This weekend, The Dispatch reported how wait staff at restaurants often face sexual harassment. It’s hard to imagine any other work environment where that sort of treatment would be tolerated.

Imagine another job where an employee is put in a position of forfeiting their dignity to ensure he or she is fairly compensated, knowing that, even then, there are no guarantees that biting your lip is going to be reflected in your pay.

But what if these kinds of scenarios are not the problem, but rather, a symptom of the problem?

Wait staff rely on tips to compensate for poverty wages. Federal law allows employers to pay as little as $2.13 per hour, so for most wait staff, tips represent the bulk of their income. Again, imagine a job where you go to work not knowing what your pay will be from one day to the next. 

The root problem is how waitstaff is compensated.

The idea of tipping as we know it in the United States is an antiquated concept, one you won’t find in most other developed countries, where tips are a bonus, rather than the primary source of someone’s income.

Restaurants in most of Europe, as well as countries like Japan and Australia, pay their employees far better, which means those workers aren’t reliant on a multitude of variables that leave the wait staff at the mercy of the customer.

There are so many things outside the control of the wait staff that could affect their tip: the customer’s mood, the temperature or atmosphere of the restaurant or even other customers who are disruptive. And then there are the customers who view tips as a method of strong arming waitstaff into performing a certain way or tolerating certain behavior.

How is that fair? Who would want that for their employees?

Quite frankly, it’s a wonder there are people willing to put up with it. There must be a better way to make a living.

There is a better way, two actually.

One would be to pay staff a reasonable wage.

Failing that, a better approach would be the automatic gratuity, which is something some restaurants are doing, especially for large groups. An 15-to-20% gratuity paid by every customer would ensure the wait staff isn’t getting stiffed. Truly exceptional service could be rewarded with a completely optional nominal additional gratuity.

It would also allow wait staff to do their jobs free from harassment because it changes a power dynamic that often victimizes the worker.

An automatic gratuity would create a better environment for everyone. It would be far better for those who rely on tips as a big part of their income. It would be better, too, for employers because having a safe, dignified, work environment where workers are fairly and consistently compensated would almost certainly reduce turnover. That kind of environment would benefit customers, too, at least those customers who have learned how to behave in public.

Who loses in this scenario? Only the kinds of customers a restaurant doesn’t want in the first place.

This is something that will most likely have to occur organically, with individual restaurants adopting the policy, or through the organized effort of a trade organization. When enough restaurants adopt this practice, it will someday become the rule not the exception.

That day cannot come too soon.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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