My experience as a Democratic delegate in Alaska , 2016

I skipped a lot of the dinners and I skipped the keynote speaker, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee or whatever it is.  I didn’t feel the need to invest an extra $150 to $200 for these festivities; I would not have been able to participate in most of Friday’s activities anyway.  What seemed the “meat” of the matter was making sure the delegate vote for the district I represented (32, Kodiak, AK) got counted correctly.  That is to say, that Mr. Sanders got the representative votes as mandated by the district.  As it turned out there was a Bernie rally later that evening at 6:30 that I should have gone to instead of visiting a friend; and I still could have gone after that visit, but I went back to the valley.   It had already been a long and emotional day.  And my Anchorage friend is another story entirely…

The Wells Fargo Sports Complex on the campus of the University of Alaska hosted the event.  For me this was a homecoming of sorts.  I had not been on campus for any real length of time since I graduated in 2011.  As an undergraduate I spent much time passing through here on the way to somewhere else.  Never really saw a hockey game with the Seawolves, or a basketball game even though the women’s basketball team has always been great.  I used the gym a few times and had a Tai Chi class one semester which was held in here somewhere.  And of course the bookstore and student union were in this complex so I was often in this building.  This part of the UAA campus is connected by a skyway and walkway that extends from this complex all the way to the other side of the campus, ending at the library.  It’s a nice walk; good exercise.  Our convention was in the lady Seawolves den next to the hockey rink.  You can catch Seawolf hockey on local access cable.

I thought I got there arly, at 9AM, but it was already packed.  Parking was no problem and was free.  I found the registration table for “Fan Out” only delegates and my name card and holder were there.  I was preregistered.  There was a one hundred dollar a ticket raffle next to the registration table that gave you a chance to win $10K, the proceeds going to the Alaska Democratic Party I believe.  There were bathrooms close by and a coffee stand with snacks.  Box lunches were provided.  Just down the way there were tables set up for Democratic candidates for various races:  Strock for US Senate; Lindeman for US House; Sanders and Clinton for president, of course.  And you could pick up your hand held posters for each candidate so you could wave it around in the delegate area when you felt inspired.  Generally everyone there was a likeminded Democrat and as it turned out 82% were delegates for Mr. Sanders.  And there were party “leaders”:  chairperson of the Alaska Democratic party; Alaska Democratic this or that.  These were also known as “superdelegates.”  Superdelegates are Democratic leaders in the state who, according to the one I spoke with, don’t have to vote according to the whim of the various districts.  So if Bernie won Kodiak by 70& the superdelegate could still cast his or her vote for Hillary.  I spoke with three different superdelegates before it was all over.  Alaska has twenty “pledged” delegates that must go with the will of the caucuses; I don’t know how many supers Alaska has.  Really I just stumbled upon the superdelegates:  they were identified by their name cards and it occurred to me I needed to learn more about how they were voting and why some of them were pledged to Clinton since before the race even started.

Superdelegate number one had a silver and brown ponytail and beard, looked like he was Hawaiian to me.  Typical Alaskan no doubt.  He informed me that he had been on record many times in the media that he would cast his vote for Bernie.  Hooray!  One for our side!  He was relaxed and confident in his choice; he answered my questions patiently and forthrightly.

