The income of waiters and bartenders in most cases significantly exceeds the amount of official wages. An additional source of funds in many restaurants and cafes is the "tip", that is, the money left by the visitor in gratitude for the service. But how much is customary to leave "for tea"?
Tipping as the main income
Money for tea is an almost universally accepted source of income for many people whose activities are related to the service sector. Couriers, receptionists, porters, wardrobes, bartenders and waiters - all of them often earn tips more than they pay the employer. Moreover, some establishments assign maintenance staff the minimum allowable salary, based on the fact that the average income due to tips will be quite decent. On the other hand, the policy of restaurants and cafes with regard to tips can be very different: if somewhere the waiter takes all the money "for tea" left by the guests of his table, then in other places it is customary to share tips between the whole shift: waiters, cooks, bartender, and in some places, tips are generally required to be paid to the cashier. However, in the latter case, the service charge is most often included directly in the bill, although the client may refuse this item if he is dissatisfied with the quality of the service.
In some states of the USA, for example, in Virginia, waiters by law can work exclusively for tips.
