Like most Americans I eat out a lot. Or I go take out a lot. Some days there is no motivation to cook or the husband and I decide that we must have _____ for dinner. Actually, that isn't exactly true. My husband NEVER knows what he wants to eat. The man makes high level decisions all day but something mundane as food is too minute to wrap his brain around. I am not sure what he does when I'm not here but so far he hasn't starved to death.
Off topic for just a minute. A couple of years ago husband was away on business making important decisions for a couple of weeks. One evening I went to a neighborhood restaurant, name rhymes with scrappletees, to pick up a sad, one woman dinner. I sat at the bar and had my sad, one woman drink while I waited. This dude next to me whipped out his smart phone and watched some porn he had down loaded earlier. Really? I asked him, "You can't wait til you're home or go to you car for some privacy?" He asked if I wanted to watch too. In a family restaurant bar. "YES!, please, stranger. There is no better way to get to know someone. Please explain the complicated plot to me". Not really. I believe I sneered and accidentally spilled my drink.
Back on topic. Heresthedeal. Why do patrons pay the wait staff at a restaurant? I mean I was raised to tip. I am an over-tipper. But it makes me wonder; why doesn't the owner pay the wait staff? How did this start? When I buy a car I know the salesman is making money but the dealership owner doesn't expect me to pay a little something extra out of my pocket for the fine service. Yet when I have a $200.00 fancy dinner I have to pay an extra 20% so my waiter or waitress, busboy, bartender, bar back, everyone who sees me walk into the restaurant, doesn't go hungry. That goes for my car too, I have pay to get it back after I paid to park it because little Bobby drove it a block. These restaurateurs are not poor. Some of them are quite wealthy. Wait staff employees work hard to get those jobs because the patrons pay so well.
What a deal! I want a business where I don't have to pay my staff squat but I expect them to bust their ass to make me rich while my patrons/clients pay me AND them. That's better than being a lawyer! And those people can bill like nothing I have ever seen. Really, their billing should be criminal. It is close to extortion.
The times I have been to Chicago I have been amazed at all the tipping you have to do in a day if you are downtown. Park your car? Better tip REAL well because your car might be used in a string of robberies during the day. NEVER tell the attendant how long you will be gone. Staying in a hotel downtown? They have these very cool, stylishly dressed doormen to help you through the revolving doors, you tip them. Bellman takes your luggage, you tip 'em. Concierge helps you with anything, you tip 'em. Want your car back for a few hours? Tip 'em. Go into a restaurant and just keep money in your hand. Even in the bathrooms. The "attendant" wants to help you? Thanks, mom covered all this with me a long, long time ago. Tip 'em anyway.
Taxi drivers charge you out the wazoo for a ride. In the winter they keep the heat full blast and the windows down. They are always on their phone speaking in a different language. They do not acknowledge you so you have no idea if they understand where you want to go. When they finally get you to your destination they expect you to fly out of the cab, on the curb side, pay them and tip them for not killing you every time they ran a red light.
How did this all begin? I want to know. I bet some rich guy started the tradition. He got good service and paid extra. Then he got better service. His rich friends noticed how much better other dude's service was. They started paying extra too. Then it became a contest. Ten percent was the number forever. Now it's twenty percent. If we aren't careful, soon it will be twenty-five percent....then thirty.....then fifty. Someday we will pay more for the service than the actual goods received.
Wait! We already do that every April 15th!
You're welcome,
Lillybell Blues
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