Re: Stiffing the Waitress [was: Re: Gratuities]


"Arcadian Rises" <Arcadianrises@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:6e8c4699-5f1d-4a38-b94d-d151853050ed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Dec 7, 1:23?pm, "Maria C." <non...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Yesterday, my husband and I were part of a fairly large lunch group (11
people) in a very nice local restaurant. After we left, we learned that
one of the couples left a two-dollar tip for a $50+ tab (more than half
of which was for the beer they drank [alcoholic drinks in a restaurant
not being very cheap]).

The restaurant is in our neck-of-the-woods, and we go there on our own
occasionally. When we learned about the tip buisness (later in the day,
from someone who was sitting next to them), we were embarrassed and
angry.

I'm am contemplaing going to the restaurant today and finding the
waitress and giving her $20 of my own. She did a great job with our
group, and to be insulted like that is simply unfair.

Now, here's the thing I want opinions about: After she got the tip (and
we'd all left the table) she approached the girlfriend of the cheap
tipper (probably assuming that the gf was his wife) in the lobby and
asked was that $2.00 meant as a tip. She, the gf, apparently said "um, I
guess so." (The feeling is that the gf did not know the amount of the
tip the guy had left on the table.) Then the guy himself came out of the
lobby restroom, and the waitress handed him the $2.00 back, saying
something like "here, you can have this back. You must need it more than
I do."

I don't know the guy involved well enough to say anything to him. But I
feel this is a hell of a time to stiff a waitress, especially one who
did a great job.

Should I go back to the restaurant and apologize for our table-mate and
give her some money?

--
Maria C.

I think you're overreacting.

There are teachers, nurses, life guards, and other qualified people
who are underpaid but nevertheless do a great job, without
complaining, or giving moral lessons as the waitress in your story.

Waiters depend on the generosity of their patrons, but they shouldn't
rely on it, nor should they display an attitude if they receive a
lesser tip than they think they deserve.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tips are seen as an integral part of the wait staffs pay.
They can be paid less than the minimum wage.

: Is it legal for waiters and waitresses to be paid below the minimum wage?
Answer: According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are
individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly
receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as
part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct
wages.

An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the
federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008. An employer
must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined
with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum
wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.

The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the
employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at
least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip
credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the
employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum
hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must
retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a
valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement.


.

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