Somewhere in there mayor what’s his name of Anchorage made a speech in which he actually said the progressive agenda needed to embrace rugged individualism again because the budget was broke.  Alaskans like talk of individualism since there is much hunting and fishing up here.  Alaskans like to tell themselves they want the government to leave them alone.  Alaska is a red state.  Yet Alaskans like getting the Permanent Fund Dividend, the oil stipend from oil revenues earning interest in a permanent fund for the people of Alaska.  And of course we were sitting in a State funded University which had just cut jobs and raised its prices due to the budgetary problems of the state.  On the outside you would not think the university had any problems, incidentally, from the Wells Fargo Sorts Complex, the Conoco-Phillips building somewhere on campus, the First National Bank wing, the Weidner Properties auditorium.    Even as an undergraduate UAA was known (notorious) for building new buildings and not knowing how to fund them in the long run.  Corporate sponsors would lay out initial funds for the right to attach their names to them and the legislature would match them and have to provide long term funding, which was short sighted of course.  We’re talking huge buildings with state of the art audio-visual classrooms and big electric bills, as well as professors to staff them.  Well, not anymore.  The professors were the first to be cut…Anyway, Alaskans like to tell themselves they are rugged individuals on the last frontier, so Mayor Berkowitz’s remarks were designed to cut both ways in the Democratic crowd.  Of course in 2016 and since the first Clinton presidency of the 1990’s, democratic is conducive to “neo-liberal” which actually means “conservative.”  Hearing talk of conservative values mixed more and ore with progressive lip service is fairly common in the party now, and is really personified in candidate Clinton.  

Speeches by the candidates for Senate and House; speeches by party officials, one of whom sounded like Robert Kennedy.  He had a ponytail too, wore a suit. And as it turned out, was a superdelegate.  I met him when I was getting coffee after the speeches.  I asked if anyone ever told him he sounded like Robert Kennedy to which he responded in the negative.  Conservative shoes:  these are generally oxford style shoes with no frills.  Brown or black.  Not with pointy toes or flat ends; just a basic shoe, well-worn and functional.  A colleague of mine wears conservative shoes in his sports jackets and ties.  They don’t call attention to themselves.  Like a shoe a teacher would wear or someone who did a lot of standing and walking, but had to wear sport coat and ties a lot.  Flat.  I like a good, functional shoe that lasts a long time.  I like Doc Martin’s because they last a long time and are comfortable.  My conservatively shoed Democratic Party leader and superdelegate had comfortable, functional shoes.  Later while he was conducting some party business at the podium I had a chance to ask him where he stood on his superdelegate vote.  He said he was still undecided.  My standard line was “Please consider what you see here.  If 80% of the state casts its votes for Bernie I think it is reasonable to ask superdelegates to follow suit and give 80% of their votes to Bernie.”  I didn’t press him too much because Bobby Kennedy is a hero of mine.  At the behest of one someone sitting next to me I did ask him to mention that there were recycling receptacles at various places in the complex so us progressive democrats could put their plastic Coca Cola bottles in them.  This bothered the person sitting next to me a lot:  that us liberals didn’t emphasize recycling at these events.  A good point.  Bobby Kennedy made the announcement in all of his undeclared glory.

A third superdelegate told me "Sanders can't win" which is why she would not cast her vote to reflect the will of the Alaskan people.   Again, according to the outcome of our caucus, 82% of Alaskan registered democrats favored Sanders as democratic nominee. With her adamant “no to Bernie”, and the undeclared one and the Bernie one the Alaska superdelegates were anywhere from 33% to 66% for Bernie.  This superdelegate was very sure with the surety of someone who is angry at having to defend herself, and the righteousness of not needing to know anything more than she already felt.   She was adamant:   "I want to see a woman president in my lifetime" and "I don't have to follow what the Alaskan people want; I am a national delegate" and "Sanders has no experience;" and “Sander’s has experience but he has only sponsored three pieces of legislation in his lifetime!” 

I surmise many super delegates use the same lines. Talk to one and find out. I did. Bernie is a Democrat too, I don’t get it.  My adamant superdelegate informant told me he hadn’t been a Democrat long enough and was really an Independent.  It’s very sad to me that many in the "party" refuse to support one of their own or embrace the independents, who bring the promise of revitalization to the party.   Apparently superdelegates are in place to make sure no new candidates can gain widespread party support.  

