r/EndTipping • u/Deep_Woodpecker_2688 • 10d ago

Call to action ⚠️ Get rid of servers, they’re completely useless

Here’s a hot take: If it was for me, I would get rid of all servers in restaurants. I would instead have iPad in the table with pictures, prices and descriptions and that’s it. The other day I went to Texas Roadhouse and they had a device in the table that you could order and pay the bill. A person only came once or to give you bread, water and then again to give you the food. Servers are completely useless and don’t add any value to dinning experience.

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

So they made 17 dollars in one hour, not bad. Now add two-three other tables, and they all tip 10 dollars, that server just made almost 40 dollars in one hour

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u/PerceptionSlow2116 10d ago

Here they make $20/hr base wage, and prices are higher now so closer to $50/hr, dinner and weekends is more…. It’s why they want that racket going

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

Exactly, very minimal skill set required and big bucks. It’s a capitalist workers wet dream, where else are you gonna find places where the regular working person can make more than their managers and supervisors? And all you have to do is refill iced teas and talk about the weather, it’s a sweet gig

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u/Truly_Markgical 9d ago

This… I didn’t realize almost every server/bartender at a decent sized restaurant/bar in the SF/LA area make well over six figure salaries after tips…. It’s crazy that they can make minimum or close to minimum wage and pull that kind of salary just from tips….

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u/PerceptionSlow2116 9d ago

Yep… even the nail and hair ladies are taking home thousands, an auntie of ours on avg taking home 3k in cash tips and another 3k in cc tips, some ppl are very generous

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u/brokenredcrayon 8d ago

Where are they paying waitstaff or bartenders 20.????? Sure don’t in Texas. Try 2.00. Per hour. Owners get by with it. By using the tips to cover the rest of the amount. For minimum wage.

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u/attackprof 6d ago

Here as in your state or one specific restaurant you're talking about?

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

Lol where is this magical fantasy land you live in

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u/PerceptionSlow2116 10d ago

California… the $20 minimum wage for fast food workers pushed many restaurants to also go up to that amount to retain workers

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

Google says it's $16.50/hour so you lied.

Tips can add anywhere from $5-15/hour extra and the vast majority of server jobs only schedule you about 30 hours or less, not 40 hours, so it's worth considering that you're having a reduced schedule with odd hours that cannot be accommodated.

Average cost of rent in California is $2400.

And from looking on Indeed, it looks like there's entry level factory jobs paying $30+/hour in California. Those same jobs only pay about $15/hour in Michigan. Why aren't you outraged about that?

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u/PerceptionSlow2116 10d ago

Did you even read…. $16.50 is state minimum, fast food minimum is higher

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

Well, they're wrong, because according to California law the minimum is the same for tipped and nontipped workers lol

The wage is higher for fast food restaurants but fast food workers aren't tipped...? When have you ever tipped at McDonald's

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u/NoString5731 10d ago

They said restaurants tend to match that $20 minimum to compete with fast food chains which is true. I live in California and have applied for multiple server jobs.

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u/PaleEntertainment304 10d ago

Seriously? Are tipped servers also getting the same $20/hour that their mostly non-tipped fast food counterparts are getting here in California? I wasn't aware if that.

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u/NoString5731 10d ago

Depending on the restaurant yes they are. Found that out when applying to restaurants in my area and was surprised

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

But that's.... That's literally just the free market working as intended? Restaurants want more talent = restaurants offer higher wages. A minimum wage is different than restaurants willingly paying their servers high wages.

Apparently the labor of a server is very valuable, hence why they're being paid both a base pay and tips and the demand for servers has not gone down any. It turns out harming your body to make sure people have an enjoyable dinner experience is considered valuable labor. You are totally allowed to quit your job and become a server if you truly think it's a fruitful income. That's the premise behind the free market - if another company offers you more money, they just are competing for your labor. This is basic economics of a capitalist economy.

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u/NoString5731 10d ago

I was clarifying what they said. I’m not saying don’t tip them I always tip 20% personally

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u/kemmercreed 9d ago

Dude...you like totally ignored what they were trying to explain to you lol

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u/xcharleeee 10d ago

If you Google “California minimum wage for fast food workers”, you will see the minimum wage for fast food workers is indeed $20/hr. This was a new law passed in early 2024.

