if the wage is that low they should get a different job. then people will have to start paying more. it's a stupid system, and has left people expecting to be rewarded even if they give the service that is expected of them as part of their job

I don't know why you think tips are "being rewarded". They are part of the waiter's wage. They are part of your food cost, but restaurateurs leave out that little detail because a) it gives them lower advertised prices and b) *they* are not the ones getting shafted.

Vipros, what country are you from? I'm just hoping you're not a Canadian like myself, since then you'd be giving us Canuks a bad name by being ignorant and rude. You might have a masters degree, but that doesn't mean anything if you can't get your head out of your ass and see that it is next to impossible to get another job, like you continuously tell these people. Many employers have signs that they are hiring, but in reality, the companies just require them to post signs regardless if they are hiring or not. Also, how many times must you be told that waitresses are paid much less than minimum wage because they are EXPECTED to get tips? Just because you think it's a stupid system, doesn't give you the right to be an asshole because companies aren't about to change it anytime soon in North America. Plus, a waiter/waitress could be doing the best job they can and "deserve" the "reward" (as you insist on calling it), but the customer could just be an ass and not tip. I have the feeling you're the type of person who goes into restaurants during dinner rushes and expect all attention to be paid to you because you think the world revolves around you since you have your masters. No I'm not a waitress; I'm a barista for Starbucks. I still deal with people like you on a daily basis, though I don't expect tips because I make more than minimum wage (thank you Sbux). I just know it's shitty to deal with large groups of people who are disrespectful, especially if you're having a bad day or there aren't many employees on the floor to help. So yes, the OP's life is ******.

Man, Vipros, you need to serve.

How much money you make completely depends on where you work. I waitress at a small restaurant and only make about $20-$40 each night, plus $2.13/hr (minimum wage).

You might be able to make $30/hr in some upper class places, but that is far from the norm. Also, you're talking out your ass with the TIPS acronym, for two main reasons: 1) Tip in this sense derives from the 16th century form, where "tip" meant "to give" 2) "Insure" would *not* be the correct word to use, anyway. It would be "ensure". Finally, having both fast food and waiting, I can definitely tell you fast food is *way* easier.

With fast food, there is not a lot of thinking involved. I used to work in fast food before I started waiting, and I can tell you that waiting is WAY harder than ANY fast food job out there.

Perhaps your wife is the exception not the rule....

In Europe, tips aren't required for the waiter to make minimum wage. This post says it was from Arizona, which means the waitstaff minimum wage is about half that of the general. A 13-top probably represented a sizable portion of her income for the night, so.... yeah.

Not to mention, your 25-30 minute thing is totally wrong. Most Europeans expect to spend at least 1.5 to 2 hours on a meal - especially in countries like France and Spain where lunch and dinner are events.

dinner events indeed can turn out to be lasting upto 2 hours (or more sometimes), sure that's true, but that's when you go with the wife (and kids), maybe parents / in-laws (or more family members). But if it's just you and a coworker, or 1 or 2 friends, it's doesnt always have to be "that much of an event", and often means just having an aperitif with olives / dried tomatoes / etc, a main course and a coffee afterwards and then the food is expected to be on our table within "roughly" 25 to 30 minutes.

Well, we certainly appreciate your half-sympathy for the waitress, it is disingenuous to talk about the cook having it worse. While this is most certainly true, their wage also reflects that. And I'll also grant you that dishwashers have really shitty jobs, being a waiter isn't exactly all puppies and rainbows like you seem to assume.

ya i know its not the easiest job ever, but the owner of the reataurant i worked at was a sexist bitch and the women had it wat better off. she wouldnt hire waitees, only waitresses cuz she thinks men are incapeable of being good waiters. she only hired men to cook and dishwash because she thought women shouldnt have to do the hard jobs. im sure there are a handfull of restaurants where conditions are different and a waitress has it just as bad as tbe other employees, but for the most part they dont appreciate how good they actually have it. i would take being on the wait staff over dishwashing anyday. i can handle the rude customes and other small irritations a waiters/waitresses endure.

i apollogize for my miss-spellings and such, im typing these on an ipod touch keyboard, its a bitch to get all the right letters. lol

Get out more. It varies per state more than anything, but restaurants without auto-grat are certainly far from uncommon.

Get off your high horse #70. There are TONS of restaurants out there that don't automatically include gratuity on large parties. I know this because I work at one of them! And working for $2.13/hr to have people just be assholes in general to you isn't exactly butterflies and rainbows. I feel for you OP.

at the restaurant i work at we have to have the manager manually add the gratuity to the bill in the computer, so if we forget about it cause we are busy and you want your check right then, oh shit we forgot and you don't tip decently

i worked at a resraurant for a year and i never knew that gratuity existed. i think alot of smaller restaurants dont use that.