Poagao's Journal

Absolutely Not Your Monkey

Jul 21 2005

Here’s a question: Why aren’t these people in jail…

Here’s a question: Why aren’t these people in jail? (link via Kottke)

No, I don’t mean the tippers, I mean the waitstaff who decided they didn’t like their tips, took private credit card information and posted on the Internet. Has the concept of privacy in America become so tenuous and illusory that this kind of blatantly illegal action is somehow acceptable? Something tells me that waitstaff who are willing to do this kind of thing for “anything under 17%” probably got what they deserved in the tip department, though they’re lucky they’re still not incarcerated or fined, much less unemployed. The cooks, the busboys, and everyone else, they have to pay a certain amount, because they don’t get tips. Waitresses get tips, for some reason.

I never liked the whole dynamic that tipping causes. When I was in the states, I was never certain where I stood in my debt to the restaurant. Who am I to decide how much your staff is paid? Shouldn’t that be the job of the people who run the restaurant? It’s an awkward position to be in. I never know what people expect to get, what they’re going to do if they feel dissatisfied, whether I paid too little or too much; it pretty much ruins the experience of dining out in America. I do understand that the system in America demands that customers pay part of the waitstaff’s salary; it’s a great system for the restaurants; they can pay these employees squat and get away with it.

For everyone else involved, however, it sucks. I’m glad the custom of tipping hasn’t made it over here yet.

posted by Poagao at 4:54 pm  

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