They should but they don't :(

Some actually can't afford to pay more than minimum wage... But then you also have the ones in Colorado and Texas that expect the waitresses to make up the rest of the min wage in tips.

Employees are what drive a business. If a business can't afford to pay its employees a decent wage, then it's doing something wrong. Even in the worst-case scenario, where a restaurant would have to raise its prices to pay its staff better so they don't have to rely on tips, it probably wouldn't make much difference, considering most customers leave a tip anyway.

Nope... But usually if its a large group then they do but not always just depends on the restaurant really which makes it all the more of a bull shit move

I'm a waitress at Applebee's and we do not figure gratuity into the bill - not even for large parties.. it really sucks. Most people don't understand that tips are how we make our money. And in my opinion, leaving a note, compliment or not, is rude. It's just like shoving it in your face that they don't want to tip To me it's just as bad as leaving the word tip spelled out in pennies on the table. Hopefully you make the money you need OP.

You forgot to include bartenders and delivery drivers. They also depend on tips. Most delivery drivers do earn at least min. wage but they use their own vehicles and have to pay for the gas they use during work. Please remember this when ordering delivery.

Yeah, no. In the US, which is where OP is from, servers are paid minimally by their workplace and rely upon tips to even make minimum wage. To make a Living Wage, they need good tips. If you go out to eat in the US and don't tip at least 15% you're cheating your server out of their rightfully earned money.

If no money is given, someone decided it was not earned. Just because 15% is typical does not make it the right amount. People are nice to give that much. And, living wage? Not every job is deserving of a living wage.

Every person deserves a living wage. If they can't make it from one type of job, that job will cease to exist. Without either tips or massive reform, the US Restaurant Industry would cease to exist. If serving isn't worth a living wage, why should anyone bother to do it?

There are now some restaurants that are raising their prices in order to pay their waitrons the full minimum wage, and thus make tips 100% optional. And they're being very upfront about why they've raised their prices, and the total bill tends to be about the same. The one I was hearing about said that their patrons are actually happier with the situation. Hopefully it's a trend that will continue to spread.

That would be great, but I doubt most servers will go for it. A lot of them have the impression that they make more money in tips than they would with full wages, even if it averages out between good and bad nights.

Makes sense to me, why should the assholes get the cheaper meals but the good people have to pay more because they will tip the waiter/waitress. I love how dipshit abekj just basically said servers don't deserve to live. No, some people are assholes/cheap and just won't tip no matter how good of a job the server did. I know if I had to deal with people like abekj everyday I would certainly hate my job.

I disagree that all jobs deserve a living wage. Some jobs should exist that are not meant to support a person throughout life. These jobs can be viewed as stepping stones. I have worked fast food and dont feel that the workers at the lower level are deserving of a living wage. As for places going to minimum wage and stating more clearly that tips are optional, I would be in favor of that though I'm not sure the servers would benefit.

Some people, through no fault of their own, don't get the opportunity to step up from a fast food job. And even for those who do get that opportunity, hat are people supposed to do until it happens? Should people who work at McDonalds have to go hungry until their boss decides to give them a raise? Every job and every person deserves a living wage.

Unfortunately, yes, not every person gets to move on from a fast food job. That does not mean that all people working in fast food should be paid whatever amount is considered a living wage. Some jobs are only worth minimum wage.

Why not? Why should someone do a job that they can't make enough money to live on? Do they deserve to die of exposure in the streets just because you don't think their job is worth it?

No, of course they do not deserve to die in the streets. If all jobs made a living wage, all jobs previously making more money than a living wage would lose real value. The excess money that would be paid to support a living wage has to come from somewhere, and that would result in higher prices for everyone.

Higher prices (which isn't necessarily the outcome) is better than people starving to death. I certainly choose it.

I doubt many people with a job in the US are starving to death.

You'd be surprised. And if they're not, they're working multiple jobs for far too many hours, not eating enough or right, or the government is subsidizing their food.

I work as a waitress in a very small mom and pop place. I'm lucky that I get $7 an hr unlike other restaurants that I heard can go as low as $4 an hr (probably just big name fancy places) waitresses arnt even paid min wage because we get tips so if were screwed over by tables we end up losing out on money. I just stick with it because I can't find a better job.

I live in Canada and here, servers are paid at least minimum wage, if they do not do a good job, like tonight for example, they do not get a tip. The waitress tonight screwed up 2 of 6 of our orders, did not provide refills on our drinks, did not ask us how the food was, and charged us for stuff that we did not order. If I were in the states and got that kind of service, I am sorry but I would not tip. I should not have to be responsible to make up for a cheap employer. On the other hand, if I get good service, I am a very generous tipper and have tipped up to 50% when the service is outstanding. I do understand that their a douche bags out there that will not tip no matter what, but you get that in every tipping job in every country and it should be expected, this is why you should not rely on tips for your income because they are not reliable all the time.

@94 Literally no one is relying on tips to make minimum wage. Minimum wage is legally required regardless of tips.

We have to claim 10% of every bill, so when we don't get tipped we are now paying that.

@193 If you are not making federal minimum wage when you get your paycheck (when you add it to the tips you actually received), then your employer is breaking the law, and you should report it.

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My parents both have jobs, my younger sister has a job, and I have a job, there are nights where nobody eats at my house and we all work so that we can get to our jobs and for my sister and I, just to get to school. Since the bus is always late. So please tell me how you can assume that people with jobs aren't starving.

I waitressed and made $2.25 an hour. I had to make a lot in tips just to make minimum wage.

im sorry to hear about your situation. all of your money goes towards transportation?