Eliminate Tipping In The Food Industy.

Tipping within the food industry has gotten out of hand. If you work as a waiter or waitress, your employer is legally allowed to pay you less than minimum wage because they say you’ll earn enough in tips to make up the difference. Bull shit!!!!!!!!!!

When I was in college, I worked as a waitress for a while. That was my first encounter with this ridiculous and unrealistic concept. I worked at a diner located just off of a college campus. Most students could not afford to tip so I only made minimum wage if I’d had a really great week. Usually, I managed to get just enough to pay the gas for the week. Needless to say, I found something that paid better.

Unfortunately, that lower wage still exists in many places but some states have taken the initiative to raise the minimum wage for this job to something more reasonable. In other cases, I’ve seen restaurants add on a 20 percent surcharge which is specially split among all the workers. The big problem is that for many waiters and waitresses, they are unable to keep up with the cost of living and often have to work two jobs to even come close.

Furthermore, the concept of tipping has expanded so people put tip jars out on the counter, or automatically pop up when you buy a drink at starbucks. I hate feeling as if I am being bombarded by the number of places people want tips. It reminds me of those beggars on the street with their containers for people to throw lose change in.

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling and I’ve never had to tip when I eat at a restaurant in Europe. There are not tip jars, no tipping, none of that because most waitstaff are paid enough money to live on to begin with. There are no lower rates because of the job, no need to try to make up the difference.

We need to start treating all waitstaff as if they hold a job that is respectably and pay them the going rate. I say going rate, rather than minimum wage because there is a worker shortage and people have been paying more to get workers. We need to get rid of this inequality and move on. Throw out tipping, tipping jars, and the automatic tip questions.

Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear. Have a great day.