1 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,559 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Food Stuff. I'm Annies and I'm 2 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogeldam, and today we are visited by anger Annie. Yeah, 3 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 1: pretty angry Annie. Yeah. Um, we're talking about tipping. Yeah, 4 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: and here's a tip. Get a stress ball for this 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: one because it is rough. It is a rough one. Yeah. 6 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: I knew that this one was going to make me 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: a little bit angry, but it's it's way worse than 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: I thought. So welcome, Welcome to the show. We're gonna 9 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: have a great time going through this journey together. Yeah. 10 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: So to start off, tipping, what is it? Well, it's 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: a it's sometimes called gratuity. Yes, it's money a customer 12 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: voluntarily gives to a service worker on top of the 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: base price. Depending on where you are, you tip everyone 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: from your bartender, do your hair stylist, or in other 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: places you don't tip at all. And since this is 16 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: a food show, we're primarily going to focus on tipping 17 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: in the food industry. Yeah, I cannot help you with cabs. 18 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: I still don't understand that. Or I've heard you're supposed 19 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: to tip your mechanic. Oh do if you should know 20 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: our brother podcast, I just like gestured, oh, I wouldn't 21 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: be surprised that Josh Clark was just standing there. That's 22 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: kind of his amo um. But they have a whole 23 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: episode on tipping, and you can listen to that if 24 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: you want to like more inclusive look at it. Yeah. Yeah, 25 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: we're doing a deep dive into the restaurant industry section 26 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: of it today. Yes, and this can be host servers, 27 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: bus boys, dishwashers, etcetera. So the reason we tip is 28 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: supposedly supposedly to reward good service. And oh, this is 29 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: so problematic for minorities and women on that a second, 30 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: for the over eleven million Americans working in the restaurant industry, 31 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: the minimum wage they can expect is seven dollars and 32 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: cents an hour. In eighteen states that number is two 33 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: dollars and thirteen cents an hour, and it's been that 34 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: way for twenty years. I am my brief stint in 35 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: the restaurant industry. I made to and a coffee at 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: Starbucks is almost certainly more than that. This is called 37 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: the federal tipped minimum wage. Yes, tip tipped minimum wage 38 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,959 Speaker 1: appose to the regular minimum wage exactly. The tip is 39 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: supposed to cover the rest and in theory, if it 40 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 1: doesn't the employers cover the difference to make the seven 41 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: dollars cents, but a lot of them screwed around this. 42 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: In fact, the U s Department of Labor reports an 43 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: eight four percent violation rate, which is very high. Some 44 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: states have higher tipped minimum wages, and some guarantee the 45 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: state's full minimum wage. Seven states total of the fifty 46 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 1: if you're still counting. Yeah. Since tax holding eats through 47 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: the wages of restaurant servers, tips frequently account for the 48 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: entirety of their take home pay. It's common for managers 49 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: to use tips to measure performance, and a good tip 50 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: here in the US is generally considered to be in 51 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: restaurants if you're sitting down and eating a meal. Yeah. 52 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: Oh man, don't even get me started on like picking 53 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: it up and versus like delivery. A lot of confusion here, 54 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: and also a lot of controversy. A wave of restaurants 55 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: have started getting rid of the tip altogether. About four 56 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: years ago. One of the first people to do so, 57 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: former restaurant owner J Porter, published a pretty persuasive argument 58 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: against tipping, and in it he cited a plethora of 59 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: problematic statistics. Firstly, the whole premise of tipping improving service 60 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: seems weak at best. Yeah, yeah, that you know. The 61 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: the hypothetical idea is that you are rewarding good service 62 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: with tips, so therefore your servers servers will give you 63 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: better service exactly. But a two thousand three studies out 64 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: of Cornell evaluated fourteen other studies examining the correlation between 65 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: tip amount and service ratings, and it was less than 66 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: two In the restaurant industry in particular, it makes customers anxious, 67 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: it makes servers anxious. Tip amount can be made just 68 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: as easily by volume as opposed to like a high percentage, 69 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,239 Speaker 1: if not more easily. The bill size was the most 70 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: important factor in tip percentage. This study also recommended several 71 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: bizarre behaviors to increase tips. Yeah, it found some some 72 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 1: correlations across things. Yeah, with stuff like a personalizing your appearance, 73 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: especially for women with flowers in their hair. Yeah, that 74 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: was big. Yeah, telling jokes, giving out candy like with 75 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: the bill. Yeah, forecasting the weather just even hinting that 76 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: it's going to be sunny soon. It was like an 77 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: correlated to an increase in tip. And for women, drawing 78 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 1: smiley faces on the bill, also saying the name of 79 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: the customer. As the study author put it, what's in 80 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,200 Speaker 1: a name? That answer is bigger tips. The study also 81 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: found that up selling is only beneficial when things are 82 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: slow of selling, as in trying to get people to 83 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: buy like deserve more drinks, you know, bigger bill. Otherwise, 84 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: quick turnover is better. And sometimes tips are pooled as well. 85 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, by by pool, do you mean yet 86 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: across across all the other servers that are working that day, 87 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: are that shift exactly? Um. In a related study, increases 88 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: in service quality only increased tip amounts by one five percent. 