Tipping in Australia

[harvyk]

Sometimes when you do the sums on tips it can be astonishing. Remember being in restaurant one night for two hours with twelve people. We racked up a bill and tip was agreed $160. That's $80/hour and our waiter was serving 3 or 4 other tables a well. I sure hope that the tip was shared.

True, that's an excellent hourly rate for a wait person. However average that out against the nights where that person might only take home $30 for a whole nights work because the resturant was dead and it's not longer quite as attractive.

As far as I'm concerned, that is the sort of risk the business owner should be taking, not the person effectively at the bottom of the rung.

 

[Daver6]

TV show or something?

Correct, starring Larry David.

 

[TomVexille]

I have friends who do work as wait staff in the states, and in every single occasion they either pool their tips to share with the back of house staff. Or they directly share with the dishies and ect.

 

[bismarck]

When I worked in the kitchen in my high school days tips were pooled and shared.

 

[Himeno]

Looks like the tip gouge is going to get worse in the USA.

Tipping in the USA: Planning a trip to the USA? Be wary of tip creep

I will only tip when someone goes over and beyond what their job description states. A tip is a reward for excellent service, not a way to pay someone wages.
If I get something shoved in my face with "suggested tip" as mentioned in that article, they get an automatic no tip.

 

[Homer]

A tip is a reward for excellent service, not a way to pay someone wages.

That's true in Australia, but not in the US. The federal award for a hospitality worker is around USD$7 per hour. Tips are taken into account when setting the award rates. So if you don't tip in the US, you are hurting the employee.

 

[Cynicor]

An ex who did lots of bar work always kept her own tips. Maybe bars vs restaurants is the main difference, as well as Au vs other countries where wages may be lower/differently structured.

When I dine in AU, I'm paying for the food to be good, and I'm tipping the waiter if the service is exceptional. Bad food with amazing service may get a tip, Amazing food and ok service won't.

 

[drron]

But if it is amazing food with indifferent service I will always try to give a personal thank you to the kitchen staff.And I usually let people know about the food.

 

[Himeno]

That's true in Australia, but not in the US. The federal award for a hospitality worker is around USD$7 per hour. Tips are taken into account when setting the award rates. So if you don't tip in the US, you are hurting the employee.

And that is not the customers problem. If the employee has a problem, then they should take it up with the employer and their elected representatives.

Also, in the US, if wages earned from tips do not meet the "normal" minimum wage for that state (or national wage if state minimum is lower) the employer is required to make up the difference.
And, FYI, your $7/hr amount it wrong. "The Fair Labor Standards Act requires a minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped workers with the expectation that wages plus tips total no less than $7.25 per hour. The employer must pay the difference if total income does not add up to $7.25 per hour." Some states have higher tipped min wages, other states (Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont) have the non tipped and tipped min wages at the same amount.

So no, if I don't tip in the US, I am NOT hurting the employee.

 

[TomVexille]

If you don't want to tip in the US, don't eat out.

 

[Homer]

And that is not the customers problem. If the employee has a problem, then they should take it up with the employer and their elected representatives.

I guess you're just lucky that you don't work in a service job in the US. Speaking for myself, I always try to be polite and considerate to those in service jobs, in any country that I'm in. These are some of the lowest paid workers, doing some of the longest hours, and yet they have to smile and be friendly to some of the biggest a@#$holes. So I try to be kind.

 

[james4321]

Also, in the US, if wages earned from tips do not meet the "normal" minimum wage for that state (or national wage if state minimum is lower) the employer is required to make up the difference.
And, FYI, your $7/hr amount it wrong. "The Fair Labor Standards Act requires a minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped workers with the expectation that wages plus tips total no less than $7.25 per hour. The employer must pay the difference if total income does not add up to $7.25 per hour." Some states have higher tipped min wages, other states (Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont) have the non tipped and tipped min wages at the same amount.

So no, if I don't tip in the US, I am NOT hurting the employee.

So your saying that because the employer has to ensure that the worker gets no less than $7.25 per hour then there is no need to tip? The worker is "guaranteed" $7.25 per hour so he/she should be happy with that arrangement?. The end result of that thinking is that of course then no-one needs to tip - the worker is handsomely rewarded and deserves nothing more. Would you work for that?

 

[serfty]

...

Also, in the US, if wages earned from tips do not meet the "normal" minimum wage for that state (or national wage if state minimum is lower) the employer is required to make up the difference.
And, FYI, your $7/hr amount it wrong. "The Fair Labor Standards Act requires a minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped workers with the expectation that wages plus tips total no less than $7.25 per hour. The employer must pay the difference if total income does not add up to $7.25 per hour." Some states have higher tipped min wages, other states (Alaska, California, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont) have the non tipped and tipped min wages at the same amount.

So no, if I don't tip in the US, I am NOT hurting the employee.

... of course for that they need a social security number ... unfortunately it seems there are significant numbers of people working for tips only - illegal I know.