"Sanders can't win" is why many of them pledged their support to Hillary before Sanders was a known candidate. "Sanders has no experience" is the national mantra of superdelegates and Democratic Party insiders who, after Sanders’ thirty five years as a mayor of a major city, member of the House of Representatives and US Senate say he knows nothing of how government works. Or is it closer to the truth to say "Only Hillary is allowed to be the democratic nominee in 2016 because we made a deal with her?" It’s possible that after Hillary dropped out of the race in 2008 against Obama (and subsequently got appointed Secretary of State by Obama after he won the presidency…) the Democratic powers that be pledge their support to her as part of an agreement:  “If you run in 2016 we will pledge all the superdelegates to you, which will give you an insurmountable lead even before the first primary, and virtually eliminate any other candidate.  You can’t lose in 2016!”  

From what I saw there are a lot of great democrats, delegates and super delegates in Alaska who either support the will of the people (82% for Bernie) or say they haven’t made up their minds yet, or are “all in” for Bernie, or who support Hillary for their own reasons.  There are Democrats who are embracing both youth and independent voters, are less concerned with backroom deals and more concerned with growing the party to reflect the will of the people and embrace the independents it used to want to represent. And there are people in the party who have clout and tenure and can’t be told something new.  They are righteous; and the will of the people is furthest from their minds.  Or they have compromised their progressive views to embrace conservative ideals that have never worked well for the many; only for the few.  I met some of both.  Mostly I met many wonderful and likeminded Dems who support Bernie, “the 82%”, and had a wonderful time!

A question of ethics...

“It’s a question of ethics” is the ironic statement that opens the well-acted Coen brothers movie Miller’s Crossing:  in that scene an underground leader discussed the ethics of having a “fixed” fight come out in a way that he would make a windfall, yet a mutual acquaintances was also profiting from the information by stealing the information beforehand and betting on the same outcome, thus “stealing” some of the would be profit from the original fixer.  That action broke the unwritten but often quoted ethical principle “honor amongst thieves.” In the speaker’s view this went against their shared and unspoken view of how things should work smoothly in their larcenous and brutal system: It’s a lot of work to “put in a fix”!  It takes bribes, intimidation, influence, and whatever else, which costs money and risk.  And those factors need to be respected by other thieves.  If you put in the work, you should get the reward.    For someone else to profit from the fruits of another person’s labor, while acceptable on one level of thievery, violates the ethical principle of “honor amongst thieves” on another level if thieves are stealing from each other and not trying to respect each other’s efforts.  It was an ethics violation in that the alleged action did not respect his dignity and worth, professional competence, or the importance of their professional relationship.  I’m guessing here though, since I am not very familiar with this particular ethical system; the only real ethical principle that I have heard of amongst thieves is the keep your mouth shut principle of omerta which actually seems to be ingrained in the psyche of most Americans:  don’t rat on anybody no matter what.  Or the “don’t squeal unless it’s a big deal” corollary which of course opens the debate on what is a big deal to whom and that’s another story.

A question of ethics.

 So when someone told me of her social work adventures at an agency in the land of “At will” employment states I immediately thought of ethics. 

This person put in her resignation notice and stated a forty-five day notification.  The employer, cited that “at will” employment law of the state authorized the employer to make the resignation effective on the day it was tendered; and by law authorized the employer, her director, to ignore or waive any time frame given by the employee.  This employee was forced to leave the building at the close of that business day, and was cut off from accessing her files and giving closure to her clients and colleagues.  Is that ethical or unethical behavior on the employer’s part?  The employee had no disciplinary actions and only positive employee reviews up to that point.  And the National Association of Social Workers Code of ethics clearly states the importance of professional integrity, the importance of professional relationships, commitment to clients, and the importance of relationships between client and professional.  Should social work ethics be considered in at will employment states?

Professional integrity is defined in the NASW Code of Ethics as continually being “aware of the profession’s mission, values, and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them.  Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are affiliated” (NASW, 2014).  The professions mission includes enhancing human wellbeing, ending forms of social injustice, and promoting the responsiveness of organizations to social problems (preamble).  The Code defines ethical standards for social workers relationships with clients and colleagues.  When an organization cuts a professional off from his or her peers and clients this is contrary to those principles.

