Can someone explain to me how tipping ever became as outrageous as it is today? Now waiters and waitresses, don't take this wrong. I tip between 15 and 25% regularly. My question is why it has to be this way.
Having owned a restaurant for 6 years, I am very familiar with the cost of food. I can go to Carabba's, (one of the most successful and profitable restaurant chains in America, and my personal favorite) and order a chicken dish for $13.95 that I know cost them about $3.00, and then pay 20% additional for someone to serve it to me.
Why is it that I have to pay their employees wages. The federal government requires restaurant owners to pay their waiters and waitresses aprox. $3.00 and hour less than any other company in America is required to pay. Why is that??? Who ever decided that it should be the customer rather than the employer who pays the wages?
I say change it!!! Restaurant owners should be required to pay wages that are consistent with the rest of the area wages. If they need to raise food prices to cover the loss, then so be it. Keep in mind though that these places make money so fast that they are able to open a new restaurant in every city in America. They could easily pay their employees a fair wage and continue to serve good food at fair or above fair prices that we are willing to pay. Imagine if we tipped everyone in the service business the same 20%. Store clerks, garage mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc. etc. We'd be broke paying everyone else's employees. Let's stop the foolishness. Make restaurant owners pay their employees wages like every other business owner in America has to do. Maybe with that 20% savings, we could afford to eat out more often.