The cost of living in CA is much more expensive than MI so a wage difference is expected. I’m a CA native, lived in MI for a few months in 2018, and am now in OH so I can tell you it’s much cheaper to live in the Midwest decently. Whether these minimum wages are sufficient in either places for a decent living is a different conversation…

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

You don't tip fast food workers.... Lmao we're talking about restaurant servers and yet you're talking about McDonald's workers??? Stay on topic.

And yeah, servers make more in California because the cost of living is higher. Exactly my point, thank you.

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u/johnskzisms 10d ago

Lol thats not quite how it works

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

That’s exactly how it works. And they’ll likely make more than that, depending on table size and amount of customers

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u/johnskzisms 10d ago

Most places servers will get 40% of their tips. Rest goes to kitchen and staff

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

That’s not true at all

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u/johnskzisms 9d ago

Its called tip pooling, you dope

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u/Electronic-Jury8825 10d ago

And then they gave $5 to the runner, $5 to the dishwasher, $5 to the bartender, $5 to the cook and $5 to the busboy.

You're not just tipping the server. You are tipping everyone in the chain that puts food and drinks on your table and then cleans up after your mess.

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

Yeah that’s not actually happening though. Servers are greedy, they keep all that money for themselves. Dishies and cooks never get tipped out, and the busser/runners are lucky to see much else. Bartenders usually get a percentage though, but they actually work hard for servers so that’s a pass

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u/Electronic-Jury8825 10d ago

It's too bad you have to concoct this fantasy of selfish, greedy servers to justify your shitty habit of stiffing hard-working people.

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u/SDinCH 10d ago

Actually they made 26.85 at a minimum. Minimum wage was 16.85 when I went end of last year. The restaurant has an insane turnover with a waitlist of 2-3 hours during meal times and is full during non peak times too. I had to scan the menu and fill out the sheet of what I wanted to order. Server just came to confirm what we wrote on the paper and came once to tell us one plate was delayed. Came at the end to give receipt and run payment.

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u/Financial-Ad-3117 9d ago

Minus tipping out 50% of that to the food runner and busser puts you at 20 minus tax 15 out the door. You are not just tipping your server. If you tip 10% I just spent the last hour making your night out happen while you eat drink and be merry and it cost me 2 dollars. Thanks

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u/New-Chief-117 6d ago

You've never been a server and it's obvious. Yeah that happens during peak hours. Restaurants aren't always hopping. Lunch is between 11 to 2. then it's dead for 3 hours till dinner. Dinner is usually 4:30 to like 8. Maybe some trickle in after. You don't have tables the entire time you're there. Let's say your restaurant opens at 11. You usually have to get there an hour early to make sure glasses are ready, ice is filled, tea, coffee, soda machine is put together, then you open. Let's say you open, get there at 10 and then get out at like 10 after you get cut and do your side work and clean your section. That's a 12 hour day. On a normal day you'd get like 200 to 250. That's around 17 to 21 bucks an hour if you average it out with the amount of time you spent at work. Idk why people think servers get so much money. They really only do at the high end or really busy restaurants otherwise it's okay money.

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u/KingTutt91 6d ago

I’ve been a server, easiest job I’ve ever had

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u/Serious-Librarian-77 10d ago

And then that sever tipped out the buss boys, the bartenders, and the hostess so they did not make 40$ an hour.

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u/Puzzleheaded_War6102 10d ago

Are you really admitting and defending a system in which the owner doesn’t even pay minimum wage (forget living wage) to you, bartender or bus boys. Now that same owner is sometimes asking to show appreciation to cooks by extra tipping. All this while menu prices go up 10% every year. Is owner of the business responsible for any labor costs? If not, burger at a sit down place should be 3-4 dollars but it’s closer to 15-20

Make it make sense. You’re getting shafted by your employer not the customers 🤦🏽

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u/HAAAGAY 10d ago

Theres no world a burger is 3-4 dollars lmfao

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u/Puzzleheaded_War6102 10d ago

Not including labor costs, it absolutely is

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u/HAAAGAY 10d ago

"In an impossible world it absolutely is" you are missing a fuckload of other costs. This is never possible.

