When presented with the bill in a recent dining event, I was surprised to see a “20% service charge” as part of it. “What’s this?”, I asked the waiter.<\/p>\n
“It’s the service charge.” “Like the tips?” “Yes, we split them among all service staff.” I am kind of annoyed. Mandatory tips is not American except for special occasions such as large group.<\/p>\n
Clearly, after the Seattle minimal wage hike, from about $10 to $15, customers stopped giving tips. Those service staff, supposedly, got a 50% raise. “After all the deductions, I got less than old minimal wages,” said the waiter. What I gathered is that the service staff actually experienced a reduction of income after the minimal wage hike. I cannot fathom this was the objective for the socialist city councilwoman.<\/p>\n
Since the tips are included in the bill, I left no extra. This is pretty much the same as in many Asian countries. You paid exactly what’s billed, no more, no less. As I left the restaurant, I couldn’t help thinking that waiter is probably earning about the same income as before the minimal wage hike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When presented with the bill in a recent dining event, I was surprised to see a “20% service charge” as part of it. “What’s this?”, I asked the waiter. “It’s the service charge.” “Like the tips?” “Yes, we split them … Continue reading