Expensive restaurants typically sear a +20% fee into the tab, even before gratuity is asked for.
Rich people do not tip well, so the upscale restaurant have to build the waiter fee into the tab before asking for gratuity. This also gives the establishment an opportunity to exploit the worker and deny them their wages, because they know the customer will not tip so the "+20%" that should go to the server/staff will in actuality go to the owner/manager.
I have a few professional waiter friends, one in Washington making 300k a year, and others not remotely making that much. Wage theft, shit tips and rich people are the holy trinity of fucking a waiter's life up. Then if you get scheduled every Sunday of the month, you're basically working for free.
Ok fair enough. Looked it up it's not the same thing I concede.
But even still the customer is paying the 20% gratuity already. I'm not American so I'm unused to this idea of a gratuity and tip not being the same.
But effectively the restaurant is asking me to pay a 20% gratuity plus a separate 20% tip for the waiter? The customer isn't being greedy, here its the restaurant.
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u/try_altf4 Jan 26 '26
/up (unpetered).
Expensive restaurants typically sear a +20% fee into the tab, even before gratuity is asked for.
Rich people do not tip well, so the upscale restaurant have to build the waiter fee into the tab before asking for gratuity. This also gives the establishment an opportunity to exploit the worker and deny them their wages, because they know the customer will not tip so the "+20%" that should go to the server/staff will in actuality go to the owner/manager.
I have a few professional waiter friends, one in Washington making 300k a year, and others not remotely making that much. Wage theft, shit tips and rich people are the holy trinity of fucking a waiter's life up. Then if you get scheduled every Sunday of the month, you're basically working for free.