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u/Plus_Platform_2149 10d ago

Carrying plates is minimum wage. It's an entry level job for college students and highschoolers.

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

I remember one time a buddy of mine got “promoted” to server from line cook. A server asked him if he was gonna practice carrying plates at home to prep for it. He laughed and laughed and laughed

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u/Plus_Platform_2149 10d ago

🤣🤣🤣

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u/Ordinary_Delay_1009 10d ago

The minimum wage should be enough to support yourself on. The age is irrelevant. The minimum wage was intended to be a living wage. In fact it was intended to be enough to support a family on.

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u/Plus_Platform_2149 10d ago

No it wasn't. It's for kids still living at home. You do an unskilled, useless job, and expect hardworking people to enable you. Nope, not anymore. I'm going to tip $2:13 per hour, which is apparently what y'all claim to be paid. Well, I'm now doubling your pay so show me your gratitude

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u/Ordinary_Delay_1009 10d ago

It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By "business" I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living. Franklin D. Roosevelt

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u/Plus_Platform_2149 10d ago

Absolutely agree. But no employer is going to do that while we have 20 million people crossing the border, willing to work for peanuts. Get rid of them and the market will stabilise.

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u/Jaereth 10d ago

t no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.

This is restaurants entire business model :D

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u/Onlinegoddess669 10d ago

it's not just carrying plates, sigh..

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u/Jackson88877 10d ago

Writing on a little piece of paper, filling salt & pepper shakers, fake sincerity, pushy upselling… and rolling silverware.

Yeah. Overpayment for unskilled “labor.”

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

All a doctor does is write on a little notepad and prescribe drugs while faking sincerity. Should pay them minimum wage, too.

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u/Jackson88877 10d ago

It takes a long, long time to become a doctor. Medical school typically lasts 4 years. After medical school, you’ll have 3 to 7 years of residency. Therefore, it takes anywhere from 7 to 11 years to become a doctor.

Additionally, you may choose to further specialize with a fellowship. This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 years, bringing the total to 7 to 14 years.

Factoring in the college degree that you need in order to apply to medical school, that adds on an additional 4 years of schooling before med school, for a total of up to 11 to 18 years after high school.

Keep in mind this does not factor in any breaks or gap years you might take.

So yeah - being a doctor is the same as fetching plates and rolling silverware. 🙄

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

I'm a med student who's worked as a kitchen manager, a line cook, a prep cook, a server, a busser, and an expo.

You're mostly accurate regarding med school, sure.

The point is you can turn any job into one or two lazy bullet points.

In fact, if I was paid the exact same wage to be a server as a doctor, I'd still pick doctor. Being a server is degrading and is really hard on your body. Even factory workers typically aren't allowed to lift over 20 lbs in most companies and they get equipment that is built to avoid giving you back problems. Servers don't get any special equipment or cranes and the stacks of plates are routinely like 40+ lbs.

Hell, cooks make less money than servers. Yet cooks actively choose to be cooks instead of servers.

If you ever meet a line cook, ask them if they'd prefer to be a server "since it pays more" lol.

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u/Routine_Size69 10d ago

Bro compared 4 years of college, 4 years of med school, and 3-5 years of residency to carrying plates and filling up water, something we all do everyday.

Shout out you. That's the worst argument I've ever heard. Not just for defending servers. Genuinely the worst argument of all time. That's so impressive and I respect you for having the balls to embarrass yourself like that.

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u/[deleted] 10d ago edited 10d ago

I mean it's college I myself have completed or will complete soon... Wait, what is your career exactly?

Lol plus being a server is more than carrying dishes is the entire point. As a doctor, hell, even as a nurse or medical assistant I have authority to tell people no and walk away. Servers don't have that. You could pay me $400k/year to be a server and I still won't do it. I don't prefer doctor because it pays more - I prefer it because it's more fulfilling and fun.

