a brief rant-

 

This was posted by a FB friend- and here is how the "conversation" went- 

I started by replying- 

How about you pay your staff a decent living wage and we assess their service as the basis for the tip. I'm at restaurants more than three times a week and tip well. I have the utmost respect for good servers, and kitchen staff, and bus staff every one plays a part in a great restaurant experience. But why do restaurant owners/operators get a pass on paying living wages to personnel who work hard for a living. Pay them fairly and build the pricing into the structure of your business just like every other business has to. This system is ridiculously burdensome to both staff and customers. And when did 25% become the expected tipping amount. My FB friends list is made up of more than half industry folks and customers who consciously and deliberately support them. I find this sign offensive.

then she said -

 I agree the real fix is what you are suggesting. However,that is not how most restaurants are operating.

then I replied - 

and yet another reason to live in a place where restaurant workers are paid a living wage, have a paid retirement, and full healthcare, and kids college isn't a personal burden. It's interesting to contrast two systems. When we book a table for dinner in Spain it's ready and waiting and when we have finished we are not presented with the bill without asking for it. If tables are turned (not a common practice) there is a notice upon booking that you have your table for a certain period of time. If it's just us we can of course go home and continue our dinner table socializing but for dining with others you are not expected to give up the table - sobremesa is an integral part of dining out in the culture. The "meal" is finished when the conversation is finished. There is a cultural difference in priorities. Life balance versus $$$$$ (and the use of $$$ rather than €€€ is deliberate.) 

I have spent hours discussing this whole issue of the business aspects with chef friends and restaurant staff and management (dinnner on Monday with the GM of a three star Michelin at another place where the owner, manager spent twenty minutes at the table discussing her own place and its plans.) The markups on beverage pricing in the US are literally highway robbery. In Spain the markups are mostly about 25% in the US for mid to higher end places it's not uncommon to see 400%. A friend who owned (with partners) several successful restaurants changed their whole business model a few years back to bars with small but excellent food menus. He said the other models are simply not viable as they are run here in the US. 

At this point in my life I consider myself pretty much a professional diner and I am appalled by signage like that. Being so close to industry people, I find that sign offensive. It doesn't signal any sort of welcome at all. Who would go to a place that without even knowing you would tell you that they expect you to be an asshole and that you better not be. If they expect you to be an asshole maybe they need to look at what energy they are putting out into the universe. Or maybe look into the mirror and start treating their employees like the valuable human beings that they are. T

To say you hit a nerve with those in and close to the industry is putting it mildly. Believe me when I say this, no one is better off by posting signs abusing their potential customer base.