Comment · Thu, June 21, 2012
I am a waitress and an Atheist. I received this as payment, rather than actual money.
What they were answering
Cyralea · -2 points
No, that's a solid average. There are an exceptional few who make even more than that at high end restaurants, where the work is much the same but the price of the food is higher and the affluence of clientelle is greater. There are similarly outliers on the low end that only end up making minimum wage, or even below it and simply fail to exert their rights.
Also, I should note, a lot of waitresses also under-report their earnings come tax time, as it's mostly cash.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb
I went out the other night for dinner. I got 2 Guinness drafts, some crab cakes, and some oysters. The bill came out to $35, or $38 with tax. I was there for 30 minutes. The amount of time my server spent on me was less than 5 minutes. I also noticed her serving 5 other tables besides mine. If I were to tip the 20% that is "expected" for good service, that would be $7. That means she would be making $14/hour just off my table! Factor in the other tables and she was clearing between $50-$100 per hour in tips! Most tables got way more food than I did, but they stayed a little longer. So I am expected to subsidize her check the equivalent of $14/hour for her 5 minutes work bringing my two plates and two beers 15 feet from the bar? I just don't get it. Now if I had a large table that required a lot of work, then I could see the tip going up. For little old me sitting there, in and out in a flash? No way! I always tip, but this 15%-20% thing is madness as a rule of thumb!