Here's a tip: Don't

[Unkotare]

Unkotare. Prices will naturally increase

We AGREE to that point.

The best argument I've heard against tipping is that somehow this price is a secret to the customer, a hidden charge.

Why would that be a good argument?

It's not, so the argument seems weak.

The 'argument' is that tipping is an idiotic practice that tries to put the owner's managerial responsibilities onto the customer. Charge a price for food, pay your employees, leave me out of it.

 

[Andylusion]

With all the technology and social media at our disposal it would be simpler now than it has ever been.

That was the most stupid response from you yet.

So you are manager at a restaurant and the way you plan to make sure your waiters are providing great service..... is with Twitter or Facebook?

Did I say that? There are many, many ways to use various technologies and/or social media (to say nothing of all sorts of old-fashioned methods) as part of the responsibility to receive and respond to customer feedback. Is it too difficult a concept for you?

But customers do not always give feed back, and even if they did, most do not tell you exactly which server it was, unless they did something specificaly bad. Most servers don't give service so bad that they end up reported.

The problem is just lack luster service. And most customers are not going to waste their time to go find your face book page just to say "Bobby didn't fill my glass up for 10 minutes."

I'm sorry, but that's not a solution. You should know better. You have convinced me you don't know what you are talking about. Having worked in restaurants myself, I know better than that. I don't even time to go around checking face book posts every day, to make sure servers are doing a good job. Seriously.... you don't know what you are talking about. Sorry. You have discredited yourself from your own thread.

 

[Andylusion]

Why would that be a good argument?

It's not, so the argument seems weak.

The 'argument' is that tipping is an idiotic practice that tries to put the owner's managerial responsibilities onto the customer. Charge a price for food, pay your employees, leave me out of it.

But you are never going to be left out of it. If we don't have the tipping system, then I'm going to charge you DIRECTLY a higher price.... to pay the tip. The only difference will be that you will pay the tip without a choice in the matter.

So your service will decline. That's how that works. This isn't Japan. Sorry.

 

[Unkotare]

But customers do not always give feed back

It's a good manager's job to get that feedback, not just sit passively and wait for it.

 

[Unkotare]

and even if they did, most do not tell you exactly which server it was

There are lots of ways to get that information. You sound like a shitty, lazy manager.

 

[Unkotare]

The problem is just lack luster service.

If you don't know who is providing good service or not you are a crappy manager.

 

[Unkotare]

If we don't have the tipping system, then I'm going to charge you DIRECTLY a higher price.... to pay the tip.

Not to pay the tip, to pay your employee their salary or hourly wage. How much you pay them is your job to negotiate, not mine as a customer.

 

[Unkotare]

So your service will decline. That's how that works. .

There is no reason it has to. Service used to be much better in this country.

 

[Unkotare]

[

So your service will decline. That's how that works. This isn't Japan. Sorry.

It is offensive to me as an American that you think Americans are incapable of taking pride in their work.

 

[Andylusion]

[

So your service will decline. That's how that works. This isn't Japan. Sorry.

It is offensive to me as an American that you think Americans are incapable of taking pride in their work.

Yet another really dumb comment.

*I* take pride in my work. I work my butt off. I work as hard as I possibly know how.

Yet there are people in my company that simply don't, and they don't.

We're not Japan. The culture there is different. They have a very ingrained belief in the greater good.

We as a society, don't. Some of us do, but most do not.

I just remembered back in early 2000s, I was working for a place, and there was an Asian manager there, and he gave a pep-talk about how we should work hard for the company, because it would benefit us to benefit the company.

The Americans laughed at that. I know, I was there. It illustrated the difference in culture right there.

So my point is, if you hire a bunch of people in your store in Japan, chances are that you will not have to worry about them. Japanese are very much self motivated, and extremely polite, and take pride in their work no matter what it is.

You do the same thing here, and you don't get that result. You can deny it, but you are wrong. I know, I've been there and done that. If you deny that, then you are either extremely lucky, or lying, or ignorant.

Hiring Generation U: Problems With the Recent Crop of College Grads - ERE.net

My recent post on Generation U (underemployed and unemployed) generated an enormous amount of activity on ERE. This is a topic of some interest to recruiters, so in this post I’ll focus on some of the challenges that this generation faces in getting and staying employed.

This group does not have a good image — the New York Post called it “The Worst Generation,” citing research that shows Gen U members as being very narcissistic and with a high sense of entitlement. Apparently they have a very inflated sense of self. “They want to be CEO tomorrow,” is a common refrain from corporate recruiters. A survey showed that when it comes to work, what Gen U cares about most are high salaries and lots of time off. They are also unable to take criticism — frequently believing they are doing great work when they aren’t.

This is reality. This is the real American world. You can either deny it, and be ignorant, or accept it for what it is.

Generation U, believes they are entitled, they are narcissistic, they want tons of money, and time off. They think they are doing great work, when they suck.

This is translating more directly into customer relationship in stores and restaurants. It's hard to see it, when it's in the corporate world, in a cubical somewhere. But when they are plopping a plate down in front of you, and spilling your drink, or filling up your cup with flat soda, that's when you see it.

