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tipflation, tip creep, and tip fatigue

In Wisconsin, the minimum wage for a tipped employee is $2.30/h, but if they don't make enough in tips to clear the state minimum of $7.25/h, the restaurant has to make up the difference. Effectively, the first $4.95/h of tips go to the restaurant.

About the repair shop, it's not "price fixing" in the illegal sense, but when I take my car for a repair, the shop quotes a price that's out of a pricing book, rather than charging by hour, and that's the price I pay. There's no further negotiation, and I pay the same price whether I was happy with the service or not. I've been going to the same mechanic for more than a decade, and am very happy with his shop. He's not cheap, but gets things right, and has never tried to rip me off.

Flat rate?? That's been the automotive industry standard since the wheel was invented.
 
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In Wisconsin, the minimum wage for a tipped employee is $2.30/h, but if they don't make enough in tips to clear the state minimum of $7.25/h, the restaurant has to make up the difference. Effectively, the first $4.95/h of tips go to the restaurant.

The full tip goes to the employee. If one works an hour and gets tipped $4.95, they get $7.25. The restaurant does not get to pocket it. However, if that employee gets tipped less than $4.95, then the restaurant needs to kick in to get it up to $7.25 for the hour. The entire tip, and sometimes more, goes to the employee.
 
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The full tip goes to the employee. If one works an hour and gets tipped $4.95, they get $7.25. The restaurant does not get to pocket it. However, if that employee gets tipped less than $4.95, then the restaurant needs to kick in to get it up to $7.25 for the hour. The entire tip, and sometimes more, goes to the employee.
The math is the same. Follow the money. The employee gets $7.25/h no matter what, but they pocket any tips above $4.95/h. I think we're talking about the same thing, just describing it in different terms.
 
I find myself avoiding establishments that do this. One of my favorite restaurants had sarted doing this. I ate there weekly for 15 years, but now it’s maybe 4 times a year. Just pay your employees, treat them fairly and maybe you won’t have the turn over.
 
According to both of us, it apparently doubled between 1960 and 1970 and has been stable for 50 years. Do you really want to fight about this trifling detail? Because I'm not in the mood to be gentle this week with people who just want to fight me.

I started off basically agreeing with you while adding my own perspective. It might be a good idea to let it go.
No I don’t want to argue. I thought I just providing information. I believe the standard tip went from 10% to 15% in the 1970s (not 1960s), and later from 15% to 20%.

People also use anchoring when evaluating prices, so your impression may be different than mine based on your earliest experiences.

I’m not saying what the correct or reasonable tip rate is to ensure a fair wage, I don’t know.

Apologies for any misunderstanding. I respect your opinions.
 
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Took my daughter out for dinner for her birthday. The total bill for the four of us was over $300.00. The server came to our table maybe five times throughout the meal. The POS system suggested a tip of 18 to 25%... That's in the neighbourhood of $60.00 for a tip?
We did tip her and to my mind, she was well taken care of!
Fishheadjoe
 
The other issue with optional tipping is that everyone has a different concept of what appropriate service is. Some people prefer servers to come by every 5 mins. Some prefer nothing once the food is dropped. The server is at the mercy of everyone’s personal preferences, which are wide ranging and sometimes unreasonable.
 
I prefer that things I pay for have a clearly defined price. I also prefer that people especially at the lower end of the wage scale have a living wage. If, somehow, tipping were to magically disappear from the American landscape and the same amount of money were to be added to the prices of services and the wages of those delivering said service, I would be the first to cheer wildly.

I have spent a fair amount of time in Japan, where tipping for service is simply unheard of. It is my impression that the income insecurity of low-paid people there is far less severe than in the US.
 
The preselected tip percentages are what drive me nuts because a coffee or takeout pizza place will start at 20% and go up as high (from what I’ve personally seen) to 40%. It’d bother me less if they started at 15% and also provided a “no tip” option, but to start at 20% when no real service is provided is annoying at best. And as others have mentioned, the fact that this is done prior to being handed your drink or food inspires unnecessary tipping to avoid potential “issues.”
 
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You couldn't feed 20 people for $300 at Chilis.

No, you couldn’t. That’s only $15 a head. Very far from fancy.

My wife and I routinely spend $100 on a dinner for just the 2 of us, and I’m not talking about super fancy places. But if we each get a cocktail, share a starter, and each get a dinner, there’s $100.

If it’s a birthday or special occasion, we’re ok with going above that. However, we love food and unique culinary experiences. We don’t have kids, and eating well is one of our indulgences.
 

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