those I deal with are less than
2 years at it and look for server jobs specifically for tip cash, which they
don't have to wait for paydays to have available. I know there are
exceptions, but what do you find generally?

As for sharing tips - everyone involved makes for the "service". Slow
bussing, unskilled cooks, or slack dishwashing will kill your customers
perception of service no matter how much running you do, so they contribute
to whether the over-all "service" is seen as good or bad. Just as poor
servers can damage the perceived value of expertly prepared food, as in
served late/cold. If the line is putting up 300+ covers at dinner without
dropping the ball, don't they deserve cut, especially if a server has "see
server" scribbled on every other ticket hoping to please their tables with
"special orders" in anticipation of better tips?

LOL.. I recall my first restaurant job as a waiter. I swear my co-worker
would make more in tips the more plates she dropped. It was a reverse
ploy... not tipped for good service, but rather, out of pity. I could never
find any other explanation.