Servers Minimum Wage – No

I am employed in a local restaurant as a line cook, I am the only woman in the kitchen. Holding this position gives me a unique insight into this question. I have worked both back of the house and front of the house in many different restaurants. As far as money and gross earnings go, as controversial as it is, in my opinion; the pay on either side works out to be about the same.

That being said, I've also lived abroad, in Australia for 13 years. There, no one is expected to give tips, although it is appreciated. The whole culture is different with eating out. Ask yourself one question: if you didn't feel obligated to tip, would you? It seems like an easy 'yes' but think deeper. I worked as a waitress for 5 years in Australia, I made minimum wage, in an economy that doesn't tip, I might as well have been working a fast food job.

If servers were paid minimum wage, what's the incentive to provide good service? Sure it's always there as a bonus, but that incentive is nothing as compared to knowing that that table is essentially signing your check. It's unrealistic to believe that paying servers minimum wage will only change their pay check and earnings. Changing this long American Tradition will have an effect on everything in the restaurant. From the taxes to the quality of the service, to the value of the individual seated at table one. It takes a certain type of person to be a server, one with the same amount of patience that a teacher, or a day care worker would.

When it comes down to it, just on the restaurant level, servers and behind the scenes workers (cooks etc.) are paid differently because of what they excel at. Think of your local family restaurant, take a line cook from that restaurant, put him in an apron, and tell him to wait tables. The first table might go well, but as the night progresses he or she will lose their cool, and explode. On the flip side of this, take a server, put him or her behind the line, ask them to cook all night, either of the situations just simply wouldn't work. One occupation is paid for their charisma, the other, their determination.

My argument is this: if you pay a server minimum wage, where is the incentive to always improve; to always treat the customer as their number 1, as is the American way?

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