Professional relationships are defined in the Code under The Importance of Human relationships and professional competence.  The Code states that social workers engage others as partners in the helping process and seek to strengthen these ties.  Professional relationships include a professional commitment to clients; stated in the Code this means client interests are primary:  it is in the best interest of clients that proper notice and closure be given when a worker leaves an organization; especially with vulnerable clients served by an agency.  This ethical principle is further defined in the Code that a professional has the responsibility to ensure continuity of services to their clients and take reasonable steps to avoid abandoning clients (NASW, 2014, p. 1.15; 1.16).  Strict enforcement of At will employment laws and using them to cut professionals off from their clients and colleagues clearly violates these ethical principles.

Now, obviously the person I’m talking about is me:  I put in my resignation and gave adequate noticed but was forced out the day I put it in instead of being given the respect of serving out my notice.  There was a dispute with another colleague, there were efforts on my part to speak with both the colleague and my direct supervisor the director, and there was a strong statement by me in an email that said I would put my notice in by the end of the day, but that I was really looking for other solutions short of that; a statement which I reiterated with the director when she came to my office and informed me flatly that she was accepting my notice and this was her solution to the problems we were facing.  She educated me on the options she felt she had under Alaska “at will” employment laws and at 2:30PM that day I found myself with 2.5 hours to clear out my belongings and leave.  The next day my PC and email were shut down and I had to be escorted by a human resources representative to my office to get the rest of my belongings.  I have to own sending an email out of frustration and duress:  I did.    I didn’t want to resign that day or at all if avoidable and I communicated this to my director.  I spoke earlier that day with a colleague in quality assurance about the situation and was anticipating a sit down discussion that she would be arranging.  In fact I contemplated taking a sick day that day because I knew I was escalated over the situation, however I had a new client to see and felt I needed to do that, so I showed up.  I clearly stated to the director that my intent was not to resign, but find solutions to the problem; I also stated after the director said she was accepting my resignation which I had not signed yet, that if I were to put in my notice, I would give the agency a month and a half notice.  I was not given that respect:  the director forced me to create a document stating my resignation for that day (two weeks after, with me leaving that day and being given two weeks’ pay).  Nor was I given the respect of discussion.  Nor was I given closure with my clients or colleagues after a year with them.

At will laws and ethics.

One day I, a professional social worker, just wasn’t there, which leads me to wonder why organizations have codes and mission statements with grandiose ideals of stewardship and respect?  When humans make mistakes one would think these codes and mission statements would be a guide, not a burden.

Oh, I landed on my feet, and really don’t want to resent anyone.  Unethical treatment sews seeds of distrust and resentment which I will fight hard to weed out; but I am hurt by the whole affair, and would like to have experienced a better end to my employment there.  That way I would have more respect for the organization in the future. 

 

NASW. (2014). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from National Association of Social Workers: http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp

Tipping is not a city in China...

gra·tu·i·ty

ɡrəˈt(y)o͞oədē/

noun

noun: gratuity; plural noun: gratuities

1. a tip given to a waiter, taxicab driver, etc.

synonyms:

tip, gift, present, donation, reward, handout;

“Tipping—which may have originated in the taverns of 17th Century England, where drinkers would slip money to the waiter “to insure promptitude” or T.I.P for short—wasn’t embraced by all Americans when the custom began to make its way into our country’s taverns and dining halls. A movement against tipping began in the late 1890’s as many Americans believed that tipping went against the country’s ideals and allowed a clear servile class that would be financially dependent on a higher class” (Burton, n.d.). 

