I've noticed a trend in the restaurant industry.
People are ordering less expensive food and getting by with a chicken sandwich or a hamburger instead of a steak for lunch.
The difference is about $10. Even the high rollers are spending significantly less at lunch.
This creates a definite hardship for servers because when the total amount is less than the tip is also going to be less.
The funny thing is 10 years ago if somebody ordered a hamburger for lunch most servers would scoff.
"This guy ordered a hamburger."
"What? Get out of here."
Nowadays, though, there's nothing unusual about ordering a hamburger at a steakhouse at all.
I think it's because people are spending less in general.
The sad thing is taxes go up, inflation occurs, and most people get raises.
That doesn't happen in the restaurant industry though.
As servers we make $2.13 an hour and we all have made that for the last 10 years.
I'm pretty sure servers around here have made $2.13 an hour since the creation of time.
I remember I was working that day and it was really busy.
Sure the cost of food goes up........ and so theoretically our tips should go up as well given that people should, technically, be spending more.
Instead of spending more, though, people just order something cheaper and the cost of food actually goes down and our tips also go down.
We are not even allowed to add a gratuity to a table anymore because that has become illegal so if you don't want to tip even if you spend $1,000 you don't have to tip.
This very thing actually happened three days ago when a table spent $1,252 for their group of 30 people.
The entire table only left $0.97 and instead of feeling really frustrated to not get to work on that party I ended up feeling really good for not working on that party.
Three people literally ran around for 3 hours doing nothing but serving this table at all times and they each ended up having to pay the bartender and the hosts money from their own pockets. Since they also pay taxes on the theoretical tip, which is 15% , they lost quite a bit of money. They paid to wait on that table.
You can imagine that they were quite upset but this behavior is becoming typical.
A group of six ladies come in and sit down at a window table.
"Yes we'd all like to order off the kids menu."
This menu is meant for children 12 and under but you'd be surprised the amount of people that want to order off of it.
You see, a children's steak is the same size as an adult's steak........ and a children's hamburger is also the same size and the chicken breast is the same size too. It's just half of the price.
"I'm watching my weight."
More like you're watching your wallet and normally I wouldn't blame you except that you're taking money out of the pockets of the servers that actually need that money to survive.
The problem is that the restaurant industry does not follow the curve up like the rest of the world.
If minimum wage becomes $15 an hour we will still make $2.13 an hour.
If McDonald's raises the price on their hamburgers by $3 we will still make $2.13 an hour.
If the local bus company raises their price by 20%, which they did last week, we will still make $2.13 an hour.
If rent goes up, the cost of living goes up, the entire world goes up, we will still make $2.13 an hour.
Are people spending less money these days?
I can tell you from experience over the last 10 years that they definitely are looking for new and unique ways to spend less money.
In the restaurant business that's not fair to your server.
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