Servers/waitresses deserve to be paid through their employer and not have their wages decided by customers. Although servers/waitresses are supplemented on their weekly/biweekly paycheck for wages not received through tipping, customers should not feel burdened by thinking about paying for the employee’s service while trying to enjoy their products and/or the service that is being rendered. Waitresses should not have to depend on customers pocket change, courtesy, or generosity for their wages.

The goal of this petition is to raise wages for tipped workers all over America to at least each of the respective state’s minimum wage (ie: Georgia - $7.25, which is also low but you understand.) At the moment, $2-3 per hour is the rate in Georgia, because of tipping. This should not be allowed. Tipping should be looked at as a donation. 

I do believe that with this new change tipped workers can still be tipped and May even deserve to be tipped, but I do not believe the livelihood of the tipped worker falls directly on the customer. Employee Wages are a business expense for the company not for the customer. The customer is there to purchase the product/service, that should be included in the total price of each transaction. The business will then receive those monies from the customer and take necessary action to keep that business running and pay their employees fairly or state minimum wage. Initially, that may look like raising prices and hiring less staff at first but in the long run I believe profits will increase. Customer and employee retention will also increase for the business. Trust me customers don’t want to come in to a business to relax and enjoy their day off and worry about paying the employees bills when the customer also has bills to pay. The employee is there to work mainly for the business and secondarily for the customer and good wages will make the employees happy to work and perform their duties correctly for the business and it’s customers. 

I could talk more about this issue because it is causing a huge discourse in America. Instead I’ll stop here. Let’s stop talking and take action! Let’s solve it! Employee wages should be determined by the employers not by the customers. Let’s END tipping culture!