89 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: That is quite a small number, not not a lot. No. 90 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: They also found that over thirty percent of Americans are 91 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: unaware that tipping on your restaurant tap is normal. It 92 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: brings us to another problem discrimination. Yeah, tipping makes it 93 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: easy to pay someone less for the same amount of 94 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 1: service they received from someone else. Um. This in turn 95 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 1: opens employers up to a whole new world of lawsuits. 96 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: Another study out of Cornell from rounded up a bunch 97 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: of dad on this and found that while more data 98 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,239 Speaker 1: is needed, it indeed seems to be a widespread problem 99 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:29,480 Speaker 1: across many industries that depend on gratuity. There is a 100 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: four dollar per hour wage gap between white workers and 101 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: workers of color in the restaurant industry at large due 102 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 1: to the types of jobs that each tend to get. 103 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,679 Speaker 1: Workers of color are more likely to be in lower 104 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: level positions at lower cost restaurants, and so racial discrimination 105 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: and tipping just exacerbates this inequality. And on the flip 106 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: side of this, tipping also encourages waiters to unconsciously discriminate 107 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,679 Speaker 1: or maybe consciously, but largely unconsciously. Minorities and women often 108 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: receive poor service because they are perceived as worse tippers, 109 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: which brings us to another issue, sexual harassment. Female restaurant 110 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: workers are five times more likely to report cases of 111 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: sexual harassment as compared to other industries, making it the 112 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: number one industry for sexual harassment complaints and who knows 113 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: how many go unreported and it's bad for everyone. In 114 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: a survey of restaurant workers both male and female, so 115 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: that they had experienced sexual behavior in the restaurant industry 116 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: that's scary or unwanted, seventy restaurant servers are female in 117 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: the US, and this is compared to only nineteen percent 118 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: of women who are chefs. Despite the fact that women 119 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: still primarily do the cooking at home. And if you're 120 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: wondering what this has to do with tipping, most people 121 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: doing the tipping are men, and if you depend on 122 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: that for a living, there's a power and balance right 123 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: out of the gate. Female servers are sometimes encouraged to 124 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: wear more makeup, are tighter fitting clothes so they'll get 125 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: a better tip, And if a customer does something inappropriate, 126 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: you're probably going to laugh it off because you know 127 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: that your tip depends on it. I call this de 128 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: escalating and me of my friends have talked about it 129 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: a lot. It's very common problem. Um If you do 130 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: complain female service say, they frequently receive a response that 131 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: they're being too emotional or too sensitive, and it's like 132 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: you're you have several different bosses a day and you're 133 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: having to adjust to the attitudes of each of them. 134 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: And it's also problematic because it's a case of legal 135 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: gender inequity in the restaurant service industry. Men hold more 136 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 1: of the guaranteed minimum wage positions along with the higher 137 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: paying ones, as compared to women, who predominantly are paid 138 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 1: at the legal two dollars and thirteen cents an hour. 139 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 1: This problem is even more pronounced with women of color. 140 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: I wrote in all caps, I'm getting so angry talking 141 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,080 Speaker 1: about this. Oh, you are multiple exclamation points involved in that. Yes, 142 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: states that stick to the federal tipping minimum have a 143 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: much higher poverty rate poverty rate for servers the than 144 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: those that don't, And since most servers are women, this 145 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: impacts women at far greater rates. Fine dining bartenders are male, 146 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: while bartenders at quick serve restaurants are female. Yeah, which 147 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: which you guess makes higher wages. Yeah. Men also hold 148 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: about of management positions in the restaurant industry. There are 149 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: even not too uncommon instances where people walk out, yeah, 150 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: and the server is expected to pay the bill, which 151 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: may mean they're paying to work. They don't have any 152 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: money to take home from that they're having to pay 153 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: to make up. Oh man, Okay. The National Restaurant Association 154 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: frequently argues that with tips, servers earn up to and 155 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: over one hundred thousand dollars a year, or this is 156 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: like a possibility, that's pretty achievable. In actuality, the average 157 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: hourly wage of tipped workers with tip is about eight 158 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: and that's the average, meaning that while yes, some people 159 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: are making more than that, it dips a whole bunch lower. 160 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: On top of these terrible things, tipping jobs don't attract 161 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 1: or retained employees, and it comes with increased chance of 162 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: being audited. Due to relatively high cases of tax evasion. 