“’Tipping’ is not a city in China.” ~The Ranch bar, Furth, Germany

    Dover sole, gently sautéed in butter, lemon and herbs, served tableside in the pan and deboned by the server.  Chateaubriand cooked to order and carved tableside by the server.  Caesar salad with croutons sautéed in butter, parmesan, and garlic at the tableside; the romaine tossed in dressing made from scratch at the table.  Flaming cherries jubilee; crepes made to order.  The little amenities like not having to ask for your water glass to be filled because that was anticipated, as well as the fresh ground pepper being offered for salad and other entrees; or the fresh grated parmesan…the clearing of dishes and replacing of silverware; the crumbing of the table; having nothing left on the table except coffee spoon, coffee cup, and water glass at the end of the meal when the check is presented (unless, of course, the diner had dessert).  I enjoyed every aspect of serving in the various places I served.  We didn’t make tableside steak Diane at the Olive Garden of course; but even the corporate owned “OG” knew that the experience of dining was at least as important as the quality of the food, which is probably why they sang that birthday song at any opportunity to support the fun atmosphere they cultivated.

Unlike a lot of ex-servers I don’t tend to over tip:  I know that the law of averages says a server is going to average a certain amount of gratuity whether everyone TIPS them or even when some guests rudely leave no tip at all.  I prided myself on earning twenty percent (back in the eighties and nineties):  that was the goal, though it was not automatic for sure.  And while that was the goal of my service, I understood the game too:  you can’t ask for the gratuity or shame the guest after the meal by giving back the gratuity even when you don’t think it was enough.  I know one server who said he found out where a diner worked, went to his business (a dentist) and got a service from this diner (got his teeth cleaned) and when the bill was presented he stiffed him and told him “I gave you a service at my place of business and you stiffed me, so now you know what it feels like.”  I don’t know if that’s true or not.  But you kind of like renegade stories like that as you progress in the serving business.  

I think the best servers remember the law of averages:  it all works out in the end, and you can make a pretty good living on TIPS if you keep that in mind.

Large parties always require a tip to be written into the check.  Usually parties of six or more.  This is because, based on sales, this can really bring a servers average down if they aren’t tipped in the accepted 15% manner.   And the IRS more and more has become adamant in collecting taxes on gratuities (as they are easier to track with most people using some kind of plastic payment).  In the cash days it was very easy to claim the minimum required 8%; in the plastic days mostly all TIPS are accounted for and therefore taxable.  I don’t know if the 8% claim is automatically assessed or not, but I do know that that’s what you had to claim to keep the IRS off your back “back in the day.”  So on large parties you had to be protected.  And your taxes on your assumed 8% TIPS were assessed from your paycheck:  a servers pay in Ohio was $2.13 an hour as a “tipped employee”.  This was employment law.  Any “tipped employee” could make less than minimum wage legally, it being understood that much of their income came from TIPS; and the taxes on the TIPS would come out of that slender paycheck which more often than not would read $0.00 after the assessment of tax on the TIPS claimed.  That’s why I say serving can be a great way to make a living:  you didn’t need the paycheck and you could do just fine, not have IRS trouble, and probably average about 18% - 20% of your sales while claiming the minimum 8% for taxes.

You become aware of the sales aspect to serving:  the law of averages means you have to accept that some diners just aren’t going to tip, or they aren’t going to understand the customer, or they’re going to stiff you.  But others will over tip or tip “correctly”, which is usually 15%.  In the end a server will “average” 15-20% of their sales over time as TIPS.

I tip for the dining room experience:  from the time I come in until I leave I am (not consciously all the time) considering the experience.  Was I greeted and acknowledged?  Was the table clean and set?  Was I acknowledged in a reasonable amount of time after I was sat, given water without asking or being maneuvered into buying bottled water?  Is the server knowledgeable and did the server tell me anything about the “specials” or the menu?  Did the server keep an eye on my drinks and coffee, keeping them filled without my having to look around and ask?  Was the server unobtrusive?  That is to say did the server “ask” if I wanted more things or just give them, like water and coffee, bread and butter, anticipating the need?  Was the server available relative to level of business?  How was the table maintenance? 

To me table maintenance is crucial.  It requires timing and judgment when you order entrees so that you are not piling dishes on top of each other.  It requires clearing salad plates unless the guest said they want to keep it.  It requires replacing silverware.  It requires making sure fluid levels are topped off when the meal arrives.  It requires replacing napkins if necessary.  All things guests probably won’t even notice, but all things that enhance a good dining experience.  In the end the guest is happy to leave a gratuity in this kind of comfortable dining experience, and if they don’t it is not on you, the server, because you provided a dining experience that will have them remember the experience there and bring them back; as well as ensure that on average if you provide that level of service your TIP average will be where you want it to be without having to ask for it or be upset by the occasional bad tipper.

