A Bad Tip Lead to a Reality Check

[AthenaAwakened]

Wasn't sure where this should go, so I will put it here

http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/loca...ger-dishes-religious-pamphlets-tips/79070574/

Penny Craver, general manager of Dish in Plaza Midwood, says one of her employees, who's also a student, was really upset on Saturday after receiving a religious pamphlet from her guests and a less than 8-percent tip.

Craver, who felt bad for her employee, did something most people in the service industry only dream of; Craver looked up the church listed on the pamphlet, Harbor Baptist Church in Charlotte, and wrote an email to the church's pastor.

It read:

Pastor Simmons:

I am the general manager of Dish (restaurant) in Plaza Midwood. Imagine one of my server's surprise when she received a small pamphlet (Every one of us will face eternity one day) instead of a tip when she served what I assume was one of your congregation. H er particular religious beliefs are not discussed at work; however, I do know that this pamphlet can not pay her mortgage or her electric bill. It concerns me that someone would consider a pamphlet fair monetary exchange. Suppose your congregation felt it was sufficient to tithe their personal writings instead of 10% of their income. Your church wouldn't be paying their bills for very long. I think it would be great if you used this in a sermon. Pride, one of the 7 Deadly Sins, is considered, on almost every list, the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins: the source of the others. It is identified as believing that one is essentially better than others, failing to acknowledge the accomplishments of others, and excessive admiration of the personal self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). I think it could be educational for at least one member of your congregation. Thank you very much for your time.​

Hope this brightens your day. It did mine.

 

[Ramaraksha]

Wasn't sure where this should go, so I will put it here

http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/loca...ger-dishes-religious-pamphlets-tips/79070574/

Penny Craver, general manager of Dish in Plaza Midwood, says one of her employees, who's also a student, was really upset on Saturday after receiving a religious pamphlet from her guests and a less than 8-percent tip.

Craver, who felt bad for her employee, did something most people in the service industry only dream of; Craver looked up the church listed on the pamphlet, Harbor Baptist Church in Charlotte, and wrote an email to the church's pastor.

It read:

Pastor Simmons:

I am the general manager of Dish (restaurant) in Plaza Midwood. Imagine one of my server's surprise when she received a small pamphlet (Every one of us will face eternity one day) instead of a tip when she served what I assume was one of your congregation. H er particular religious beliefs are not discussed at work; however, I do know that this pamphlet can not pay her mortgage or her electric bill. It concerns me that someone would consider a pamphlet fair monetary exchange. Suppose your congregation felt it was sufficient to tithe their personal writings instead of 10% of their income. Your church wouldn't be paying their bills for very long. I think it would be great if you used this in a sermon. Pride, one of the 7 Deadly Sins, is considered, on almost every list, the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins: the source of the others. It is identified as believing that one is essentially better than others, failing to acknowledge the accomplishments of others, and excessive admiration of the personal self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). I think it could be educational for at least one member of your congregation. Thank you very much for your time.​

Hope this brightens your day. It did mine.

Reg the 7 deadly sins - the bit about that one is not essentially better than others - are we talking about the same religion that has killed off more religions than any other on the planet? That uses threats of hell against everyone else?

Some more deadly sins - thou shalt not kill? thou shalt not steal? Let's ask the native Americans, native south americans, africans, Indians, Australians - my country India was left dirt poor at the time of independence - we lost everything - we were a super rich country before the British came, left dirt poor by the time they left. Africans brought on slave ships lost not only their freedoms but their loving families - how many mothers died of heartache?

And one that is close to my heart - how many animals are being tortured to death in factory farms? Americans will consume X billions of chicken wings during super bowl weekend, the ad proudly states. Maybe the sin should be redone - thou shalt not kill humans? Animals are ok? Nowhere does it say thou shalt not torture - so i guess that is ok

 

[Juma]

The big jerk is the diner owner. Pay real wages, dont let the personel depend on tips.

 

[jonJ]

The big jerk is the diner owner. Pay real wages, dont let the personel depend on tips.

Quite so. In Australia the responsibility for adequately recompensing an employee would rest with the employer, not random strangers off the street.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Talk to any food service employee you know...especially the servers. Ask them about the after-church crowd on Sundays. What I've heard, enough times to make me believe there's some substance to it, is that this crowd is filled with more demanding and cheapass pricks than any other crowd of the week.