163 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: The i R S the Internal Revenue Service here in 164 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: the u S estimate that over half of tip income 165 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: is undeclared. One study found that thirteen point eight percent 166 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 1: of tips were misappropriated by managers and other non tipped 167 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: employees and then not reported. Oh m hmm. And since 168 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: tips can vary, it impedes the ability of those depending 169 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: on them to plan financially. And for those living below 170 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: the poverty line, and many restaurant servers service jobs paid 171 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: below the poverty line, tips can mean the difference between 172 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: paying the rent or not, between eating or not, and 173 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: and this effect a lot of people. The restaurant industry 174 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: is one of the largest and fastest growing in the country, 175 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: and it employs almost ten percent of our workforce. So 176 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:15,439 Speaker 1: that's where we are. Isn't that great? Yeah? Yeah? But 177 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: what about how we got here? Is that any better? Oh? No, 178 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,679 Speaker 1: it's not, no, no, but we'll tell you all about it. Anyway. 179 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: After a quick break for a word from our sponsor 180 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: and we're back, Thank you sponsor. Okay, tipping tip. The 181 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 1: word itself is a bit of a mystery. Either it 182 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: comes from seventeenth century thief code meaning to give, or 183 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: maybe an acronym to ensure promptnist or promptitude. It's probably 184 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: not the acronym thing that was likely a clever thing 185 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,200 Speaker 1: that someone came up with retroactively. It's It's said that 186 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: an establishment frequented by English writer Samuel Johnson in the 187 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:03,920 Speaker 1: eighteenth century had a bowl out with the phrase to 188 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,679 Speaker 1: ensure promptitude printed on it, though some sources have only 189 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: been able to trace that story back to a book 190 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: from the early twenty century. I'm guessing the to insure 191 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: promptitude thing was meant to be a joke origin for 192 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,720 Speaker 1: a previously established word, because because it's kind of a pun, 193 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 1: you know, the more grammatical word is insure with an e, 194 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: not insure with an eye um. And the hypothetical thieves 195 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: can't use a tip to mean give a bit of 196 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: money too, has plausible roots back to about six hundred, 197 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: from a now defunct and much older use of the 198 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: word tip to mean to poke, which became to pass 199 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: some someone something um anyway, Yes, etymology, it's lovely. My 200 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: favorite part of this whole episode probably tipping. Most likely 201 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: I've started in the Middle Ages from the practice of 202 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: a master rewarding good work from a servant with a 203 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,440 Speaker 1: few coins. Guests that English mansions were expected to leave 204 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: some money for the owner's servants if they excelled at 205 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 1: their duties during the stay. This expected fee was called 206 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 1: a veil. By the time seventeen sixty came around, guests 207 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: were expected to leave a veil for valets or valets, 208 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: footman and gentlemen's servants. And as you can imagine, that 209 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: meant that visiting people came with quite the price tag, 210 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: such a price tag that in seventeen sixty four and 211 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: in an attempt to get rid of the veil resulted 212 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: in riots. Oh wow, we should pass that one over 213 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 1: to the ridiculous history, guys, we should instead of getting abolished. Though, 214 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: tipping grew more and more common throughout Britain at businesses 215 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 1: like pubs, restaurants and hotels. Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlisle wrote 216 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,559 Speaker 1: about his experience with a waiter expecting gratuity at Gloucester's 217 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: Bell in an eighteen hundred, the dirty scrip of a 218 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: waiter gumbled about his allowance, which I reckoned liberal. I 219 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,440 Speaker 1: added sixpence to it, and he produced a bow about 220 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: a bow, a bow which was near rewarding with a kick. 221 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: A curse would be the race of Flunkey's so yeah, 222 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: strong words. When Europeans started immigrating to the United States, 223 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: they brought with them this idea of tipping, primarily in servers, porters, 224 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: and ballets, particularly on trains. Americans despised it so much, 225 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: so much they thought it was an American Yeah. After 226 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: the Civil War, rich Americans would go abroad to Europe. 227 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: When they returned, they wanted to show off that they 228 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: were cultured what they saw these rich people do in 229 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: Europe and now they were doing it too, and also 230 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: how much money they had by tipping. Henry James Wade 231 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: about dipping in his seven novel What Mazie Knew. When 232 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,280 Speaker 1: young American girl Mazie was visiting her English relatives, she 233 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,000 Speaker 1: witnessed the tip, and it was in quotes in the 234 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: novel indicating how novel it was very new. But yeah. 235 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 1: There was this huge backlash against it. For a while. 236 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: It was described as offensively an American cancer and the 237 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: breast of democracy, and an anti tipping movement launched during 238 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 1: the nineties, labeling tipping as violist of imported vices. Yeah. 239 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: The main argument of this group was that the employers 240 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,280 Speaker 1: should be paying the wage of the employee, not the customer. 241 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: Another crux of their opposition was that tipping undermine the 242 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: American work ethic, puritanism, and democratic society. And now, if 243 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 1: you're looking for your bingo card, Benjamin Franklin said of 244 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: tipping in France, to over tip is to appear an ass. 245 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: To under tip is to appear and even greater ass. 246 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: So hopefully you're getting along on that card. Despite this, 247 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: it's still spread and quickly, like quote evil insects and weeds. 