Quote Originally Posted by Martinjmpr View Post
I think it will eventually wither away.

If you think about it, there are three "stake holders" in a restaurant business: The business owner, the employee, and the customer.

The "tip" system benefits two of those stake holders: The business, which gets to get away with paying sub-standard wages to employees in the expectation that the customer will make up the difference in tips, and a small percentage of employees who make more in tips than they would likely make in a wage-based employment setup. Those are the two groups that are going to be most resistant to the end of the tipping culture.

I think what it's going to take is for a few high profile restaurants to decide that instead of tipping, they'll pay their employees a reasonable wage, raise prices to accommodate that wage, and then tell customers that they need not tip. As soon as one or two big players do that, and it works (which I think it will because for every waiter/waitress who makes good money on tips, there are probably at least two that barely scrape by) the practice will catch on.

Tipping will likely continue in bar/nightclub settings were sexual titillation can lead to higher tips for good looking waitresses/bartenders. But speaking as a customer, I would gladly patronize a "no tipping" restaurant where I know exactly what the price will be up front without having to calculate a tip.
I was in the restaurant business for 14 years. Started as dishwasher and went as far as part owner.

The margins are very slim. If an owner is required to pay service staff minimum wage or more, the menu prices you pay will increase around 20% to cover the addition payroll costs.

I would like you define "substandard wages" since less than minimum wage is the standard and despite your assertion, most front of house employees take home more than if they were waged.