New York sushi restaurant owner BANS tips, raises waitress pay.

[Sinbad]

This. No tip means no reason for the waitor to excel. We'll all get substandard service delivery now as payment is not dependant on performance.

Just like government.

In SA perhaps. In the states waiters at decent restaurants consider themselves professionals and will do a good job because they have a sense of pride. Do you expect a tip from your boss every time you get something right?

 

[Fudzy]

Yeah I've got no problem with this, I think this is what Nandos does as I've never seen the watrons there being tipped as you've paid for your food already. To boot, they are some of the most attentive, professionally mannered watrons that have ever served me.

 

[Chevron]

Yeah I've got no problem with this, I think this is what Nandos does as I've never seen the watrons there being tipped as you've paid for your food already. To boot, they are some of the most attentive, professionally mannered watrons that have ever served me.

Nando's isn't a restaurant. It's a fast food joint.


Easiest way to tell the difference is with a restaurant you pay after you eat. Fast food joints you pay before.

 

[Fudzy]

Nando's isn't a restaurant. It's a fast food joint.

Easiest way to tell the difference is with a restaurant you pay after you eat. Fast food joints you pay before.

Thanks, I realise that, they do still have a sit down area where they bring your food to your table, cutlery, ensure the orders correct, ask how the meal is, clean up and do everything with a smile. That to me is type of service that would render a huge tip in a restaurant.

 

[cerebus]

This. No tip means no reason for the waitor to excel. We'll all get substandard service delivery now as payment is not dependant on performance.

Just like government.

What happens when you create a discretionary tip is, firstly you make the income of waiters highly unstable - on good days you take in a lot, on bad days you struggle to pay the rent. Secondly, you make them beholden to irrational customer demands rather than placing the burden of training and upholding staff standards on the restaurant itself. Thirdly, it creates this arbitrary discrepancy between waiting staff and any other kind of restaurant staff, or normal service provider. Why not tip the cook? They inarguably provided a more valuable service to you than the person who shunted the food back and forth.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

If you are earning dollars and working in dollars , $285.80 is acceptable

Working in Rands and thinking in Dollars, Euro's or Pounds everything will be hectically priced.

My Dad worked in the States for a couple of years and paid in Dollars what I paid in Rands for the same restaurant food. Eg $70 for a steak, I paid R75 for same quality at a Winelands Restaurant.

Consider the fact that my salary is R5 = $1 if I'm comparing what I could earn in the States with my skillset.

My Dad did comment that fast food (take out) is dirt cheap over there.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

In SA perhaps. In the states waiters at decent restaurants consider themselves professionals and will do a good job because they have a sense of pride. Do you expect a tip from your boss every time you get something right?

Yes of course, most South Africans do because its that thing called entitlement.

... and that gets me with my staff when they feel just because they did their job, we must now reward them more.

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

I pay tips depending on the waiter's performance....

 

[Mystic Twilight]

This. No tip means no reason for the waitor to excel. We'll all get substandard service delivery now as payment is not dependant on performance.

Just like government.

That is a SA thing, as Sinbad has pointed out waiters in other countries uphold a higher standard and level of professionalism. Of course you cant generalise that, your Burger King cashier probably has the same attitude as our local KFC ones (though the McDonalds cashier guys in Hong Kong are very courteous). Probably the biggest reason for service/performance being linked to tips/performance bonus is that we can't just fire employees. Imagine if you could fire an employee without the CCMA on your ass, workplace incompetence won't be much of an issue and your food order will most likely be correct a vast majority of the time. Employer abuse is a different issue though.

Nando's isn't a restaurant. It's a fast food joint.


Easiest way to tell the difference is with a restaurant you pay after you eat. Fast food joints you pay before.

What is Wimpy ?

 

[F1 Fan]

Totally agree with this concept. Absolutely hate having to work out a tip. Would prefer just paying the bill.

 

[GreGorGy]

Did I miss something? That does not look like dinner for 2. More like for 1.

