"Mark my words. Within my lifetime there will be no tipping."
The Davidson Brothers Brewery & Restaurant announced January 1 that it's eliminated tipping at its restaurant and will instead be adding an 18 percent surcharge on checks to cover service (servers will also apparently be paid a percentage of sales). The owners cite a desire to keep prices from raising because of the recent increase in the state's tipped minimum wage [from $5 to $7.50] and to keep the pay gap between the kitchen and servers from growing. [Davidson Brothers] [Post-Star] [Biz Review]
Earlier: Do you tip at food trucks, the coffee place, counter service?
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Comments
They call it "eliminate tipping" but I call it "forcing you to tip 18%"
... said grandmastergus on Jan 4, 2016 at 9:59 PM | link
I'd rather the price of the food go up than see a "service charge." It doesn't sit well for me for some reason. It's like the itemized list of fees on utility or cell phone bills.
... said tooter on Jan 5, 2016 at 9:09 AM | link
An 18 percent surcharge means customers could potentially be paying MORE than previously, when many people tip the stand 15 percent. So Davidson Brothers is not the hero they make themselves out to be.
... said LP on Jan 5, 2016 at 9:58 AM | link
I enjoy how people pretend that they tip based on service. Twelve years as a server, and I found that most people just tip the same no matter what. Often nothing. It's like saying "I vote for the person, not the party," when the data overwhelmingly suggests otherwise. People want these mirages to be part of the narrative of their lives, I suppose it must give some type of comfort.
I spent some time in France a while back, and there's no tipping there really, and the service is fine without the fiction. Glad that Davidson is helping us all lurch into modernity.
... said Justin on Jan 5, 2016 at 10:41 AM | link
The first comment hits the nail on the head - they're forcing you to tip.
Why not try what other restaurants/bars are trying? Pay your workers a standard hourly rate and set your food prices to cover those costs. Then the customers can decide whether your food/drinks are good enough to warrant what you're charging.
Can anyone weigh in from a legal perspective on whether or not a restaurant/bar can force a "service-charge" on a customer? For instance, if they decided to tack on 25% to every bill instead of 18%, what's stopping them (other than public outrage)? Does it have to be posted somewhere? Does a customer "agree to it" just by sitting down and ordering something? How does that even work?
We've all been living with the knowledge that going out to eat with a large group usually earns you the automatic tip included in your bill, but I've never stopped to think if that's really "allowed", for lack of a better word.
... said Sean on Jan 5, 2016 at 12:36 PM | link
As a former food service worker, I agree with what Davidson Bros is doing, and I do NOT agree with eliminating tipping. Sure, there are lousy servers that are rude or just bad at their jobs, and bad customers that think leaving a religious pamphlet is a good tip. However, in my experience, most servers and bartenders are hard-working and know providing better service = more income. I guarantee that at DB, the lousy servers won't last if customers are forced to pay 18% tips. It might seem steep but it will make sure the restaurant is staffed with the best.
... said Natalie on Jan 6, 2016 at 11:56 AM | link
We eat out at restaurants a lot and the service really depends on the waiter or waitress. Standard tip is 15% for standard service. If the waitstaff goes above and beyond, then we go above and beyond that amount. If the waitstaff is rude or doesn't serve well, then we would tip lower and perhaps talk with the management. I've also noticed in service jobs where the staff do not get tips, the service is of less quality. The incentive is to provide great service is the potential of receiving a great tip. That is how you make money as a waiter or waitress. As a customer, I want to decide how much to tip the waitstaff based on the quality of the service. I do not want to pay an across the board 18% at a restaurant.
... said Ray on Jan 6, 2016 at 12:36 PM | link
As a chef I do not agree with this system, although we put food out, they put it on your table no matter how your day went, how your mood is, or what you choose to behave like. The customer is not always right, because ultimately your server is a person as well, and although you may not see that waiters or waitress as anything but a good ordering and delivery system, they all have lives, families and children.
As a person I could never do what they do, can I deal with stress within my job and outside in my personal life? Yes. But they deal with whatever you put on the table, and when your meal is finished and you leave us, they are the ones that carry that weight, one smile can make or break a server. One 1% more can be the difference between them paying rent, or even themselves being able to sit down for a nice meal unecumbererer with their family.
As for the business itself, it must take care of its own. In my opinion money is not everything, I've taken jobs for lower pay based on how the managements treats me and my own. That goes as far as runners, bussers,bartenders and servers. They deserve what the people who they are servering and getting personal with dictate.
I see where and why Davidsons came from with this but after my life in the industry I believe in tipping, and to say you won't allow them to take tips is being greedy after the prices already reflected the increase in payroll that is needed to bump the workers to minimum wage.
... said Clob on Jan 11, 2016 at 12:10 AM | link