Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeshadow
The point Stitchawl makes about what a "tip" should be is also proven by a look at literal translations:
german: Trinkgeld = literally drink(able) money as in Trinkwasser = drinkable (i.e. fresh) water.
polish: napiwek = forbeer(+noun suffix)
money given implicitly saying "I want to spend you a drink."
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Exactly! And in no case does a beer or a cocktail cost $10-$15 dollars, even in New York City!
But in the US, it really is the customer who loses out in this situation. Some professional waitstaff at the larger resort hotels in Miami Beach, Palm Springs, etc., etc., earn $60,000-$100,000 a year, working only the few months of the 'high season.' That's all tip money, 'cuz they are only being paid about $3 an hour for salary.
As a child, my family used to vacation in the Catskills for a couple of weeks every summer. The same waiters used to come back year after year, working 3-4 winter months in Florida and 3-4 summer months in the Borscht Belt. My father would tip their waiter $100, and my waiter in the Children's Dinning Room another $50.
Stitchawl