In the US, it’s generally accepted that when you eat at a restaurant, you must tip. The general guideline is 15-20%, more or less, and is based on the performance of the server. There are many differing opinions on gratuities, especially with individuals who have themselves been servers/waiters/waitresses.
I like to eat at mom and pop restaurants. At many of these restaurants, the owner or family will be the one serving your food. After you meal, do you tip the owner?
I feel uncomfortable tipping the owner of a restaurant. I feel like it’s almost an insult to the owner. Tipping carries an underlying connotation of class structure. You tip people that serve you. By tipping someone, you are implying that (for this interaction at least) you are above them. This is further cemented by the accepted salary for waitstaff which is $2.13 an hour in Texas. many waiters and waitresses depend on tips to make a living.
I do not own a restaurant, but as an entrepreneur, I consider restaurateur to be a position of prestige. By tipping the owner, you are lowering the class of the owner. I may be way off base here, but I don’t believe a restaurateur goes into business expecting to make tips. You figure out your costs and other variables and set your prices to make a profit. The owner is not being paid $2.13 an hour.
It’s stupid to assume that there aren’t restaurant owners out there that want/need that extra money. And if you like a restaurant, it makes sense that you want to help the restaurant stay afloat. I think a better policy would be to order extra food or dessert to go. Bring this food to a friend with a business card or takeout menu. Here’s the important part: be sure to tell the owner that you loved the food so much that you’re bringing some to a friend. You are supporting your local restaurant without tipping. Even more so, you are spreading the word about the restaurant and potentially generating more business. Do you think the owner would rather have your 5 bucks now or more people coming through the doors?
Do you think restaurant owners should be tipped?
I’m always on the lookout for cool new snacks- especially on my lunch breaks. That’s right, I’m working hard for you guys while even while I’m on break. This bag of Gardetto’s Chipotle Cheddar snack mix is what caught my eye today for lunch.
Oh yeah! Time to review something that never gets old… CHOCOLATE! And Loacker Original Tortinas does not disappoint! I picked one up at my local World Market (great place to pick up weird candy from around the world) after dinner one night.
All I want for Christmas is a box full of cream cheese and love. The Confectional is a company based out of Seattle that’ll ship a heavenly(and surprisingly heavy) box of mini cheesecakes straight to your door. All they ask in return is that you confess your love for cheesecake. And these aren’t your average cheesecakes either! With a whopping 16 flavors right now, this is a great gift for any discriminating foodie in your life. You can mix and match as little of a box of 9 and as large as 20.
This is a revisit of an older post that I liked and thought deserved another view. The revisit is one part getting an engaging post/picture to the first page and two parts trying to get my busy(read LAZY) ass back into more frequent updates. Enjoy the blast from the past!
This news is seriously coming out of nowhere for me! According to news floating around, Bennigan’s is closing it’s doors IMMEDIATELY. No more Monte Christo sandwiches or Irish Haystacks for you! It sounds like the franchise restaurants still have a chance of staying open though.
The nice people at 
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Aren’t movie tie-ins great? It lets a big company do a limited run of a product without too much risk involved. Plus, could get almost any product you wanted in Shrek green! Today, we’re trying out one of those movie tie-ins: Sierra Mist Undercover Orange.
Roommate Jim l-o-v-e-s the salsa. He’d rather use salsa than any sort of hot sauce. He’d probably order salsa soup if a restaurant had it on the menu. Well thats good news for both you and me because that means more new product reviews! Today, we’re trying out Pace’s new Triple Pepper Salsa. It comes in a new style black label that makes it look like it was made in New York City, ironically enough. Who cares though, it worked and we bought some.
Happy Memorial Day everyone. Remember to take a little time to think about the guys and gals keeping us safe all over the world. Whatever your political views are, it doesn’t change the fact that these people are working hard for us. Fire up the grill and salute them!