I do too well, thanks, but that’s irrelevant. I don’t get what your point is. None of that is anything new. When I worked at a restaurant in the 90s servers made $2.17 an hour plus tips, and it was okay to do 15%. 10% was for below average service, but 20 was if you loved them. 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, always 15%. 25% was considered a really generous tip for great service. Now people expect to 25% though nothing has changed about the business or what waitstaff do.

[–] BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Cost of living has risen far more than minimum wage, which doesn't keep up with inflation, and business owners are shifting the burden to their customers in the form of tips rather than set menu prices that reflect real costs and pay servers the real wage value of their services. That trend started in the 80s but especially since the recession has become far more pronounced.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

But menu prices have been increasing, at least matching inflation (from my experience, eating out seems to have even outpaced inflation in other areas).

A place that 5 years ago was $20 for a couple of people to eat was $40 when I went recently, ignoring tip. So a 15% tip went from $3.00 to $6.00, but the register suggested that we should be tipping 20%, $8.00. Also, they no longer let you order at the table, you order at the counter. They no longer bring the food out, they call out your number to come get your stuff. They no longer came out to provide refills, you had to go and ask for them yourself. About the only thing they did 'above and beyond' was bus the table after you left. I wouldn't have even minded all the 'self-service', but it was maddening when combined with a suggested tip that was way higher than when it wasn't self-service.

Not to mention similar tip suggestions for take out, where you take the mess home with you.

[–] SkippingRelax@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Yes but a restaurant bill has risen more or less EXACTLY at the cost of inflation so if 15%of the bill was okay in the previous decades, it should be okay now.

In fact this system makes hospitality workers among the few that have (the tip part) of their income adjusted to inflation. Everyone else salaried except for CEOs probably only got a 1-4% increase the past few years, not enough to keep up with the increase in cost of blrent, groceries and, well restaurant bills.