A different perspective on tipping & FIFA

Very interesting, Stan. Thanks.

A fixed service charge of 18%. What a bargain. The expected in SoCal is 22%-25% tip (20% is the bare minimum) with a usage/service charge and now more are charging the 3% for using a credit card.

But will that 18% fixed service charge actually go to the servers?

I wonder how much of the 18% will find its way to the staff? Tipping is a mechanism for suppressing wages, and this looks a lot like profiteering.

...SoCal is 22%-25% tip (20% is the bare minimum)...

This country has gone absolutely tip crazy. I know servers are underpaid (and have been for decades), but why in the ^&%% can't businesses pay them an acceptable wage and price the food accordingly? Restaurant margins are supposedly "thin", but most of them in this area seem to be making a ton of money .

Part of the discussion here on "out of control" tipping, is that academic studies have shown that, when restaurants have tried "no-tipping", some customers get uncomfortable and want to tip anyway. And more importantly, the good workers (i.e., that would have earned good tips) will move to other jobs where they can earn more.

Kansas City Missouri minimum wage law of $15/hr allows tipped employees to be paid $7.50/hr.

Kansas City Kansas, like a number of other states, follows federal minimum wage law of $7.25/hr. But just $2.13 for tipped employees.

Seattle’s $21.30 minimum wage applies to tipped employees, though the service charge - often 18% if there is one - may or may not make it to Seattle restaurant workers.

Like Sgt. Joe Friday used to say, “Just the facts.”

...academic studies have shown that, when restaurants have tried "no-tipping", some customers get uncomfortable and want to tip anyway.

Can't remember exactly where it was, but on a couple of domestic trips we ate at two or three restaurants that had the following printed on the menu:

"Our servers are well paid! Please, no tipping is needed. Thank you.

Didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable not tipping.

My son is a server at an upscale-ish American restaurant and when they "autograt" a table, they get the tip. It's just like when someone adds a tip to their check and it's paid with a credit card. Except it's 18% percent (his restaurant may be 20%, actually). They have an app where his evening's earnings are updated in real time, so he knows he's getting them.

Atlanta is hosting some world cup games. I'll have to ask him if tipping has been discussed at his restaurant.

If Kansas City is like Seattle, hotel prices are 3-4 times normal for those days. These poor visitors are already getting gouged. They deserve to skip the tip.

These poor visitors are already getting gouged. They deserve to skip the tip.

And what about restaurant staff who are paid less than minimum wage?

These “poor” visitors chose to go to FIFA knowing the prices being charged. The staff merely chose to go to work.

In a perfect world, the FFA visitors will study up on American culture and learn about our (admittedly broken) tipping expectations, just as good travelers to Europe do. In the real world, many of them will no doubt opt out of tipping. I do think that anyone who says they can't afford to tip when they eat out needs to find a cheaper restaurant, or stay home, because tipping is part of the deal and the server loses. (Of course, FIFA visitors can't just nip into their kitchen and cook for themselves, unless they do the short term rental thing.)

In response to Fred, here in Seattle waitstaff must be at paid at least minimum wage which is $21.30 an hour. They are not making sub minimum wage. I realize that this may not be the case elsewhere.

Carol. No place in the United States is it legal for an employee to make less than the Federal Minimum wage of $7 25. PERIOD. Yes, a portion of that $7.25 may be from tips but the restaurant must document the tips and demonstrate that the wait staff made at least $7.50 per hour. The average wait persons salary in the US, including tips is over $35,000 per year which is $17 per hour.

Tips are now to a large degree tax exempt.

That minimum wage in Seattle is around $5 more than the minimum wage in the UK, although I do recognise the higher general cost of living.

As an aside the competition is called the World Cup. FIFA is the organisation that runs it. FIFA Is regarded as an embarrassment and a corrupt organisation by most football fans. Despite this people are still very invested in the competition but nobody wants to be associated with FIFA itself, so calling people FIFA fans will not go down well!

The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour.
https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/minimumwage

The $7.25 was set by legislation passed in 2007, The $7.25 became effective in 2009.
https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/minwage.htm

Had there been an inflation escalator, it would now be $11.22.

Since a lot of tourists will be coming from locales where tipping is not the norm, the restaurant owners in areas where large numbers of foreign tourists is not typical, hopefully, they will work out something with their waitstaff to accommodate the situation.

Im sure it will work out just fine.