We should realise tipping an employee who hasn’t gotten paid in many months could save economy.
Don’t forget the front-of-house staff
I have been for almost twenty years inside the hospitality industry and a now few issues that are always a hot topic in that “world”: tipping.
Last few years have been tight across the world. People struggle to pay rent, some more bureaucracy invested business and employees and “tips” has been entirely different from ten years ago.
Governments struggle everywhere. They try the way how to find cash for investment. Unfortunately, instead of to touch the big companies that know how to avoid to pay Tax, have target alternatively the weakest sector of the productive world: the employees.
In a world where we are always more cash-free, customers don’t have money in the pocket to pay tips. So every time they tipping someone for a service, could be a waiter or a guy to repair in an emergency, your sink, use to add tips on the bill using the credit card.
With this practice, the first to smile is the credit card company.
The banks keep their% from the tips, and the restaurant will transfer the money to the staff with the addition of the regular tax deduction. Eventually, a good 30% of the tips disappear before it ends up in staff pockets.
Now, as restaurants struggle to pay rent, compensate employees, and inch back towards profitability against truly staggering odds during the pandemic, tips matter more than ever.
The only issue is that you want your tips to go to the right people and you don’t want, especially at this time, helps banks and pay more Tax. Not now.
My hope is that now, we can finally tipping everywhere and not just in those countries where tips are almost constitutional.
Some of my friends in the catering business in London told me that when they reopen for takeout only, customers were tipping quite heavy. Still, as they opened the doors a few weeks ago, gratuities have decreased. “Now, tips have declined for sure,” they say.
We should realise that were basically tipping an employee who hasn’t gotten paid in many months. Some people couldn’t file for unemployment—the hospitality industry is full of people from all walks of life.
Personally, I could say that a 10% tip every time you eat out of you order a take away is still absolutely necessary to support hospitality employers. People that have taken a significant financial hit during the last few months of restaurant closures.
Beyond that minimum, it’s up to customers to do the math and be as generous as they’re able.
We should remember that each business is doing 50% or less activity than usual, so that employee is earning 50% fewer tips. It’s mathematical.
Don’t forget that front-of-house staff, waiters and waitress, are giving some of it to the kitchen, and it is so basically a way to high wages that have been so hard in 2020.
I feel like we need to act. Because if all the people could get together, and start to help, especially independent restaurants, we could start talking about what it means to works for our community. Doing fact and not just with “free” sentence when we open our social networks.
A better world is possible, and we will make it real.
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