Anonymous wrote:Just tip, you cheapskates.

Pretty much ... yup! or eat at home.

So now we’re tipping people who make $15-$18 an hour? Come on now! Do you tip your daycare worker every day? 20% of her hourly and daily salary? How about the office assistant? They make between 15 and $18 an hour. Are you tipping them too?

I think if you know for certain that a restaurant is paying their employees between 15 to 18 you do not need to tip on top of that except for exceptional service.

Just tip, you cheapskates.

Anonymous wrote:OP is completely wrong. Currently, tipped wage in DC is $5.05. There’s a ballot measure trying to change that but it has not passed yet.

https://georgetownvoice.com/2022/02/02/initiative-82-on-track-to-end-the-sub-minimum-wage-for-d-c-tipped-restaurant-staff/

https://betterrestaurantsdc.org/ballot-initiative/

If you're not 100% sure, which you probably can never be, err on the side of basic human goodness and tip. If you can't afford to tip 20%, eat out less.

I hate the current situation where everything costs more, plus there is often a service charge, plus there is still pressure to tip (and anything less than 20% is considered cheap). This is such a weird way to run the industry.

I am all for a living wage, which I agree is probably higher than $15/hr. I do think $18/hr is livable in DC and have done it (I have also made less than $15/hr in DC and it's not sustainable). You can't live alone but if you cohabitate with roommates or a partner (or both), don't have a car, and don't spend money on restaurants/bars/takeout (ironically), it's livable. Even better if your employer actually provides health insurance. You can't have kids on this income without help or a higher earning partner, but not everyone has kids, and the restaurant industry is not conducive to being a working parent anyway.

My issue is that it's just not clear. As someone who lives on a budget but does occasionally splurge by going to a restaurant or a bar, it's a little frustrating how unclear it is how much it will cost. Places are getting better about stating the service charge up front, but I'd still rather they just rolled it into the cost of food and drink -- why keep it separate if it will be added to every check? It feels intentionally misleading. Plus many places still do that thing where they don't put the prices of alcoholic beverages on the menu. This is ridiculous, especially when I'm buying a beer that can cost anywhere from $6 to $12 depending on the restaurant. To need to figure out tip on top of this?

I should not have to pull out a calculator and engage in extensive guesswork to figure out if I can afford to eat dinner at your restaurant. Or even just to estimate how much it will cost. I feel like the assumption is that everyone in DC is a lawyer or consultant with a massive amount of discretionary income, and it won't matter if dinner costs twice what they were expecting. It feels classist and manipulative, and it makes it much harder for me to listen to restaurant owners and managers talk about their business as thought they are uniquely beleaguered in the post-Covid economy. Just tell me how much your food and drinks cost! Why is that an unreasonable expectation?

/rant, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today

Tips are always appropriate at a sit-down restaurant unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

OP is completely wrong. Currently, tipped wage in DC is $5.05. There’s a ballot measure trying to change that but it has not passed yet.

https://georgetownvoice.com/2022/02/02/initiative-82-on-track-to-end-the-sub-minimum-wage-for-d-c-tipped-restaurant-staff/

https://betterrestaurantsdc.org/ballot-initiative/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, it isn't. You're just looking for an excuse to be cheap.

Also, in an expensive city $15/hour is not a living wage. JFC.

You can't have both ways.

Yes, you can. Some high end restaurants have always paid higher than the minimum tipped wage. You tip employees who make a tipped wage. If a restaurant offers all employees an hourly wage, they will have signage saying that you shouldn't tip because employees make an hourly wage and costs are rolled into the price of the meal.

I would probably tip like a European at that point - bad service, no tip. Regular service, round up or maybe an extra buck or two. Excellent service - 10% or higher.

$15/hr is $28,800 (before taxes) per year. How is that a living wage?

Anonymous wrote:No, it isn't. You're just looking for an excuse to be cheap.

Also, in an expensive city $15/hour is not a living wage. JFC.

So, what's a living wage? How much should waiters make?

Anonymous wrote:No, it isn't. You're just looking for an excuse to be cheap.

Also, in an expensive city $15/hour is not a living wage. JFC.

You can't have both ways.

No, it isn't. You're just looking for an excuse to be cheap.

Also, in an expensive city $15/hour is not a living wage. JFC.

Correct if you are sure.

Places in DC now are paying their staff living wages, which I would expect to be reflected in prices on menus. If you know a business is paying a living wage, then there should be $0 in tips, right? I hate how they still try to pressure you to add more on top even though you should already be paying for their wages. Not tipping is correct, right?