[thesteve]

Originally Posted by JayCarrfan

Stepping away from the Christianity angle for a moment, I am amazed at how many people assume I make minimum hourly wage. I think if it were more well known, more people would be inclined to tip.

Right now, I have gone through 11 consecutive serving shifts without any of them clearing $50 in tips. That is pathetic, as it includes 4 closing shifts and one SEC football Game Night.

Indeed...I had no idea that servers had a different minimum wage than the rest of the workforce.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by JayCarrfan

Right now, I have gone through 11 consecutive serving shifts without any of them clearing $50 in tips. That is pathetic, as it includes 4 closing shifts and one SEC football Game Night.

If I were you, I'd be looking for a different restaurant to work at. If the problem is your town and you have a car, then I'd consider driving 10-15 minutes into the next town to find a better place to work.

However, I'll also say this: Try busting your ass for eight hours minimum every day in a lower-management position, staying an hour or more late on a regular basis to deal with customer concerns and machine malfunctions that only you know how to fix, and still getting a formal write-up for having to call-in fifteen minutes late to work due to car trouble...all for a whopping $8.70 an hour. Welcome to Walgreens, where we charge you more for your products and pay our employees even less than Wal-Mart! (To say nothing of the much-higher customer service standards.) And the liberals don't care, because Wal-Mart's size makes them somehow an easier target. I'll tell you this: I'd much rather be working for Wal-Mart than Walgreens, but for some reason I can't get any of them to call me back for an interview.

Oh, and on the subject of tipping: I always feel bad if I can't afford to leave at least 25%. My parents have always been very generous tippers and I guess they passed that on to me. Once at an Applebee's, two of our entrees came to the table pretty cold (not just lukewarm or not-steaming, I mean room-temperature cold), so I asked the waitress if she wouldn't mind taking them back to be reheated. No big deal; mistakes happen. She did so, they came back hot, and I was happy. Well, a short while later the manager came by and let me know that our server had informed him about our experience, so he decided to apologize personally. I told him it was no problem, and he said, "No, it is a problem. That's not the way we do business." He proceeded to tell me that all of our entrees had been nixed from the check, leaving just the drinks and a salad to be paid for. So, after he left I got out my calculator and figured out what the three entrees would have cost. That amount was what I left the waitress.

Indeed...I had no idea that servers had a different minimum wage than the rest of the workforce.

Wow...I always thought it was common knowledge. In fact, I've always found it odd that Steve Buscemi claims that servers make minimum wage in the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs. I figured surely everyone knows better than that.

[Fandrew]

The nearest town with actual restaurants is more like 20-30 minutes away. Combined with my class schedule, it's just not feasible. I'm just holding on to my kitchen hours right now to make a decent living. I'm looking for a new job outside the food industry.

When a server/Manager feels bad for what happened, they will try to get you something free, unless you're a jerk about it.