‘Tips were great but you could not rely on them’

Reporter Brittany Baker grew up in America before moving to Taranaki and has worked in hospitality here and in the US.

No, you don’t have to’’ and ‘‘I love Americans’’ are phrases I often hear when I dine out in New Zealand.

But it’s not my accent or my polite nature that causes service industry workers to swoon, rather the overwhelming anxiety that attacks my insides if I leave the premises without tipping.

It’s not my fault - leaving a few extra dollars for the server, barista or bartender is part of the culture I was raised in. But it’s also more than that.

For nearly a decade, I was on the receiving end of tips, donning a black apron and offering an overzealous attitude in case it impressed the right person with a fat wallet.

Maybe Deputy PM Paula Bennett had a point when she called on Kiwis to tip more often. After all, I’ve seen first-hand its profound effect on service standards.

But tipping in New Zealand would require a complete overhaul in how the service industry is structured.

For example, in this country workers’ wages are built into the cost of food and drink. If minimum wages increase, so too will the cost of a burger and a pint.

In the United States, hospitality workers’ wages are a joke and are often ignored when tallying how much one made in a single shift.

When I first entered the industry aged 18 as a waitress at a sports bar and restaurant in Florida, I made less than US$3 (NZ$4) an hour.

However, at the end of a six-hour shift, I had my US$18 (NZ$25) in wages but another US$250 (NZ$356) cash in my pocket thanks to tips.

Here’s how it works in the States: food is offered cheaper, but you are expected to pay a 15 per cent to 20 per cent tip to your waiter/waitress.

This would apply in diners, cafes and bars alike, where staff are paid below the minimum wage.

However, it does not apply to fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s and KFC.

While this could be a lucrative source of income, the upshot is in the way the customer treats their server.

By placing the power in the hands of the customer, waiters and waitresses are constantly in search of approval for fear they’ll earn a poor tip.

I prided myself on always doing a good job, but I’ve had a customer whistle at me as if I were a dog, I’ve been snapped at, interrupted and belittled, and all because they knew I would grin and bear it for the tip at the end.

Although most customers were nice, some revelled in the fact that they could treat you however they pleased. You were a server.

Fast-forward to 2016: I was making a guaranteed NZ$16/hr at a fine-dining restaurant in Christchurch.

I continued to give my best even though there was no tip at the end. My work ethic was often a topic of comment, with some Kiwis admitting theirs to be a bit lacklustre.

Would that change if they were moved from a regular wage to a tip-reliant system? The honest answer is: yes and no.

Here, I could finish an eight hour shift and be paid NZ$128, while back in the States, a six hour shift would pay US$30 (NZ$42) but I’d have hundreds of dollars in tips.

But this wasn’t guaranteed as there were ‘‘seasons’’ with shifts cut to two hours. And if it was a slow night, you could leave with nothing.

Also, women get a lower tip on average compared to men because waiting is seen as ‘‘woman’s work’’, whereas for men it’s a stepping stone and people want to help them on their way.

The point I’m making is that the US system is not reliable and the Kiwi version is.

While one would expect the promise of a tip to encourage better service, the system here seems to work.

Some service staff work hard and some are happy to take the back seat.

Some customers will leave a gold coin and others will say ‘thank you’.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In the end, we all just want to be appreciated.