I’ll over tip if the service blows me away.  I will give a standard 15% for a standard experience.  I will tip less if the server just doesn’t care and it shows, relative to business level.

I don’t tip for food.  It is not my job as a diner to pay the cooks wages through tipping.  And I’m not going to discuss wine service here.

Servers generally share their TIPS with the server assistant or “busser” who cleans the tables, resets them, and assists in keeping fluid levels full, replacing silverware, filling coffee, etc.  Often times these days the server has to do these things in the midrange restaurants.  But the bus staff needs to be just as aware and anticipatory over their territory as the server.  Doubly, no, triply aware as they anticipate back of the house needs, server needs, and guest needs.  Their availability, cleanliness, and discretion is a direct reflection of the establishment’s commitment to the guest.

Some servers create self-fulfilling prophecies with some guests.  Don’t get me wrong:  there are certain types of guests who are notoriously bad tippers no matter how good your service is.  Just as with some guests you can rely absolutely on their tipping 15-20% (whom we used to call “professional diners”, usually business travelers or people who enjoy a good dining experience on a regular basis, like me these days).  For the latter, dining out is an event to look forward to; an experience that goes beyond the food.  The food is crucial too though, don’t get me wrong.  For example, in one establishment I ordered a Chicken Portobello entrée, the selling point of course being the meaty Portobello mushrooms to accentuate the chicken.  When I got crimini mushrooms and asked about it the server said she didn’t know if these were Portobello’s or not; and the manager seemed perturbed that I would even ask about the Chicken Portobello sans Portobello.  

It isn’t difficult to provide a good dining experience:  just do what you say you are going to do, and respect the guest. 

And like I said, some guests seem to be notoriously bad tippers to the point that servers will start assuming that, when guests fit the description of a bad tipper (they seem poor, they are people of color, or from the country India…this is not to encourage discrimination of any kind or say it is right…just my experience in the professional serving realm) they aren’t going to get tipped; and they don’t serve them well, or they get an attitude before giving them a chance. 

This means you’re getting burned out as a server of course. 

Consistency of service even against the odds gives the law of averages plenty of room to work.  It is frustrating when Mr. Patel doesn’t tip you; or when the poverty stricken people who are having a night out leave you a really bad tip while “running” you no matter how much you anticipate their needs.  A friend of mine used to call it “blue collar night”.  Let’s not even talk about the “early bird specials” and senior discounts.  You can tell you are going to get a bad tip when the guest gushes over how great you were (“verbal tip”; a compliment is fine, but overcompensating means bad tip); or when the guest “runs” you without giving you a chance to anticipate.  Or if they ask for ketchup for their steak or tartar sauce for their Dover Sole (:-p).  But these are exceptions; or find another establishment to work in. 

Consistency of service against the odds marks you as a server, and the establishment as a go to place.  And everyone, despite income, deserves a night out without feeling shamed into giving more than they can or expect to give.  That is the service industry.  No guarantees, but on average you can do consistently well.

Recently a friend took me to a place where he loved the food.  It was kind of mid to high end price range; and the penne pasta Florentine with the parmesan cream sauce and chicken was superb.  We were greeted at the door (he made a reservation) and the place was clean enough.  On the table was a flyer that explained that this establishment was including a 20% tip on all entrees because of some court ruling having to do with how they shared their TIPS with the back of the house.  Clearly this was not on our minds when we went to dine.  But it was now that we were there.