I'm not suggesting American's "can't" take pride in their work. It's just simply that they don't. They want time off. They think their awesome when they suck. That's what the modern American employee is. I've seen this at my own work place too.

 

[Andylusion]

So your service will decline. That's how that works. .

There is no reason it has to. Service used to be much better in this country.

Yes, service was much better, and we've always had a tipping system.

We also had a protestant work ethic. Now we have the Atheist no-work ethic.

No, there is no reason it has to be. But.... it is. Without that tipping system, service will decline. Money is the motivator. Should it be? No. But it is.

If you know of a way to remake American culture into the better aspects of the Japanese culture, I am all for it. Please do so. By all means. We are in bad shape culturally.

 

[Andylusion]

If we don't have the tipping system, then I'm going to charge you DIRECTLY a higher price.... to pay the tip.

Not to pay the tip, to pay your employee their salary or hourly wage. How much you pay them is your job to negotiate, not mine as a customer.

Dude... where do you think I get the money? Every single penny that I pay them, comes from you.

I don't have magic money tree. Do you?

So if you eliminate tips, then I have to pay them that money. If I have to pay them that money, then I have to charge you that money.

If that employee is paid the $3 per table from me, instead of you..... then I have to charge you another $3.

*YOU* are going to pay that tip, whether you do it directly by choice, or through me through higher prices for your food. Either way, you pay it.

You want to know how much Norway pays McDonald's employees? $15 an hour.

Want to know how much Norway McDonald's charges customers?

$16 for a burger. (91 Krone roughly translates to $15.50. Notice, that's not the big mac meal, with a drink and fries. That's just the burger alone)

They have no minimum wage by the way.

Where did the Norway McDonald's get the money to pay the higher wage?

From the customer. McDonald's doesn't have a magic money tree either.

*YOU THE CUSTOMER* will ALWAYS.... pay the tip to the employees. You either do it directly, by choice, when you get good service.... or you do it by force, through higher prices, whether you get good service or not.

Like I said. I'd rather pay the tip only when I get good service. If you'd rather pay the tip regardless of service, that's your choice, but I think it's a bad choice.

 

[Unkotare]

We're not Japan. The culture there is different. They have a very ingrained belief in the greater good.

We as a society, don't. Some of us do, but most do not.

**** you "most." We don't need your un-American pessimism in my country.

 

[Pop23]

 

[Unkotare]

Dude... where do you think I get the money? Every single penny that I pay them, comes from you.

Great, pay them and leave me out of the salary negotiations.

 

[Unkotare]

*YOU THE CUSTOMER* will ALWAYS.... pay the tip to the employees.

No, I'll pay the bill. You pay your employee. Call it a tip, call it a donation, call it a sign of your great esteem for them, I don't care. Just post the price and then pay your people. Leave me out of the rest.

 

[mamooth]

We also had a protestant work ethic. Now we have the Atheist no-work ethic.

Not being a bigot, I won't blame your unwillingness to pay your employee's wages on a religion or lack of religion.

 

[Noomi]

You want to know how much Norway pays McDonald's employees? $15 an hour.

Want to know how much Norway McDonald's charges customers?

$16 for a burger. (91 Krone roughly translates to $15.50. Notice, that's not the big mac meal, with a drink and fries. That's just the burger alone)

They have no minimum wage by the way.

Where did the Norway McDonald's get the money to pay the higher wage?

From the customer. McDonald's doesn't have a magic money tree either.

*YOU THE CUSTOMER* will ALWAYS.... pay the tip to the employees. You either do it directly, by choice, when you get good service.... or you do it by force, through higher prices, whether you get good service or not.

Like I said. I'd rather pay the tip only when I get good service. If you'd rather pay the tip regardless of service, that's your choice, but I think it's a bad choice.

There are just over 5 million people in Norway, and only about 73 McDonalds stores. They are justified in charging the high price because there are so few stores, most of which are frequented by tourists, who will pay the high price.

 

[Unkotare]

After I banned tipping at my restaurant, the service got better and we made more money ? Quartz

"We became the first and, for years, the only table-service restaurant in America where you couldn’t pay more money than the amount we charged you.
+
You can guess what happened. Our service improved, our revenue went up, and both our business and our employees made more money. "

Well, well, well...

 

[Unkotare]

From the same link:

"Researchers have found that customers don’t actually vary their tips much according to service. Instead they tip mostly the same every time, according to their personal habits.

Tipped servers, in turn, learn that service quality isn’t particularly important to their revenue. Instead they are rewarded for maximizing the number of guests they serve, even though that degrades service quality.

Furthermore, servers in tipping environments learn to profile guests (pdf), and attend mainly to those who fit the stereotypes of good tippers. This may increase the server’s earnings, while creating negative experiences for the many restaurant customers who are women, ethnic minorities, elderly or from foreign countries.

On the occasions when a server is punished for poor service by a customer withholding a standard tip, the server can keep that information to himself. While the customer thinks she is sending a message, that message never makes it to a manager, and the problem is never addressed."