248 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: According to a New York Times editor, by tipping was 249 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: standard in the US. What was not standard was pretty 250 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 1: much everything else about it. Americans were prone to overtipped 251 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:08,200 Speaker 1: to the chagrin of Europeans. Americans were called liberal but 252 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: misguided by the Europeans, and the Europeans were seen as 253 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: cheap by tip workers in the US. Meanwhile, as tipping 254 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: was solidifying its foothold in the United States, industrialization was 255 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: changing the balance of rural and urban workers. Poor white 256 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: people from the country were looking for new opportunities at 257 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: factories and cities, and at the same time, newly freed 258 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: slaves were also moving to cities to find work. The 259 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: jobs open to them were largely unskilled ones and restaurants 260 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: and on trains. Almost half of the hospitality industry was 261 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: made up of black laborers. By the eighteen eighties, owners 262 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: in these industries realized that they could get away with 263 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: not paying these newly freed slaves, instead relying entirely on 264 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: the tip for their wages. Racism heavily influenced the idea 265 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: that tipping was a legitimate option for wages, and it 266 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: went deep. Yeah. Journalist Arthur Gay wrote in eight a 267 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: tip should only be given to someone who is presumed 268 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: to be inferior to the donor, not only in worldly wealth, 269 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: but in social position. Also. Another reporter, John Speed wrote 270 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:21,399 Speaker 1: in nineteen o two, I had never known any but 271 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:25,439 Speaker 1: black servants. Blacks take tips. Of course, one expects that 272 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: of them, it is a token of their inferiority. But 273 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 1: to give money to a white man was embarrassing to me, 274 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: except he used worse language than that. Yeah. In nineteen 275 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: o seven, South Carolina's actively segregationist Senator Benjamin Tillman made 276 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: headlines when he tipped a black porter. He had claimed 277 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 1: he'd never tip a black person except to use even 278 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: worse language than the other guy. Yeah, yeah, have a stomach, Kurts. 279 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: Tipping still inspired extreme dislike by a fairly large amount 280 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,719 Speaker 1: of people in the US, and the anti tipping movement 281 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: was still going strong. Ah. Yeah, there was an anti 282 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: Tipping Society of America that formed up in a state 283 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: of Georgia nineteen o four. Yeah, there were a hundred 284 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:11,199 Speaker 1: thousand pledgies and they swore to do a tipping for 285 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: one year. And many famous folks were all about anti tipping, 286 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: including John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, William Howard Taft, and 287 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 1: Leon Trotsky. Taft can Paint campaigned on the issue, labeling 288 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: himself as the patron saint of the anti tip crusade. Taft. 289 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:35,640 Speaker 1: I know Trotsky thought it was capitalist practice that hurt 290 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: the workers, and allegedly waiters filled hot soup on him 291 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 1: while he lived in the Bronx because he didn't tip. Um. 292 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:44,360 Speaker 1: Trotsky is also the name of my parents dog. By 293 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: the way, I don't know what his thoughts are on tipping. 294 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: Mark Twain was another famous anti tipper. His refusal to 295 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: tip a cab driver at nineteen o one inspired this 296 00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: quote from an editorial in the Chicago Times. Harold claim 297 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: credit for its abolition. He will deserve greater gratitude from 298 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: the public on that account than for anything that he 299 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 1: has written or ever may write. Oh wow. Ralph Waldo 300 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: Emerson also weighed in on this. He wrote, I sometimes 301 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 1: to come and give the dollar, yet it is a 302 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 1: wicked dollar, which, by and bye I shall have the 303 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: manhood to an old. In nineteen ten, Emily Post, author 304 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: of several influential etiquette books, prescribed tipping ten percent, even 305 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: though she described it as undoubtedly a bad system. I 306 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:36,159 Speaker 1: went on a very big grabbit hole reading her little 307 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: etiquette book about this. Oh yeah. If Scott Fitzgerald's nineteen 308 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 1: twenties work This Side of Paradise had this line, Alec 309 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 1: didn't give the waiter a tip, so I guess the 310 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: little bastard snitched. In nineteen sixteen, WILLIAMS. Scott published an 311 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 1: anti tiffing brocher titled The Itching Palm Yeah, in which 312 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: he called tipping and the aristo aristocratic idea that exemplifies 313 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,800 Speaker 1: is what we left here to escape. He also argued 314 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,159 Speaker 1: that it was as Unamerican as slavery and democracy's mortal foe. 315 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 1: He went on to say, the custom announces to the 316 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:13,200 Speaker 1: world that we do not believe practically that all men 317 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: are created equal. Unless a waiter can be a gentleman, 318 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:20,120 Speaker 1: democracy is a failure. If any form of service is menial, 319 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 1: democracy is a failure. Those Americans who dislike self respect 320 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: and servants are undesirable citizens. They belong in an aristocracy. However, 321 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: he also blamed the tip workers of having an itching 322 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 1: palm and suffering from a moral malady. So you know, 323 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 1: a string of states tried to outlaw tipping, beginning with 324 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 1: Washington in eight Georgia, Iowa, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and 325 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: Mississippio all passed anti tipping laws, but by nine all 326 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 1: had been repealed. Even when they were law, they were 327 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 1: rarely enforced. In nineteen nineteen, union member TiO Smith wrote 328 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 1: in a trade journal for hotel l and restaurant employees, 329 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: waiter was not the author, but the victim of the 330 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: tipping system. In his view, all the arguments against tipping 331 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: had been made with thought for the public, but not 332 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: for the waiter, who must quote learned the art of 333 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: smiling under even the most adverse circumstances, and funnily enough, 334 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 1: or not really at all. This movement spread to Europe, 335 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: this anti tipping movement, where tipping had begun exactly and 336 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:29,160 Speaker 1: you're pretty much did away with it. It succeeded there. 