Hellobee Boards

No, as a hostess I got paid minimum wage. They were a nice supplement when I got them though! I also think it's horrible how the food service industry forces servers to rely on tips to make up the remainder of their pay.

I haven't ever worked in a job where I received tips. Now, I'm glad I live in a state where there's no minimum wage carve-out for tipped professions (i.e. servers must be paid at least minimum wage and tips are on top of that), plus has one of the highest minimum wages in the country. I still tip well for good service but it makes me feel better to know that the servers are (somewhat) closer to being fairly paid.

I never worked a job that gave tips, so my answer is no. But where I live it's illegal to pay servers less than minimum wage, so tips are bonus - however I still feel like there is an expectation to tip, regardless of the service you receive. Which is just plain annoying.

I also feel like who we are "required" to tip is completely arbitrary and it definitely has gotten out of hand. Why do you tip the server who brings you the food (which I could really do myself), but not the people who actually cooked it? (looking at how restaurants are run in the kitchen on TV makes a servers job look like a piece of cake!)
Why do you tip a taxi driver and not a bus driver? Or an airline pilot?

I feel like it's become an expectation in society, when it should be seen more as a "gift" for going above and beyond. Tipping shouldn't give me great service in a restaurant - great service should be a part of that persons job. If they go above and beyond what is expected, then that deserves a tip.

@MaryM: "It's not about a person "expecting" a tip, but about us expecting amazing service and being willing to pay for it." -Yes. Totally agree.

I was a bartender for over a decade, my husband is currently still bartending. Tips have always been a big part of our lives.

I have been a waitress, a bus person, and a bar tender. So, yup. But I think there is a difference in expecting a tip if you make less than minimum wage for that purpose and making a good salary and still expecting a tip. I tip hairdressers, cab drivers, waiters etc, bellhops, valets, etc. but not garbage men, postal workers and the like.

I am confused. In the US, do servers make less than minimum wage? I don't think that is legal in Canada...but someone correct me if I am wrong.

...I would say that even at minimum wage, I relied on tips as a server when I did it for one summer in university!

Yes, I used to wait tables

@Shizaz: yes but servers get a fraction of the minimum wage and BoH is more than likely over. I remember when I was a line cook and my starting wage was around the 9$ mark (min wage at the time was 7~ish and servers were getting 5-6$). It's only fair that the servers receive a majority