tipping in a living wage state (yes, I went there)

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
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letsgobobby
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tipping in a living wage state (yes, I went there)

Post by letsgobobby »

Historically waitstaff in many jurisdictions were earning something around $2.13 plus tips. This is the federal minimum wage for tipped waitstaff.

Many states require a higher minimum wage than that, for example all the states on the West Coast require employers pay the full state minimum wage in addition to tips (no allowance for tip credit).

Keep in mind that the states on the West Coast also have and have had higher minimum wages than the feds and than most of the rest of the country: currently $10.50-$11 per hour.

Now consider that all three states on the West Coast have passed legislation which raises the minimum wage, in most circumstances, to around $15 per hour over several years. In Seattle and possibly other cities, it is already $15 per hour for many chain restaurant employees. It may be important for this discussion to note that the $15 minimum wage was widely advertised as a 'living wage.'

OK, now to my question.

Is the appropriate restaurant tip in these jurisdictions still 15% (20%, whatever it was before)? Please discuss your rationale.

I'll link one article about the matter, only because there is a quote in there by "etiquette expert Lizzie Post - great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post" - saying, "We’re giving that soft green light—a nice greenish-yellow hue to it, a very hipster color—to say we would not frown on someone going back to 15 percent or maybe a 10 percent tip."

And that is what I've been thinking of doing - around 10% of what I used to do was 15%, and 15% if what I used to do was 20%.

What say you?

(the only argument I will find utterly boring is the one that says waitstaff work hard and you can afford it, so keep tipping 20%. Booorrrring!)
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Re: tipping in a living wage state (yes, I went there)

Post by LadyGeek »

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