337 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,840 Speaker 1: Uh they largely have like a fifteen percent service charge, 338 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: but not really a tip um. Restaurant and other hospitality 339 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: owners fault to then nail to keep tipping, though, as 340 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: it had become even more popular to make up profits 341 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,920 Speaker 1: lost to prohibition, they didn't have to pay their employees 342 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: as much in wages while customers were tipping, and because 343 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:57,159 Speaker 1: of that, lobbyists in the restaurant industry successfully lobbied to 344 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: get Congress to exclude them from the minimum wage included 345 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: in the new deal. In essentially, businesses not involved in 346 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: interstate commerce, including chain restaurants, somehow were exempt from paying 347 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: minimum wage, and then a series of laws followed. In 348 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: nineteen forty two, the Supreme Court rule that tips were 349 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: the exclusive right of the employee and that they could 350 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,200 Speaker 1: not be forced to share their tips. Good times uh huh, 351 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: a couple of decades later, in nineteen sixty six, Congress 352 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,360 Speaker 1: past something called Tip Credit, which allowed for sub minimum 353 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 1: wage and tips would cover the rest. However, the one 354 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: vague silver lining to this law was that it tied 355 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: the tipped minimum wage to the regular minimum wage. The 356 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,679 Speaker 1: tipped minimum had to remain no less than half of 357 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: the full minimum. Meanwhile, in Europe, Britain decreased servers reliance 358 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: on tips with their Catering Wages Act in nineteen forty three, 359 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,200 Speaker 1: which established a service minimum wage, and in nineteen fifty five, 360 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: France started requiring that restaurants as a service charge to 361 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: their bills, kind of codifying what Annie was talking about earlier. 362 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: And then if we jump a boy ahead to the CEO, 363 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 1: the then CEO of Godfather's Pizza and head of the 364 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: National Restaurant Association, Herman Kine, and yeah, that Herman Kane. Uh. 365 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 1: He persuaded the Republican led Congress to create a two 366 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: tiered wage system tipped workers and non tipped workers. The 367 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 1: minimum wage of tipped workers decided to be two dollars 368 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: thirteen cents an hour, and it's been that way for 369 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: a lot of states ever since. And at the time, 370 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: that was half of the regular minimum wage, which was 371 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 1: four dollars and twenty five cents an hour um. But 372 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,959 Speaker 1: but but this, this law in particular, is why although 373 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: the regular minimum wage has slowly been creeping up, the 374 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: tipped minimum has stayed the same for twenty three years. 375 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: Due to inflation, a loan prices are sixty higher today 376 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 1: than they were in meaning that to keep up with inflation, 377 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,440 Speaker 1: and the tipped minimum today should be at least three 378 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 1: dollars and forty cents. And this TechNation hit right as 379 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 1: the United States economy was heading towards recession, hitting many 380 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: consumers really hard. A poll of more than twenty dred 381 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: American adults in the year found that about half of 382 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: the respondents tipped less than they had five years prior, 383 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 1: and the majority listed the reason for that being that 384 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:26,359 Speaker 1: their financial situation had changed. And today, with the speed 385 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:30,159 Speaker 1: of internet incredulity, we've all seen viral posts about moments 386 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: when a denied tip sparked a larger debate and sometimes 387 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 1: larger consequences. There's a my my personal favorite may or 388 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: may not be that woman who was fired from Applebe's 389 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: after posting an image of a receipt where someone had 390 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: crossed through the eighteen percent service charge. It's given to 391 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,360 Speaker 1: parties of six or more and written in I give 392 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:52,919 Speaker 1: God ten percent, why do you get eighteen? Wow, which 393 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:57,520 Speaker 1: which I don't find very Christian personally. There are whole 394 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: treatises online of how everyone should just stop tipping, thus 395 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: grinding the whole restaurant industry to a halt, sort of 396 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 1: fight club style, except with fewer explosions, I think, hopefully, hopefully. Uh. 397 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: There have also been a few high profile lawsuits over 398 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:16,280 Speaker 1: tipping practices within companies like Starbucks, which had to pay 399 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 1: out a hundred million dollars to employees whose tips had 400 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 1: been given to shift supervisors up to hight and uh In. 401 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 1: A couple of related bills were introduced in the U. S. 402 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: Senate that looked to gradually increase the minimum wage overall 403 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 1: throughout the country and in parallel, to increase the tipped 404 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 1: minimum until it could be held study at no less 405 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: than seventy of the regular minimum. The bills never proceeded, though, 406 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,920 Speaker 1: perhaps largely due to the debate over raising the minimum 407 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,679 Speaker 1: wage at all. And it's just so curious to me 408 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: how culturally speaking we we got here and how it 409 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 1: seems like a large part of the population flipped from 410 