My stance on tipping flipped after 2 weeks of bar shifts in Austin

I used to think tipping was just a way for owners to pay less, but last month I picked up weekend shifts at a friend's bar on East 6th. Watching the kitchen staff split $38 in tips while the bartenders cleared $400 made me see how the system actually punishes the people doing the hardest work. It wasn't the customers or the policy that changed my mind, it was seeing the line cook count pennies after a 9 hour rush. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has worked a tipped gig and completely switched sides on the debate, or did it do the opposite for you?

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betty_kelly93d ago

Kitchen staff split $38 while bartenders cleared $400" and people still act like tips are fair? That math is so broken it's laughable. Cooks work harder, sweat more, and get scraps while someone shaking a drink walks out rich. Everybody knows the real work happens in back, but nobody wants to say it because they're the ones getting the good tips. So yeah, flipping on tipping after seeing that makes total sense. What's the point of a system that rewards the show over the work?