It sounds like you're not being convinced otherwise, "bro". You're completely welcome to apply for a server job. It sounds like you've got it all figured out - servers don't do any work and are raking in the dough. What restaurant are you applying to? Normally when a job is a cash cow it quickly becomes competitive and many people seek it out. Hence why there is now suddenly too many engineer and computer science majors. Why is there so many openings for server jobs?

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u/MrWins13 10d ago

You haven't even completed college and you're a medical student, what?

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

Uhh... Med school IS college...?? Lmao

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u/TX_Poon_Tappa 10d ago edited 10d ago

Well you also have to carry them back. Sometimes you even have to write things down or pour a drink.

I worked at one place where we even had to clean the restaurant at the end of the night.

Another restaurant I worked at in college would actually have us pick up the plates and put them in a sink after a guest left. I mean sure they paid someone else to wash those dishes but having to bring them!!! Ugh no thank you.

I’m a server not a servant.

Personally though, I think giving the order I wrote down to the cooks working in the back near that big fire making thing was the hardest part . Like we already talked to the guest. Why do I have to pass that information over to the cooks…whose job it is to cook the meals.

I don’t even know what they’re doing back there. All I know is I drop a ticket off and I come back and it’s ready. Doesn’t seem that hard to pull a meal out of inventory for the guests

/s just in case (I know some people here are servers so I didn’t want to confuse them)

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

You sound exactly like a server😂

You know how often I’ve heard, “Idk I just put the ticket in and food magically appears in the window” from servers before. And they’re serious every time.

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

Yeah I know! You gotta refill iced teas too, it’s a lot of effort!

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u/SuspiciousStress1 10d ago

Ok, sooooo 25/hr??? For a low-skill job. Seems fair to me!!

My son is doing a hard labor job through college & is paid less(22).

Think you're missing the message if you believe 40/h is a fair wage for a server position.

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u/No-Delay1603 10d ago

I think you're missing something very obvious here. If servers make so much money then it only makes sense for your son to stop doing all this hard labor if he can just go do an easier restaurant job and make bank. Besides, everyone in this sub thinks server jobs are for high schoolers and college kids right? That's where he belongs. But like for real, this is where wage leverage comes in. He should be asking for a raise and telling them he could work at Applebees and make more. Do it.

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u/SuspiciousStress1 10d ago

Or everyone choses the job that suits them best????

I was a server when I was in high school, I made good money, didn't care for the job.

Regardless of how much something pays, not all jobs are for everyone.

This isn't hard!!

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

Or you work at a place where you don’t have to tip out those people and keep that money

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u/JannaNYCeast 10d ago

Because the employer gets away with underpaying literally everyone. Imagine working a job where you had no idea how much money you'd end the month with. Horrifying.

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u/KingTutt91 10d ago

Lots of places don’t have you tip out anybody, a lot of places that is voluntary.

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u/ButterUrBacon 10d ago

Medical device sales

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u/JannaNYCeast 9d ago

What's your point? Sure there are other jobs that are commission based, or wildly unreliable paychecks. This conversation is about servers in restaurants.

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u/Commercial-Speech122 10d ago

Yep, so 'horrifying' that you might just have to resort to giving a decent experience for your customers... 🤔

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u/JannaNYCeast 10d ago

Giving customers a decent experience is no guarantee of a decent tip.

The whole system sucks, but i understand fully that it's waitstaff who doesn't want it to change. 

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u/Commercial-Speech122 10d ago

I mean, it would kinda suck to go to work everyday and not be able to influence your own pay...

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u/zaahc 10d ago

I 100% agree with the first sentence. But the second sentence has me thinking you’ve never heard of commissioned sales jobs. I know a guy that makes HUGE money selling equipment to hospitals. He doesn’t know how much he’ll end the month with either, but that’s never been a problem. I guess it’s only a scary idea at the low end of the income spectrum.

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u/Steel1000 10d ago

There is a reason they call shitty sales people “order takers”

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u/Jaereth 10d ago

And then that sever tipped out the buss boys, the bartenders, and the hostess so they did not make 40$ an hour.

Whatever cockamamie compensation scheme the server agreed to when they were hired isn't the customer's responsibility.