 

[J842P]

The big jerk is the diner owner. Pay real wages, dont let the personel depend on tips.

That's not the way the food industry works in the United States. Because of a confluence of strange historical factors, the "tipped" minimum wage is something like $2.13. That's just the way things work, and because of the effect on prices, you cannot compete running a sit-down restaurant and paying servers a real wage. Now, I've worked as a server before and the money can be quite good. The only problem comes when you work for a failing restaurant, because then the best you can do is the "untipped" minimum wage of $7.25 (if you total tipped wage for the period doesn't amount to $7.25 an hour, they have to make up the difference). You get burned by individual assholes, but most servers end up making around 18% percent of the total sales at their tables. At busy restaurants, that can be a comfy $150 a night.

 

[Juma]

Bullshit. Just add mean tip to the price and announce that this is a no-tip restaurant.

 

[J842P]

Bullshit. Just add mean tip to the price and announce that this is a no-tip restaurant.

It's a risky move in a business that is notoriously risky in the first place. Restaurants are locked into price points because competition from other restaurants is fierce. Waiting for your proposed solution to happen naturally and change the entire industry is a pipe dream. It's an issue that needs to be addressed by changes in the relevant laws.

 

[gmbteach]

The big jerk is the diner owner. Pay real wages, dont let the personel depend on tips.

Quite so. In Australia the responsibility for adequately recompensing an employee would rest with the employer, not random strangers off the street.

I know. We hardly tip at all here, except in exceptional circumstances.

 

[DBT]

Bullshit. Just add mean tip to the price and announce that this is a no-tip restaurant.

It's a risky move in a business that is notoriously risky in the first place. Restaurants are locked into price points because competition from other restaurants is fierce. Waiting for your proposed solution to happen naturally and change the entire industry is a pipe dream. It's an issue that needs to be addressed by changes in the relevant laws.

It should be a law. All businesses would have to comply and thereby the playing field is level.

 

[Juma]

Bullshit. Just add mean tip to the price and announce that this is a no-tip restaurant.

It's a risky move in a business that is notoriously risky in the first place. Restaurants are locked into price points because competition from other restaurants is fierce. Waiting for your proposed solution to happen naturally and change the entire industry is a pipe dream. It's an issue that needs to be addressed by changes in the relevant laws.

Maybe, but that doesnt change the fact that forcing people to live on tips is @#%£$€>!
It is no better than begging.

 

[bleubird]

The big jerk is the diner owner. Pay real wages, dont let the personel depend on tips.

That's not the way the food industry works in the United States. Because of a confluence of strange historical factors, the "tipped" minimum wage is something like $2.13. That's just the way things work, and because of the effect on prices, you cannot compete running a sit-down restaurant and paying servers a real wage. Now, I've worked as a server before and the money can be quite good. The only problem comes when you work for a failing restaurant, because then the best you can do is the "untipped" minimum wage of $7.25 (if you total tipped wage for the period doesn't amount to $7.25 an hour, they have to make up the difference). You get burned by individual assholes, but most servers end up making around 18% percent of the total sales at their tables. At busy restaurants, that can be a comfy $150 a night.

Kinda right but mostly wrong.Each state has different wage laws.Right to work states have a very low min wage for food service workers because tips can make you rich.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Well this is all fine and dandy. And yes, there should be no lower minimum wage for tipped workers, and the MW should raised, and no worker should have to depend on the largess of public to make their rent.

All of this has little to no bearing on the actual incident where a religious tract was used to con a server. That act, whether the wages in question are two dollars an hour or two hundred is FOUL!

 

[Keith&Co.]

That act, whether the wages in question are two dollars an hour or two hundred is FOUL!

Oh, it's not that bad. I mean, they're like Bill Murray's character in Scrooged. Quite willing to admit that he hates people unless they can do something for him, and lose interest once he needs them no longer.

It's not like they claim to live by high morals all the damned day.

 

[J842P]

That's not the way the food industry works in the United States. Because of a confluence of strange historical factors, the "tipped" minimum wage is something like $2.13. That's just the way things work, and because of the effect on prices, you cannot compete running a sit-down restaurant and paying servers a real wage. Now, I've worked as a server before and the money can be quite good. The only problem comes when you work for a failing restaurant, because then the best you can do is the "untipped" minimum wage of $7.25 (if you total tipped wage for the period doesn't amount to $7.25 an hour, they have to make up the difference). You get burned by individual assholes, but most servers end up making around 18% percent of the total sales at their tables. At busy restaurants, that can be a comfy $150 a night.

