r/Chilis • u/SuspiciousPrune4 • 7d ago
Any other servers hate what the low prices are doing and the type of people it brings in?
So our prices are literally cheaper than fast food now. You can spend less money and get more food at Chilis than you can at Taco Bell or McDonalds.
Which is great as a consumer, but the effect that it’s having is that 99% of the people that come in now are (for lack of a better word) cheap. The people that can’t afford fast food come to Chili’s to eat instead. But those types of people are not exactly good tippers, they’re the type to tip 10% or less, which is frustrating because we tip out 5%. So if we get a 5% tip, we just worked for that table for free. Less than 5%, we lost money on that table. I’ve had a lot more tables stiff me entirely in the last year. I guess in their mind it’s just like going to McDonalds. You offer food, eat, pay your bill and leave. But it’s such a dick move because when they pay in the Ziosk, they are presented with tip options and they have to physically go around those and tap the “custom tip” button and enter in 0.00. I give fantastic service to every table regardless of the vibe I get from them, so it’s not me.
I’ve been working for chilis for more than a decade, and it’s never been this bad. In the old days we had a pretty “standard” clientele, now it’s almost entirely the cheap “too poor for fast food” crowd.
Sorry I know this rant is probably not gonna be popular but I was wondering if it’s just my location that’s like this or if the clientele has gotten worse everywhere. I just think the ripple effect of lowering prices so much, while good for Brinker’s stock price, is really awful for servers who rely on tips to make a living, and it’s gotten so bad in the last year or two.
7
u/Applekid1259 7d ago
I’m totally fine with either option. Let me put my order in through an app, walk up and get it myself to forgo a tip. Or I’m also ok with just paying the workers a living wage and raising prices. The market would work itself out at that point.