I don't hate servers. I just don't believe that they make this grand contribution to society.

Drink refills? Slicing lemons? Hell, I do it myself if you want me to.

I don't know if anyone has ever filed a formal complaint. I do know that the servers who have confronted the owner about it (and the other crap he does) all were gradually dropped from the schedules, until they finally just quit. Then they went and got high.



They make just as much a contribution as anyone else who's in a job that doesn't require saving lives or teaching kids... What does everyone else do that's saving the world?

jesus are those wages for real?

i can go get a job waiting with absolutely no experience and get at least $13-15

the pros go work at places with tourists and end up getting tips as well

The difference is that when you mention servers and/or gratuity, most people open up their Bag of Outrage and pound their fist on the table about how mistreated these people are, and why they only make $2.00/hour—a fallacy, as pointed out already—and how they deserve so much better for putting up with assholes like us.

It's unskilled labor, and it deserves to be compensated as such. And since you would choose the $2.13 + tips over a flat $5.15, I'd venture to guess that means you make more than minimum wage. I'm also sure that all servers claim 100% of their tips on their tax forms every year.

So why aren't we stuffing singles into the pockets of the people making a flat $5.15? That goes double for prep cooks and other bottom of the totem pole restaurant staff, since it's not fair to work in the restaurant business.

I was lucky, because when I worked in a kitchen management was responsible for tipping out the kitchen 20% of all server tips before they got paid a dime in gratuity. When it was on the Honor System, the noble servers might throw us a buck or two to split between 3-4 people.

It basically boils down to this: in the realm of underpaid employees, restaurant servers rank pretty low on my list. Give a raise to the people who really make $2.00/hour, without any tips. Or start with people at $5.15. If we're comparing unskilled labor to unskilled labor, I personally would rather see a guy who helps keep a building clean on the graveyard shift get a raise before Flo at the diner.

Don't even get me started on the whole automatic gratuity practice, unless it's done across the board. There are some restaurants getting press now who pay the servers a higher hourly rate and do not accept tips. I can't remember if there is a service charge applied to each bill or if the menu prices compensate, but it ditches the math tricks and charges you for the goods & services rendered, period.

How many of those big donut rocks is that?