Waiting staff earnings in USA

Waiting staff earnings in USA

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jonah35

Original Poster:

3,940 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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You know how people tip say 15-20% in the USA. Well, let's say an average spend is 50-70 dollars per couple in the usual chain places then that's 7.50 to 14 dollars per couple per waiter. They must look after what 10 or 20 tables per hour.

So that's 100 to 200 dollars per hour in tips.

Even if I'm way out they cannot be earning less than 30 dollars per hour in tips?!

What do you all think? Do they have a Maserati round the corner?

MrBarry123

6,025 posts

120 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Your calculation is assuming 100% of all tips go direct to those who collected it which may not be the case?

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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"Service charge". So basically the manager gets an additional $30 per hour.

Odhran

579 posts

182 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Always thought this. Even if they are waiting 3/4 tables at $15/20 a go then they are on a winner.

Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

178 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Restaurants aren't usually full all day. The place may be packed for dinner but only serve a couple of tables throughout the day.

deckster

9,630 posts

254 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Not sure what your point is.

Are you asking us to check your maths?
Are you asking us to explain the economics of the restaurant business?
Do you think that waiting staff should in some way be excluded from earning a decent wage?

Please do elucidate.

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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A lot of them go into a pot to get shared out so the kitchen staff get some as well.

Condi

17,088 posts

170 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
Your logic is terrible, or you never have worked in a resturant.

A good server might look after 10 maybe 15 tables max. On a Saturday night you might, if you're lucky get them turned over twice. So maybe 20 tables, at maybe $10 - 15 tip per table. So, assuming everything goes well the very best, on the busiest nights, might get $600. In most places, those are split between kitchen staff as well, so lets say take home is $400.

Now, what about the lunchtime shifts? When there are maybe 5 or 10 tables, eating a quick $20 meal, and leaving a small tip. So you've maybe earnt $50 that day in tips, plus your wage.

The restaurants dont pay much wage, maybe $5 an hour. So the tips are everything. Yes, they earn more than UK waitress, but what you do get is professional waiters. Its not always a student on minimum wage who doesnt really care about their job; its people who want to do it, earn a decent wage, and as a result the standard of service is much higher.

jonah35

Original Poster:

3,940 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
deckster said:
Not sure what your point is.

Are you asking us to check your maths?
Are you asking us to explain the economics of the restaurant business?
Do you think that waiting staff should in some way be excluded from earning a decent wage?

Please do elucidate.
My point is simply they must be on good money so it's arguably a viable career in the states especially in busy places like Vegas on the strip.

jonah35

Original Poster:

3,940 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
Condi said:
Your logic is terrible, or you never have worked in a resturant.

A good server might look after 10 maybe 15 tables max. On a Saturday night you might, if you're lucky get them turned over twice. So maybe 20 tables, at maybe $10 - 15 tip per table. So, assuming everything goes well the very best, on the busiest nights, might get $600. In most places, those are split between kitchen staff as well, so lets say take home is $400.

Now, what about the lunchtime shifts? When there are maybe 5 or 10 tables, eating a quick $20 meal, and leaving a small tip. So you've maybe earnt $50 that day in tips, plus your wage.

The restaurants dont pay much wage, maybe $5 an hour. So the tips are everything. Yes, they earn more than UK waitress, but what you do get is professional waiters. Its not always a student on minimum wage who doesnt really care about their job; its people who want to do it, earn a decent wage, and as a result the standard of service is much higher.
Good points. But also there are the places where I go with say 4 of us and the bill is mUch more and we pay say 20% - often can pay a tip of 40 dollars per table of 4, easily and this is just for a chain place

anyway, just an observation more than anything but just find it interesting.

I bet if you worked in Vegas on the strip where it's busy all the time you could earn a reasonable wage so not a bad lifestyle. Especially for say a young British girl or something as they could, perhaps, get more tips if Americans start talking about where you're from etc.



Gareth79

7,628 posts

245 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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The other thing is tipping isn't as common or generous as visitors are led to believe - older people are stingy, tourists often don't learn the etiquette, and others will make up excuses in their mind to reduce or not tip.

GroundEffect

13,819 posts

155 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
Considering they earn ~$2 an hour without tips, it's a fking stupid system. The punters shouldn't be allowed to subsidise the wages because the management want to skimp.




Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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A lot of them do see it as a career. Some of the drinks hostesses in top hotels earn a lot of money.

northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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This is a bit "Plumbers Wages" maths that you see in the papers - i.e. if a plumber gets a call out at night & charges £100 per hour then it stands to reason a plumber makes £800 per day or £160k per annum based on a 200 working day year.

"Outrageous, that's more than the PM" etc.

Apart from you won't get 8 callouts a night every night for 200 days.

Sheepshanks

32,528 posts

118 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Tales are legion of Disney restaurant staff making well in excess of $100K - and cost of living there is about the same in $ as ours in £.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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If you think everyone tips 15-20% you are sorely mistaken!

The Moose

22,821 posts

208 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
GroundEffect said:
Considering they earn ~$2 an hour without tips, it's a fking stupid system. The punters shouldn't be allowed to subsidise the wages because the management want to skimp.
It's actually quite straight forward and the good thing is that the wait staff are motivated to provide more than the bare minimum level of service.

jonah35

Original Poster:

3,940 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
northwest monkey said:
This is a bit "Plumbers Wages" maths that you see in the papers - i.e. if a plumber gets a call out at night & charges £100 per hour then it stands to reason a plumber makes £800 per day or £160k per annum based on a 200 working day year.

"Outrageous, that's more than the PM" etc.

Apart from you won't get 8 callouts a night every night for 200 days.
Yeah I appreciate that but say for a chain place in a busy American city it must always be busy? So they must always make reasonable tips, no?

I have no knowledge other than what I see and calculate when sat swigging a beer - I may well be wrong but just thought it worthy of consideration and discussion.

I just find it interesting, that's all

_rubinho_

1,237 posts

182 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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I was told by a waitress in Austin that they are taxed on an expected amount of tips supplementing their sub minimum-wage earnings. This means if customers don't tip and they don't make the expected amount they pay income tax on money they haven't earned. Tips are effectively part of the salary declared or not.

Gaz413823

55 posts

122 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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The IRS have done the same calculation as the op so they have tax obligations from the start. Also they have to tip the support staff such as chefs , kitchen hands, maitre'd etc all based on 15 - 22% , the bar owner might take a cut. It doesn't all go to the waitress.