 

[Sinbad]

Did I miss something? That does not look like dinner for 2. More like for 1.

waiter: 1 MG
Cust: 2

 

[GreGorGy]

waiter: 1 MG
Cust: 2

Ah - so I did miss something. Thanks...

 

[Icarium]

If you are earning dollars and working in dollars , $285.80 is acceptable

Working in Rands and thinking in Dollars, Euro's or Pounds everything will be hectically priced.

I have reasonably well off family over there and they'd freak if they got a bill of that magnitude for a meal for four, nevermind two. Meals at decent restaurants usually come in at about $20 a head...

$285 may be acceptable for those who patronise such establishments in the first place, but defintely not for the average american!

 

[GreGorGy]

http://www.yelp.com/menu/sushi-yasuda-new-york

Dunno how accurate those prices are.

 

[Chevron]

That is a SA thing, as Sinbad has pointed out waiters in other countries uphold a higher standard and level of professionalism. Of course you cant generalise that, your Burger King cashier probably has the same attitude as our local KFC ones (though the McDonalds cashier guys in Hong Kong are very courteous). Probably the biggest reason for service/performance being linked to tips/performance bonus is that we can't just fire employees. Imagine if you could fire an employee without the CCMA on your ass, workplace incompetence won't be much of an issue and your food order will most likely be correct a vast majority of the time. Employer abuse is a different issue though.




What is Wimpy ?

Still fast food as the waitron doesn't handle the payment.

 

[cerebus]

I have reasonably well off family over there and they'd freak if they got a bill of that magnitude for a meal for four, nevermind two. Meals at decent restaurants usually come in at about $20 a head...

Sure at Olive Garden or so. But we're talking about a premium restaurant here.. it's pricey, that's what you get. $285 for 2 with a 20% surcharge factored in is $114 a head versus a normal restaurant. I do not consider that overpriced for a high cuisine meal.

 

[SoulTax]

My Dad worked in the States for a couple of years and paid in Dollars what I paid in Rands for the same restaurant food. Eg $70 for a steak, I paid R75 for same quality at a Winelands Restaurant.

Consider the fact that my salary is R5 = $1 if I'm comparing what I could earn in the States with my skillset.

My Dad did comment that fast food (take out) is dirt cheap over there.

$70 for a steak is seriously pricey. But guaranteed that was at a pretty pricey restaurant. I don't think that this comparison is valid really. For instance I can go to a decent spot in my local town and pay between 7 and 14 pounds for a steak. Which is more expensive than SA for sure. But for me to find a steak that costs 50 or 60 (The equiv of $70) I would need to find a premium restaurant in a very wealthy area.

Your dad was eating at a very pricey joint, and it is not fair to compare those prices to Spur/Dros/etc....

 

[GreGorGy]

Sure at Olive Garden or so. But we're talking about a premium restaurant here.. it's pricey, that's what you get. $285 for 2 with a 20% surcharge factored in is $114 a head versus a normal restaurant. I do not consider that overpriced for a high cuisine meal.

That reminds me - we must do dinner sometime. Your treat.

Seriously though - I think you may have a point. And that link has locals reviewing the place saying it is the best ever so all in all, to be expected. I had dinner at Bell Gables (I think it was there - they complained when I fired up a romeo) about 10 years ago (if not more) and it was a few hundred a head back then. Adjusting for inflation, that was probably close to this amount I suppose.

 

[SoulTax]

About five years ago my dad went to Paris for work... cup of coffee was 10 euros. I think his dinner bill ended on around 150 or 200 euros (for 1 person). Thankfully the work paid

Another bad representation. I went to Paris 10 months ago and We managed to eat for 5 for about 80 Euros, and it was really great food.

The issue here is that people go to Top Tourist destinations and eat at wherever is convenient. Those convenient places, know that they are getting lots of tourists, and so hike their prices a lot. We fell prey to it on the first night that we were there. After that we ate where the locals ate, and the food was better and cheaper.