Since I am not psychic I simply have come to deal with adding 30% to any menu to cover tax and tip.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

So your saying that because the employer has to ensure that the worker gets no less than $7.25 per hour then there is no need to tip?

That's not what was said. I read the reply to mean that the employees wage is neither the customers problem nor burden.

I've struggled with the concept of tipping ever since I first travelled OS a number of decades ago. When I tip (which I do), it's for service that's been beneficial to me, or was far more than I expected. When I tip, generally I want the tip to go to the person who provided that service. I've asked to speak with chefs as well and tipped them too so it's not always just front of house staff.

My recent Maldives holiday presented a problem. How do you tip at a resort where everything goes on the bill? I had one waiter who hovered so much, it made me feel uncomfortable. I said to my wife he seems to be waiting for a tip all the time, but we didn't carry cash. I'm still unsure if he was just enthusiastic or he hadn't figured out that most guests did not carry cash with them, but that hovering beyond the point of easy banter tends to annoy me. My solution was to add 10% to each bill chit (with the hope that would be shared amongst all staff and not just end up in the Conrads profit statement) and the staff that really went out of their way to please us, without hovering, got US$30 each at the end of the holiday. I have absolutely no idea if that was reasonable, insulting, or just what! All in all, I think tipping is a worthy concept that's been railroaded by the US with their "you will pay, or you will regret it" attitude that fails to link quality service with the overriding expectation.

 

[dajop]

Speaking for myself, I always try to be polite and considerate to those in service jobs, in any country that I'm in. These are some of the lowest paid workers, doing some of the longest hours, and yet they have to smile and be friendly to some of the biggest a@#$holes. So I try to be kind.

Agree about the #@&* comment, and certainly we should all try to be kind to those that help us out.

And whilst in the US maybe they may be some of the lowest paid workers, in vast tracts of the world those doing service jobs are probably relatively well off in terms of pay and working conditions (albeit coughpy by our standards). Spend a week or two in/around farms and/our manufacturing in many many countries and you'll see others who also get paid very little and work long hours.

 

[Himeno]

So your saying that because the employer has to ensure that the worker gets no less than $7.25 per hour then there is no need to tip? The worker is "guaranteed" $7.25 per hour so he/she should be happy with that arrangement?. The end result of that thinking is that of course then no-one needs to tip - the worker is handsomely rewarded and deserves nothing more. Would you work for that?

No, I am saying that the myth that workers in "Tipping industry's" have a cough low hourly rate and thus should have their wage vastly increased by the customer is just that, a myth. They are no worse off then any other worker. They are required to be paid at least the local minimum wage. Thus if a worker has a problem with that minimum wage, then they should take it up with their representatives, not take it out on the customer and expect a tip as if they are entitled to one for simply doing the basics of their job.

Why should I go out of my way to bribe a "tipped" worker when a worker that is ultimately on the same base wage (eg, fast food) doesn't expect a tip.

 

[TomVexille]

Why should I go out of my way to bribe a "tipped" worker when a worker that is ultimately on the same base wage (eg, fast food) doesn't expect a tip.

Because you should receive a much higher level of service

 

[Cynicor]

That's not what was said. I read the reply to mean that the employees wage is neither the customers problem nor burden.

I've struggled with the concept of tipping ever since I first travelled OS a number of decades ago. When I tip (which I do), it's for service that's been beneficial to me, or was far more than I expected. When I tip, generally I want the tip to go to the person who provided that service. I've asked to speak with chefs as well and tipped them too so it's not always just front of house staff.

My recent Maldives holiday presented a problem. How do you tip at a resort where everything goes on the bill? I had one waiter who hovered so much, it made me feel uncomfortable. I said to my wife he seems to be waiting for a tip all the time, but we didn't carry cash. I'm still unsure if he was just enthusiastic or he hadn't figured out that most guests did not carry cash with them, but that hovering beyond the point of easy banter tends to annoy me. My solution was to add 10% to each bill chit (with the hope that would be shared amongst all staff and not just end up in the Conrads profit statement) and the staff that really went out of their way to please us, without hovering, got US$30 each at the end of the holiday. I have absolutely no idea if that was reasonable, insulting, or just what! All in all, I think tipping is a worthy concept that's been railroaded by the US with their "you will pay, or you will regret it" attitude that fails to link quality service with the overriding expectation.

You tipped at the CM Rangali?! (Throughout Asia) I figure that's what the service charge is for.

 

[Warks]

Do you still have to tip for gawd-awful service in the USA? Or does it just reduce the tip to a minimum? (which for some reason can't go below 10% now)

The idea of tipping someone to just hand something over the counter is a bit rich, so to speak, though.

 

[drron]

You can reduce the tip for poor service but you must be prepared to justify your decision.That then can backfire on the restaurant when there are obvious problems and you tell the manager/owner in a very loud voice that not only was the service poor,the food awful and also you did not enjoy seeing the coughroaches on the floor.