So when do people stop going out to eat?

[fan4ever]

I have a customer who owns 5 Mexican Food Cafes here in the Phoenix area. The past few years we've reprinted their menus 6 times...always to accommodate higher prices. Their typical cost now is about $18.00 per entree...Mexican food.

On a personal note I stopped by a McDonald's today and paid $4.96 for a large order of fries. There's got to be a breaking point for most folks.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yeah, the tipping culture is out of hand, even worse than normal.

The ethical challenge for me is that I want people to make a livable wage, and a lot of jobs don't do that.

Having said that, if the person at the fast food window is making $17 an hour now, and then getting (total guess here) another $5 an hour in tips, that's a full-time equivalent of almost $46,000 per year. In Denver, that actually qualifies as a livable wage, and I wonder how it compares to a lot of new college grad jobs.

Good for them if they can make a livable age at the fast food window, I guess. But they'd better be doing a really good job of giving me fast service and good food.

Tipping culture got out of hand when places decided tips should pay wages so we're suppose to feel bad for them when in reality it's the owner being a ****.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Tipping culture got out of hand when places decided tips should pay wages so we're suppose to feel bad for them when in reality it's the owner being a ****.

That's a lot of it for sure.

Fast food people can make $12/hour starting out here. WalMart is about $11.50. Of course, there's room for advancement almost instantaneously (because of the shortage of workers) so they go up from their starting wage pretty fast.

Contrast that with full service restaurants. Some of the places around here don't even pay minimum wage ($7.25) so the servers are completely dependent on tips to make ends meet.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Not sure how. I don't even really eat at nice places outside of Friday or Saturday Night.

Mon breakfast: Clio Yogurt Bar $2, Perfect Protein Bar $3, Red Bull $3
Mon lunch: Chipotle Burrito with extra steak & chips $17
Mon dinner: Twisted Fresh Southwest Chicken Sandwich & chips $18
Mon late: C4 Energy Drink $2, Cashews $0.50, Yogurt $1.25

Tues breakfast: Toaster Strudel $2, Perfect Protein Bar $3, Red Bull $3
Tues lunch: Panda Express Plate $13
Tues dinner: Hawiaan Bros w/ Pineapple $16
Tues late: CFA Chicken Sandwich and Fries $13, Alani Energy Drink $2.50, Robert Irvine Protein Bar $2

Wed breakfast: Perfect Protein Bar $3, Half a thing of blueberries $3, Red Bull $3
Wed Lunch: Pegahs via Door Dash $27
Wed Dinner: KMachos Mexican Fajita $20
Wed late: C4 Energy drink $2, Cashews $0.50, Beef Jerky $2, Clio Yogurt Bar $2

Thurs breakfast: QuickTrip Donut holes $4, Red Bull $3, Half a pkg of blackberries $3
Thurs lunch: Chipotle burrito bowl with extra steak via Door Dash $30
Thurs dinner: Johnnys Tavern Stir Fry $20
Thurs late: Alani Energy Drink $2.50, Perfect Protein Bar $3

Fri breakfast: Ihop eggs, bacon, waffle via Door Dash $25, Red Bull $3
Fri lunch: Five guys burger and fries $15
Fri dinner: Stockhill Ribeye & glass of wine $80
Fri late: Crumbl Cookies $12, Red Bull $3

Sat breakfast: Perfect bar $3, Red Bull $3, Toaster Strudel $2
Sat lunch: California Pizza Kitchen pizza from Target $10
Sat Dinner: Joes KC Rib Dinner $22
Sat late: Taco Bell Chalupas $13

Sun breakfast: First Watch $20, Red Bull $3
Sun lunch: Chipotle burruto bowl with extra steak via door dash $30
Sun dinner: Street Tacos and rice. $16
Sun late: C4 Energy drink $2.50, KFC Chicken Sandwich $8

Shit I guess it is more than I thought. Thats like $600 a week so $2400 a month. Not sure how you guys with a bunch of mini mes running around can afford it.

red bull and eating out every day. Wow. I'd weigh like 300 lbs eating like that.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Tipping culture got out of hand when places decided tips should pay wages so we're suppose to feel bad for them when in reality it's the owner being a ****.

Yep. I hate having to use uber now, because the owners are apparently too rich to pay wages to their employees and started telling us to leave tips. I liked uber in the past precisely because I DIDN'T have to leave tips.

Just tell me what something costs and I'll pay it.

I did a Europe trip a couple of months ago, and it was so wonderful to see a price on the menu and pay that price without having taxes and tips added on. I don't understand why we don't do that here. Life would be so much better.

[loochy]

I really hate when you have to make the choice to add the tip BEFORE you get your food or service. 1) I don't know if they are going to do a good job and be deserving of a tip, and 2) I sometimes worry that if I put no tip then they'll spit in my food or something.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Not sure how. I don't even really eat at nice places outside of Friday or Saturday Night.

