STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In recent articles about the restaurant industry, tips and the costs of dining out were the topics of conversation. Here’s a sampling of our readers’ points of view. We’d love to hear from more servers for a broader set of perspectives.
SERVICE INDUSTRY TYPES
A waitress at one of the borough’s finer dining establishments said when she dines out she always tips 20% on the total check — tax included. Then again, she points out, people in the food industry tend to tip more than those who have not been on the serving end of the equation in a restaurant.
On the minimum wage of $16 and the wage tip credit, she shares, “The reality, though, is that most servers don’t get a guarantee of $16 an hour in some restaurants. They can get shift pay. And they’re getting 20 % as a tip but they’re giving that 20% right back to the government in taxes. The food service industry is not what it used to be. Your paying tax on those tips. No one’s walking out at the end of a shift with a handful of cash.”
ENJOYING A MEAL
A North Shore dad of two little ones who describes he and his wife in their “late 30s” who both work “office jobs” dine out two to three times a month. He explains in an email, “We typically eat at full service, sit down restaurants, sometimes more casual, sometimes a little more upscale. Based on this frequency, even with rising prices, we haven’t changed our dining habits. We’re just ‘eating’ the little bit of extra cost as part of the price of having an enjoyable evening out of the house.”
He says he’d be disappointed if ‘nicer’ restaurants lowered food quality, took away amenities or reduced portions. He’d rather pay more for a meal that meets expectations, as opposed to a place that cut corners just to lower price points.
And our North Shore dad addresses take out.
He says, “I think delivery fees, service fees, surcharges for things like lettuce/tomato or salad dressing, and excessive tip…
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