No tipping at Joe's Crab Shack? Another view

[Robin Garr]

Jezebel's Kitchenette offers an interesting alternative take on Joe's announced no-tipping policy: Raising server pay is good. But will they discourage or forbid additional tipping for quality service, if that tipping is strictly voluntary? That might not be so good.

http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/joes-cra ... 1742037387

It says something about America’s unique brand of stupidity that as a general rule, we can’t seem to comprehend the concept of a viable system where it would be fine for customers to tip if they wanted to, but that it wouldn’t be a compulsory part of the social contract. Under an ideal system, servers and bartenders would get by just fine without tips, but if a customer thought they did a great job, that customer could decide—again, of their own free will—to leave them something extra. It’s a win-win scenario for everyone involved (who, exactly, doesn’t benefit from such an arrangement compared to either where we are now or a system where tipping is banned entirely?), and there are countries where such a system currently works just fine. A lot of American restaurants that have decided to eliminate tipping don’t seem to understand that there’s a middle ground between “mandatory” and “banned.”

Here's the thing, though: Social contracts are persistent, sticky things. They tend to have a hard time going away, even when folks want them to. People fall back into old habits. I suspect it's entirely possible that banning tips altogether might be necessary for a while, until that social-contract aspect of it is dead and gone.

We've discussed this many times before, and have heard numerous anecdotes about customers (often rich middle-aged white men) who get irate at no-tipping restaurants because it removes something they see as a measure of power and control over servers. That's just one kind of behavior that is likely to persist without an interim time of total ban.

Here's an interesting article that explores both sides from a bartender's point of view...

http://firstwefeast.com/drink/bartender ... ng-policy/

Here is the problem i have w this i make an average of 30 dollars an hour so if u pay me 15 i loose HALF MY PAY would this be ok in any other job ? Also think of it this way owners are ok (those who are doing this by adding a grat or raising the prices to reflect 18 or 20 percent ) with us taking are chances but as soon as they see how much we make . They want to keep some of it for them selves by adding it pay us half or less giving some to back of house and then they put rest in the re pocket iv done the math and it adds up to old school fine dining wait staff will loose more than half the cooks gain a little and wow the share holders and owners come out way ahead . O and i was in management at one time whsts the first thing u do ehen when slow ?? Cut your people who make most hourly its what your bonus is based on (wait staff would be sent home so u would prob get less hours so u would make less than what people think it is a terrible idea that robs the people who worked there whole life of making a good wage i csll BS on danny myer wanting to pay his waiters more he just wants to get richer him self

And just a little history lesson . Are pay scale was set up by the NRA to save owners money by paying us nothing (2 .13 ) hr and then letting are guests pays us for good service . It started at 10 percent then 15 percent then 20 percent we work are hard . Then in 07 the NRA lobbied that anything that is added by the house can be kept (service charge ) as long as they pay us min wage (7 35 hr i think ) and can KEEP the rest for them selves banquet staff lost huge in hotels and banquet halls . On partys i used to make 200 somtimes 400 or 500 or more ( for those who think thst is to much i have some choice words i wont post . ) then all the sudden they wont show me the bill or tell ushow much it is and im making 100 dollars on the same party i made 300 the year before ??!! Then i find out that they are adding the grat and keeping most of it and giving me a little and the worst part is they dont tell the guest !?? They think the grat is going to service staff but most of it isnt fyi and there is nothing we can do !?? No its perfectly legal but heres the funny part they never told me or any waiter i know THEY WERE CHANGING MY RATE OF PAY Wow what other job could this happen ??? I see the future and let me tell u the good sales people u have will move on to better jobs in sales the people who care to learn food wine and craft cocktail will move on or starve and fine dining service as u know it will turn into not whst is now . And even place at the lower end will suffer because peoples hours will get cut to save laber and people will have to work harder for less money its the American way the rich get richer and the middle class loose big time once again .

Don't you know that those tips are oppressing you? </sarchasm>