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:03,720 Speaker 1: being stridently anti tip to steridentally anti removing tips um. 411 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 1: In two tho five, The New Yorker reported that of 412 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: diners pulled preferred tipping to a set service charge. They 413 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: and lots of other articles that I read, argued that 414 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:16,800 Speaker 1: as consumers, we like or at the very least, have 415 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: grown accustomed to the power the tipping gives us. Some 416 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: compare it to our general anti tax, pro private charity 417 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 1: vibe that we've got going on in the United States, 418 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,679 Speaker 1: and the moral and economic implications of that are a 419 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,640 Speaker 1: much larger debate obviously, but it's it's clear that legally speaking, 420 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:39,679 Speaker 1: the current tipping system is broken. Yeah, and um, I 421 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: find it hard to believe for me tipping both when 422 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:47,359 Speaker 1: I worked in the industry and like now, it's stressful. Yeah, 423 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 1: I'm just stressed about it, Like did I do the 424 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: math correctly? Oh? What are they going to read into this? 425 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 1: And I don't know. I generally am just no matter what. Yeah, 426 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:57,760 Speaker 1: that's kind of what I've settled on, is just a 427 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 1: flat flat twenty Yeah, lesson like at a bar with 428 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 1: my friends or something, and like someone's done something really 429 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: nice or yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, So that's the state 430 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: of things and how we got to this state of things. 431 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:16,119 Speaker 1: But but don't worry, oh, worry a little bit. I 432 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,400 Speaker 1: don't know, but there there, there are there are some 433 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:22,040 Speaker 1: things that might be done to help fix this, and 434 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: we'll get to those right after we take a quick 435 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 1: break for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. 436 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you. So, as Annie said 437 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: at the top of the show, on a local level, 438 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,440 Speaker 1: some restaurants are doing away with tipping. They're switching instead 439 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: to a flat service charge for all tables, usually between 440 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: fifteen and eighteen percent, which customers can tip on top 441 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 1: of for exceptional service if they would like. Lots more 442 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 1: restaurants do this for parties above a certain size, usually 443 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: six or more, and some of these establishments do have 444 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,800 Speaker 1: house rules about how those fees um how how tips 445 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: and other gratuities are split among servers and support staff. 446 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,919 Speaker 1: That does help fix some of that um inequality that 447 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: we talked about earlier. It is easier to find and 448 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: support these type of places if you live in a 449 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:20,680 Speaker 1: big city, but you can also ask around your community 450 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:25,640 Speaker 1: or the internet about your own hometown too. And all right, 451 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 1: so you know, case studies here, like like what about 452 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:32,439 Speaker 1: the states that have laws ensuring higher tipped wages, or 453 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 1: what about states that have raised the minimum wage in general? 454 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,760 Speaker 1: The short answer is that it's complicated, and researchers are 455 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,959 Speaker 1: still compiling data from the states and municipalities that are 456 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: trying these things out. A couple of preliminary kind of 457 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: bits of data getting in here. According to the albeit 458 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: slightly biased co founder of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, that's 459 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,719 Speaker 1: RSC United UH, who is also the director of the 460 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 1: Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley, the 461 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: seven states that pay their full minimum wage to tipped 462 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: workers actually see customers tipping at higher rates than we 463 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 1: see in states with lower paid tipped workers. Also, some 464 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,720 Speaker 1: research indicates that states with higher server wages also enjoy 465 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 1: higher restaurant sales per capita. The idea here is that 466 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: if workers make more money, there's less employee turnover and 467 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: greater satisfaction and thus greater productivity. Plus those people are 468 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: better able to spend money at restaurants themselves. Back in, 469 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: former president and CEO of McDonald's U S division, one 470 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: Ed Renzy gave an interview, saying that if the minimum 471 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: wage was fifteen dollars an hour, it would be cheaper 472 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: to just replace most workers with robots. M hmm, And okay, 473 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: that is a whole can of robotic worms. And and 474 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: the veracity of his statement depends a lot on how 475 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:02,560 Speaker 1: technology advances in the immediate future. Also, experiments with dramatically 476 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 1: raising the minimum wage like Seattle has been doing over 477 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: the past three years, are incredibly multi factored, and more 478 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: research needs to be done into how changes like this 479 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 1: should best be implemented and what support where education would 480 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:21,000 Speaker 1: help small local businesses get through those changes, because right 481 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 1: now they're kind of standing it, like is it good? 482 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: Is it bad? But hey, minimum wage, let's talk about 483 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 1: that for a second, because we haven't had enough fun yet. 484 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,240 Speaker 1: The last time that the overall minimum wage was raised 485 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: was two thousand nine, and it also has not kept 486 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: up with inflation. By the government's inflation calculator, the minimum 487 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: wage should be at least eight dollars and forty seven 488 00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:47,080 Speaker 1: cents in today's money. And okay, that's only an increase 489 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: of a dollar and twenty two cents an hour, but 490 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 1: that is a lot of money assuming you work a 491 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: full forty hours a week, fifty weeks out of the year. 492 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:58,920 Speaker 1: That adds up to two thousand and forty dollars before taxes. 