Kinda right but mostly wrong.Each state has different wage laws.Right to work states have a very low min wage for food service workers because tips can make you rich.

Certainly, it depends on the state, and I am mostly speaking from my experience on the East Coast of the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_States

I'm not sure what Right-to-work laws have to do with it. A cursory look reveals no obvious association.

 

[Juma]

Well this is all fine and dandy. And yes, there should be no lower minimum wage for tipped workers, and the MW should raised, and no worker should have to depend on the largess of public to make their rent.

All of this has little to no bearing on the actual incident where a religious tract was used to con a server. That act, whether the wages in question are two dollars an hour or two hundred is FOUL!

Not as foul as requiring the staff to beg for their salary.

 

[fromderinside]

Quite so. In Australia the responsibility for adequately recompensing an employee would rest with the employer, not random strangers off the street.

I know. We hardly tip at all here, except in exceptional circumstances.

Some might conclude your bunch is a cheap lot who doesn't understand the value of personal service and human contact at meals.

Servers, preparers, hosts and hostesses, and entertainment are all performing for your benefit and enjoyment. Part of the enjoyment is the privilege of remunerating someone who you think made your experience better.

WTH. Without such there would be no etiquette, no vehicle for those who set fashion and example, to influence you to not carry a knife to a dinner party.

 

[J842P]

Well this is all fine and dandy. And yes, there should be no lower minimum wage for tipped workers, and the MW should raised, and no worker should have to depend on the largess of public to make their rent.

All of this has little to no bearing on the actual incident where a religious tract was used to con a server. That act, whether the wages in question are two dollars an hour or two hundred is FOUL!

Not as foul as requiring the staff to beg for their salary.

No one is required to beg. Tipping is an expectation. In the food service industry, it's called a "tip" but it is actually just your wage. Most people know this. It's no more or less degrading than being payed by an employer. The way it works in the states is that the diner pays the server. It exists this way for stupid historical reasons, and there is too much inertia for it to change by the will of people in the industry. Indeed, the biggest impediment to it changing is that without tips you'd likely see average server wages go down.

 

[ronburgundy]

Well this is all fine and dandy. And yes, there should be no lower minimum wage for tipped workers, and the MW should raised, and no worker should have to depend on the largess of public to make their rent.

All of this has little to no bearing on the actual incident where a religious tract was used to con a server. That act, whether the wages in question are two dollars an hour or two hundred is FOUL!

Not as foul as requiring the staff to beg for their salary.

The act of the diners is far worse than that of the owner. First, its absurd hyperbole to claim that tipping amounts to "begging for their salary". Servers never ask, let alone beg, for the tips they get, and most of people tip over 15% (and many 25%-30%) without the server ever having to do anything but a minimally acceptable job.
The law and the standard cultural practice determine what the Diner owner can do and still maintain the business that her servers would be much worse off if it failed, than they are with an occasional greedy asshole customer stiffing them. The Diner owner is not doing something that she knows screws her employees out of a decent paycheck. Given her response to this instance, odds are she is sensitive to what her servers are actually taking home in pay with their tips and wages combined. In contrast, these Christian customers are knowingly stiffing the server out of greed that they rationalize with self-righteous piety.

The law should be changed and the custom of standard tipping erased. But while these are in place, it is the customers and not the owners who are morally to blame for underpaid servers, unless the wages are such that even with a 15% tip the servers would not be making a morally acceptable hourly wage.

 

[DBT]

No one is required to beg. Tipping is an expectation. In the food service industry, it's called a "tip" but it is actually just your wage.

Getting tips is not the same as getting a dependable wage. It may be expected of a customer to leave a tip, but it's not compulsory. Low tips may cause resentment. No tip being worse. Quite periods reduces income. Holding out your hand for cash from the customer is demeaning. Not everyone is in a position to get a reasonable income from tips. The employer should pay a reasonable wage in exchange for work carried out by the employee and not expect customers to haphazardly subsidise the income of the staff. It should be clear to the customer that 'tips' are a part of the cost of the meal and service.