I know that some places require tipping to the bartender (who is not considered a tipped employee and generally makes more than a server, makes their own TIPS, and makes a lot more than servers); some have “food runners (expediters) who earn a gratuity from servers; and some even tip the cooks.  Some places “team” the tables and pool their TIPS.  As a guest I am not trying to be educated on how the establishment divides up gratuities.  And being greeted with a flyer explaining that because of a court ruling they are adding an automatic gratuity to every transaction was distasteful to me because of the above stated reasons.  What is the incentive for service then?  And the lack of incentive showed.

Once I had a party of guests who fit the profile for bad tippers.  Must’ve been ten of them.  And it wasn’t looking good because if I wrote in the tip they would probably complain also.  I set in my mind to blow them away with competent service, anticipating, being patient when they ran me, checking on them, making sure they didn’t have to ask for water, coffee, hot water for tea, or soda refills.  Silverware, pre-busing, you name it, I was there.  In fact I tried too hard and actually dropped a tray of dirty dishes (a large one) in the dining room (no busser) after pre bussing.  They had separate checks of course.  And some stiffed me and some tipped me well.  I served well though, despite the dropping of plates.  No shame. 

But I had some old servers early on in my first job who taught me about good service:  to say “right away” when the guest asked for something, even if you couldn’t get it right away; and do your business of serving and clearing.  Just do it.  I admired the waiters in tuxedoes manipulating the fresh ground pepper dispenser which was three feet tall; tableside service, and above all, the satisfaction on guests faces when they enjoyed a good meal without distraction…elegant.  I admired the professional attitude and pride in the profession. To this day I would be proud to be a professional server.  As I always said “it’s hard to piss someone off when they are eating.”  People like to eat, and I like accommodating them in this pleasurable exercise. 

I wouldn’t ruin the experience by explaining to them why I was taking money from them before I served them.  No matter how good the meal, the meal is only part of the fragile experience of dining.  So when this particular establishment my friend took me to had the flyer on the table telling us how they were taking 20% no matter what because of some justification I was not aware of until that very evening, the tone of my experience was affected immediately.  Long story short, as great as the pasta was I likely won’t go back or recommend the place because of this disservice and disrespect to me as a guest. 

 

IRS notwithstanding, the contract between server and guest is based on a very American  tradition: “To Insure Promptness” is what TIP is understood to stand for; not to make sure that everyone in the back of the house gets paid a living wage, or even for me or any diner to be made aware of this when dining.  Seeing a flyer when we were seated that explained we were to be assessed a tax for our meal regardless of service or experience was an assumption on the establishments part that the service would earn that 20%.   And when I looked around at the level of service:  tables with appetizer plates on them when bills were presented; not getting even one water refill, having to ask for the server who was inattentive (I don’t “run” waiters despite fitting the profile in many of their minds of a classic bad tipper) and, not being presented with dessert options despite wanting to leave…you must give this option even light heartedly while having checks ready to present; when I experienced and saw the level of service, in my mind a standard tip was in order; possibly less since we had to flag down the server and ask for things like water and a to go box.  Certainly not 20%.   I like paying for service; and having been a server I understand the fairness of the structure.

As a server you open and close the dining session as tour guide, ensuring the diners wonderful excursion through the culinary delights of your establishment; that they have everything they need to enjoy their meal, and can leave in a timely manner, having been presented with all available options, no more, no less.  You certainly don’t tell the guest about your labor problems with a flyer on the table.  Guests aren’t in it for revolution; just to eat.

I could go on about declining service standards being proportionate to the rise in TIP jars being placed everywhere; or how the good nature of folks who have been conditioned in the US to TIP has been co-opted  by an economic model that expects something for nothing (and some would call that “privilege”), or how tipping is actually an absurd practice that acts as if we have more money than we actually do, based on an old tradition of European nobility and imported to the US as a way of saying we were as good as European nobility (Burton, n.d.) which perhaps we are, but throwing money around that we don’t have certainly doesn’t prove that point.  But what’s the point?  I just won’t eat at Turkey Red again or recommend it…

 

Burton, B. (n.d.). A brief history of tipping. Retrieved from Food Woolf: http://www.foodwoolf.com/2010/08/history-of-tipping.html