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The restaurant business is an interesting trade. The days of Marge the counter waitress are fast disappearing. The days when Marge brought you your cup of coffee, the morning paper and your stack of pancakes…like clockwork – as you chit chatted with your buddies about politics or sports are becoming basically a lost art. Marge, always had a teenage daughter that was going to be attending Community College in the fall. All the old guys around counter made sure Marge got a little extra tip, from time to time to help her out. Most of the transactions were in cash and Marge was making $3.10 a hour at the height of her career, before she had to finally retire and get your Medicaid knee and shoulder replacements and four surgeries. Marge had to live and survive on her tips!
In the 60’s the Broadway Musical “Most Happy Fella” told the story of a Truck Stop waitress making it big in Napa Valley. The song that was telling: “Oooh my feet, my poor, poor feet – Bet your life a waitress earns her pay….I’ve been on my feet, my poor, poor feet….all day long today!” Meanwhile, Marge’s daughter dropped out of Community College and starting working at the Truck Stop as a 2nd generation waitress. Cindy knew everyone at the counter, every morning and was protected from the occasional abusive interlopers who made sexist remarks or treated Cindy poorly. Cindy made enough of a living to attend Community College part-time and finally graduate!
Fast forward to days of Chad, Bill and Ken that worked in upscale restaurants in order to make a living during summer and holidays in the local 3 Star restaurant where the local businessmen were generous and willing to tip a little extra from kids that wanted to work through the summer. Meanwhile, professional waiters and waitresses have been around for generations. Many work or have worked in the International Hotel trade and with Four and Five Star Restaurants around the world. The professional trade for waiters and waitresses are the cream dela crem. They work for very demanding Chef’s, Managers and Administrators. These professional wait staff earn their money through providing exceptional service and the highest quality food product available. True professional wait folks are responsible for delivering the perfect dish, without the occasional cockroach. They also provide your drinks in a brilliant clean glass, cup or mug – without the occasional bar cleaning solution residue. When you get this kind of service and product….people are willing to tip!
Danny Meyer – President of Union Square Restaurant Group, appeared on the CBS Show Morning, with Charlie Rose, Nora O’Donnell and Gail King. His concept – no more tipping at his restaurants! This sounds very customer friendly, until you understand that Danny wants to raise his prices and dispense the correct ratio of tips, to Chefs, Hostesses, Managers and the wait staff – which includes: Bartenders, Busboys, Dishwashers and the Waiter or Waitress. This Danny wants you to believe to even the value and make sure that his understaffed Kitchen crew find an easy enhancement to working for Union Square. Danny, like Donald Trump is probably a wonderful CEO but has absolutely no knowledge of what it takes to be a great waiter in one of his restaurants. Performance, product knowledge of the menu, wine list and beer menu, follow through and attention to detail along with a friendly professional demeanor are all attributes which contribute to very grateful dining room patrons.
Anyone that has waited tables know that without performance, the chances of a good tip may not be forthcoming. Sometimes, bad waiters or waitresses get good tips……..but generally only once – from the patron that had to either wait endlessly for their food, drinks or clearing of their table and in many cases being overcharged. Yes, Virginia – there are many very poor waiters, busboys, chef’s, hostesses and managers in the restaurant business. These types of restaurant locations are the one’s that normally quickly go out of business, unless they are well funded chain. We could easily name 15 very poor restaurant chains that are still in business because they are being funded by one Investment/Merger Group or another. We do long for the days of the Independent Restauranteur with a great vision and a hand selected management staff, that know restaurant service backward and forward.
So let’s get back to the errant concept of Danny Meyer and Union Square Restaurant Group. Back in 1970, the Newport Dunes in Newport Beach had just opened and across the inlet that looked like a satellite dish – and some young guys from New Jersey came in to open it as: The Ocean Toad Restaurant. They had live folk guitar music and popular entertainment…which was quickly followed by J.J. Mack at the Red Lion Restaurant down the road in Newport Beach. The music and entertainment was the draw. However in the case of the Ocean Toad it offered a circular water view. There were rumors of drug issues at the management level, there were soon shortfalls in making the rest and soon the concept of “Pooling Tips” was starting to get problematic. A good waiter might “earn” over $80 dollars a night, however after pooling…he got $22.50 or maybe less. The management was skimming cash, the owners taking a share and pretty soon waiters were working for almost nothing. On New Years eve, after making $150 dollars in tips – many waiters just took the cash and resigned. They had – had enough. Why in fact would lazy waiters be able to make the same as a hard working type?
Danny Meyer’s concept is very old and often touted by the National Restaurant Association. This group has been pushing this concept for years. They made a big push back in the eighties…..which fell on its face….when only bad or stupid wait staff would go along with essentially “Pooling Tips”. When the check totals $100 dollars and the waiter sees that $20 dollar tip, they understand that some of that still had to go to the Bartender and the Busboy……before they get their $15. Motivating waiters to do a good job, informed about their products and treating their guests with great respect and cordiality….requires a management willing to let the great waiters and waitresses make a good living while the mediocre and bad ones….weed themselves out….by their own poor monetary production.
Danny Meyer wants to charge the poor wait staff with withheld Federal Taxes and then manipulate the system to shift that tip money anywhere he sees fit. We predict…Danny Meyer is going to fail in his attempt….to rip the system, no matter what sophisticated restaurant software, some bean counter sold him on. Simply put: Good waiters and waitresses should make good money. Occasionally, they will get stiffed or under tipped – but each day is a new challenge and each day creates the opportunity for make up or launch another record tip day. Good waiters encourage the under-achievers and only the lowly Management get jealous that a college kid or senior citizen, working as a waiter – could make more money than they do. Obviously, Danny Meyer is not paying his Chef staff or Management enough and is simply trying to rip off “the Lowly Wait Staff that make all the money”!
Danny Meyer…Union Square Restaurant Group…another bad idea!
You might consider that cooks are making 10-12 an hour… if Gus and the reconquistadors decide to strike, half of America could be gone in a single 8-hour shift! Now that would be a labor action! As Milton said, “I could put… I could put… strychnine in the guacamole. There was salt on the glass, BIG grains of salt. ”
Milton from “Office Space,” that is.