493 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 1: So smilarly, if the tipped minimum had increased with inflation, 494 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 1: since tipped workers would be making at least a dollar 495 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:09,960 Speaker 1: twenty seven more per hour and thus two thousand and 496 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: forty dollars more per year. Yeah, if you're as frustrated 497 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: as we are about this and are looking for possible solutions, 498 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: you can check out Restaurant Opportunities Centers United or r 499 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: o C United dot org, which is the organization Lauren 500 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier. But okay, let's talk about tipping around the world, 501 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: because it's not like this everywhere. Nope. According to the Internet, 502 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,360 Speaker 1: North America is really the only place where restaurant tips 503 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: of fift or above are widely expected. It's appropriate to 504 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: tip in Canada and Mexico as you would in the 505 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: United States. Egypt is another place that's big on tipping 506 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:54,400 Speaker 1: ten is expected, and much of South Asia Thailand, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, 507 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: and Indonesia operates similarly on the other end of the spectrum, 508 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: though it is so uncommon that it can be considered 509 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:05,080 Speaker 1: rude to tip in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Nepal, 510 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: and most other places range somewhere in between. Most of 511 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: the world adds a service charge, like most of the 512 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: world like. The more I looked into this, the more 513 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: I was like, no, really is everyone but us? Everyone okay? Cool? 514 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:21,040 Speaker 1: Most of the world adds a service charge of around 515 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 1: ten to their bills, and tipping a little bit on 516 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 1: top of that is polite, especially if your server went 517 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 1: above and beyond. If no service charges added, it's generally 518 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: expected that you'll tip ten. Of course, it is a 519 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: wide world out there, and there are tons of guides 520 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: available for specific countries and cities. Even in countries that 521 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: don't have a tipping culture at large, cities that American 522 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: tourists frequent may expect tips. If you're going someplace, consult 523 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: a guidebook. I will say most places I've traveled. It 524 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 1: varies everywhere, and even in um. I lived in Belgium 525 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 1: for about eight months. I guess if you can call 526 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 1: that lived, I don't know there's rules about that. I 527 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 1: think that the quality is more than what right did 528 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: did it count as living? In my book? I was 529 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: living it up, But they had rules where if you 530 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: were a university student, you weren't expect to tip at 531 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: all ever, but if you had a job, then you 532 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 1: were supposed to tip, so that like little rules like that. 533 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: And then in Australia they definitely in some places I 534 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 1: was in, they knew that American tourist would tip, so 535 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:33,120 Speaker 1: they expected it from you, but they didn't expect it 536 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 1: from anybody else. Yeah, yeah, I heard that. I heard 537 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:40,400 Speaker 1: that about Australia New Zealand in particular. I was like that, 538 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:44,720 Speaker 1: my guide book says it's outdated. That's what they told me. 539 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:49,120 Speaker 1: And then definitely in Japan, I had several people tell 540 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: me it would be rude to tip. So it it 541 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:55,960 Speaker 1: just varies all over. I want one thing we didn't 542 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,200 Speaker 1: mention that is concerned I guess I heard when I 543 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: was telling people I was doing this episode and how 544 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 1: mad it was making me. My mom said, I got 545 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:06,480 Speaker 1: rid of tipping. Does that mean all of the menu 546 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 1: items would go up? The price of like the food items. Yeah. 547 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:12,360 Speaker 1: This is kind of part of the part of the 548 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 1: debate about what to do about it, because I think 549 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:18,720 Speaker 1: that that's certainly a concern for for small business owners. 550 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,000 Speaker 1: They don't want to potentially drive away customers by raising prices. 551 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 1: And furthermore, it would be unfair to people who are 552 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: getting take out at a place instead of coming and 553 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 1: sitting down. So a good A good solution for that, 554 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 1: I think is is that that service charge appended to 555 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:40,640 Speaker 1: sit down parties. Although that makes people angry too sometimes. Yeah, 556 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: it's weird and it's funny too that I read somewhere 557 00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:48,320 Speaker 1: like leaving a bad tip. People just appreciate the satisfaction 558 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,839 Speaker 1: they get from leaving a bad tip. The service was bad, 559 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:55,360 Speaker 1: not just like I'm sure there are some vindictive people 560 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: out there, just like I have a good, crappy Tuesday. Yeah, 561 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: bad tip for you, Yeah if I probably a lot 562 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,319 Speaker 1: of times that happens. Um, So there's yeah, it's kind 563 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,640 Speaker 1: of a much more interesting look in the human psyche 564 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:13,800 Speaker 1: it expected it to be. It is. I guess, I 565 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 1: don't know. I never feel good after I've left a 566 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:18,799 Speaker 1: bad tip, like once in the past, I don't know, 567 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: six or seven years and I still it's one of 568 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: those It's one of those things that my brain brings 569 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: up to me sometimes just to just to me just 570 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: go like, oh, hey, hey, you're a terrible person. Remember that, 571 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: you know, he left a bad tip. And then if 572 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:36,600 Speaker 1: you eat in a place like waffle house and would 573 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,239 Speaker 1: be like ten cents or something, So I just leave 574 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:42,440 Speaker 1: like way more money than what it was worth yea, 575 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,239 Speaker 1: or not even worth, but what I paid the cost 576 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 1: of the bill. Um. So there's a lot of there's 577 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:51,560 Speaker 1: a lot of strange social dynamics going on in there. 