Mon breakfast: Clio Yogurt Bar $2, Perfect Protein Bar $3, Red Bull $3
Mon lunch: Chipotle Burrito with extra steak & chips $17
Mon dinner: Twisted Fresh Southwest Chicken Sandwich & chips $18
Mon late: C4 Energy Drink $2, Cashews $0.50, Yogurt $1.25

Tues breakfast: Toaster Strudel $2, Perfect Protein Bar $3, Red Bull $3
Tues lunch: Panda Express Plate $13
Tues dinner: Hawiaan Bros w/ Pineapple $16
Tues late: CFA Chicken Sandwich and Fries $13, Alani Energy Drink $2.50, Robert Irvine Protein Bar $2

Wed breakfast: Perfect Protein Bar $3, Half a thing of blueberries $3, Red Bull $3
Wed Lunch: Pegahs via Door Dash $27
Wed Dinner: KMachos Mexican Fajita $20
Wed late: C4 Energy drink $2, Cashews $0.50, Beef Jerky $2, Clio Yogurt Bar $2

Thurs breakfast: QuickTrip Donut holes $4, Red Bull $3, Half a pkg of blackberries $3
Thurs lunch: Chipotle burrito bowl with extra steak via Door Dash $30
Thurs dinner: Johnnys Tavern Stir Fry $20
Thurs late: Alani Energy Drink $2.50, Perfect Protein Bar $3

Fri breakfast: Ihop eggs, bacon, waffle via Door Dash $25, Red Bull $3
Fri lunch: Five guys burger and fries $15
Fri dinner: Stockhill Ribeye & glass of wine $80
Fri late: Crumbl Cookies $12, Red Bull $3

Sat breakfast: Perfect bar $3, Red Bull $3, Toaster Strudel $2
Sat lunch: California Pizza Kitchen pizza from Target $10
Sat Dinner: Joes KC Rib Dinner $22
Sat late: Taco Bell Chalupas $13

Sun breakfast: First Watch $20, Red Bull $3
Sun lunch: Chipotle burruto bowl with extra steak via door dash $30
Sun dinner: Street Tacos and rice. $16
Sun late: C4 Energy drink $2.50, KFC Chicken Sandwich $8

Shit I guess it is more than I thought. Thats like $600 a week so $2400 a month. Not sure how you guys with a bunch of mini mes running around can afford it.

Cashews for 50 cents? Are you stealing them from cashew farmers or something?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yep. I hate having to use uber now, because the owners are apparently too rich to pay wages to their employees and started telling us to leave tips. I liked uber in the past precisely because I DIDN'T have to leave tips.

Just tell me what something costs and I'll pay it.

I did a Europe trip a couple of months ago, and it was so wonderful to see a price on the menu and pay that price without having taxes and tips added on. I don't understand why we don't do that here. Life would be so much better.

The US is still firmly in the "work hard and get ahead" mindset, even though a lot of us know that's a lie.

Europeans are pretty good at taking care of the little people. Not to say that it's perfect by any means but in a lot of ways, it's superior to the US.

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I don't understand why we don't do that here.

Um...

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by loochy

I really hate when you have to make the choice to add the tip BEFORE you get your food or service. 1) I don't know if they are going to do a good job and be deserving of a tip, and 2) I sometimes worry that if I put no tip then they'll spit in my food or something.

That absolutely does happen.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yep. I hate having to use uber now, because the owners are apparently too rich to pay wages to their employees and started telling us to leave tips. I liked uber in the past precisely because I DIDN'T have to leave tips.

Just tell me what something costs and I'll pay it.

I did a Europe trip a couple of months ago, and it was so wonderful to see a price on the menu and pay that price without having taxes and tips added on. I don't understand why we don't do that here. Life would be so much better.

Yea to be honest with you, it's just their way of maximizing profits, shareholders etc etc..

It's honestly no different than how if someone gets sick and starts a gofundme so they can pay for medical care or for their kid etc and people think that they got all that donations is a feel good story when in reality it should be a story about how terrible our healthcare system is.

[ToxSocks]

Lol, my local 7-11 has a tip jar. All of my pot shops have tip jars.

My favorite is how Walmart+ auto applies a driver tip to your order and you have to manually zero it out.

I use to tip grocery delivery drivers. Im over that shit now. I don't tip that shit and i no longer care.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

The US is still firmly in the "work hard and get ahead" mindset, even though a lot of us know that's a lie.

Europeans are pretty good at taking care of the little people. Not to say that it's perfect by any means but in a lot of ways, it's superior to the US.

Current America is like joining a monopoly game when all the property is already owned, houses and hotels placed, and then getting yelled at that you have nothing cause you're just lazy.

[ToxSocks]

BUT...I am a sucker for the ol' round up your change for donation trick.

[fan4ever]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yeah, the tipping culture is out of hand, even worse than normal.

The ethical challenge for me is that I want people to make a livable wage, and a lot of jobs don't do that.

Having said that, if the person at the fast food window is making $17 an hour now, and then getting (total guess here) another $5 an hour in tips, that's a full-time equivalent of almost $46,000 per year. In Denver, that actually qualifies as a livable wage, and I wonder how it compares to a lot of new college grad jobs.

Good for them if they can make a livable age at the fast food window, I guess. But they'd better be doing a really good job of giving me fast service and good food.

Bud Light used to do hilarious commercials about "here's to you" covering all sorts of jobs...bowling shoe spray guy for example...and they did one with the baristas treating people like vermin, charging people way too much, and still having the gall to put that tip jar out there...

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

BUT...I am a sucker for the ol' round up your change for donation trick.

See, I never do that. I always tip, even if it's pennies on the dollar. But I never do the "round up for charity" thing. At least I know where my money is going if I leave a tip.