578 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:53,359 Speaker 1: It would make me really happy to just have a 579 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,919 Speaker 1: flat service fee that I could add something on top 580 00:35:55,960 --> 00:36:00,480 Speaker 1: of if I if I still chose yeah, right, yeah, okay, 581 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:07,360 Speaker 1: so that's so that's tipping. Yeah. Um oh man, my 582 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 1: heart's beating so fast. Uh, let's move on. Yeah, we 583 00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: have some listener man, we do, and before we read it, 584 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,880 Speaker 1: just a reminder we are still looking for toast. If 585 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,319 Speaker 1: you have toast is in raising a glass and what 586 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,759 Speaker 1: do you say during it? Just to be clear. Yeah, yeah, 587 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,000 Speaker 1: if you've got a favorite one or a local one 588 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:29,840 Speaker 1: that you think is found or something in your family. 589 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:31,719 Speaker 1: A few of you have written in with things. Have 590 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 1: we gotten some audio files. We haven't got any audio yet. Okay, 591 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:37,120 Speaker 1: all right, if you want to record yourself, maybe we 592 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:40,480 Speaker 1: can maybe we can get ahold of that that hotline. Yes, 593 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 1: there is a phone number you can call. We don't 594 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 1: know what it is, but we could post it when 595 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: we find it. Yeah, and or we can magically edited 596 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:52,840 Speaker 1: into this episode. Wo yeah if we if we figure 597 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,839 Speaker 1: it out before this publishes, it will go right here. 598 00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:00,319 Speaker 1: But if not, if not, then you just heard nothing. Yeah, 599 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:04,920 Speaker 1: so thanks, thanks for that, and you're welcome for that. Okay, 600 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:09,040 Speaker 1: So the first listener mail we're going to read is 601 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:13,279 Speaker 1: from frequent writer inner Jessica. Hi Jessica. She wrote in 602 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 1: about chocolate, I'm making Frencher Christmas today, so it was 603 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,359 Speaker 1: a great companion or chocolate episodes. Did you know it's 604 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: actually super easy to timber chocolate using your microwave? And 605 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,799 Speaker 1: I'd forgotten this, but yes, tell us, Jessica, that's how 606 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,600 Speaker 1: I make fudge. You take two bags of chocolate chips 607 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:30,759 Speaker 1: if your choice, Toss them in a microwave safe bowl, 608 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:35,200 Speaker 1: microwave thirty seconds at a time, no your microwave, stirring 609 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: each time until there's only a few large chips left. 610 00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:41,440 Speaker 1: Add another tiny handful of chips and stir until melted. 611 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 1: Then stir in one can of condensed milk and any nuts, 612 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:48,320 Speaker 1: etcetera microwave thirty more seconds and put in your mold 613 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:50,320 Speaker 1: and leave a few hours to set if you want fudge. 614 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: But I learned this technique from a teacher of mine 615 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:57,200 Speaker 1: who worked in a chocolate teer. Also, red chocolate announced 616 00:37:57,200 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 1: in the baking world this year. Looks cool, but I 617 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: don't think it's too and enough to be worth the hype. 618 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:04,319 Speaker 1: And Veronica also wrote in about red chocolate. I had 619 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:07,279 Speaker 1: heard of this, but um, it definitely looks cool. It's 620 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:12,399 Speaker 1: like pink m Thank you, Jessica. I've done that too. 621 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 1: I didn't know that was tempering, but I suppose it is. Yeah, yeah, uh. 622 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: Emily wrote in your Toasting episode, you talked about how 623 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: bread used to be put in wine. I am here 624 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,279 Speaker 1: to tell you that this practice is still alive and 625 00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:30,839 Speaker 1: well sort of in Greek Orthodox churches and possibly other 626 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 1: forms of Orthodoxy. When one receives communion, the bread symbolizing 627 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:37,560 Speaker 1: the body of Christ is soaking in the wine symbolizing 628 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:39,840 Speaker 1: his blood. You wait in line. The priest gets a 629 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:42,560 Speaker 1: piece of wine soaked bread on his tiny spoon, says 630 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:45,239 Speaker 1: a prayer, and you are fed the wine bread. You 631 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,880 Speaker 1: also get a piece of non soaked bread afterwards, but 632 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:50,480 Speaker 1: the wine bread is way better. My favorite part of 633 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:52,760 Speaker 1: church as a child was getting the wine soaked bread. 634 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:54,799 Speaker 1: I don't know what that says about me, but I 635 00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:57,360 Speaker 1: do know it tastes really good. The wine used a 636 00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:00,560 Speaker 1: Greek Orthodox churches is really sweet, so biting into the 637 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,759 Speaker 1: bread is like a delicious explosion of grape juice in 638 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 1: your mouth. I love it. Ah. Yeah, yeah, I've never 639 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,480 Speaker 1: seen it done that way. Me neither, but that's so 640 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:14,759 Speaker 1: interesting it is. Um. Emily also writes send a lot 641 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:18,600 Speaker 1: so hello Emily. Hey, Emily, Hi, Yeah, thank you, thank 642 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:20,480 Speaker 1: you all so much for writing. If you would like 643 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:23,880 Speaker 1: to do that thing, you can, yes. Um. Our email 644 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,239 Speaker 1: is food Stuff at how stuff works dot com. We're 645 00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:28,720 Speaker 1: also on social media. You can find us on Twitter 646 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,120 Speaker 1: and Facebook at food Stuff hs W. We're also on 647 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 1: Instagram at food stuff. Thank you so much to our 648 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:39,920 Speaker 1: amazing producer Dylan Fagan who puts up with us, and uh, 649 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:41,919 Speaker 1: thanks to you all for tuning in and we hope 650 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:45,640 Speaker 1: that lots more good things are coming your way