Trinkgeld

Everytime I had been visiting the US, this question popped up. How much do I tip for a service in a restaurant. And guess what? I never had an answer to it.
Travel guides were mentioning 15% to 20%. The answer of my US colleagues constantly had been 20%, But I never understood why? It sounds like a fortune in European ears!

My colleagues Meredith and Derek who worked during their studies in the service and Karen who is currently waitressing brought some light into that burning question.

And here is the answer:

Federal law in the US regulates a minimum wage. This differs from state to state. A state like Virginia determines 7,25 Dollars minimum wage per hour. If you are working in an industry that receives more than 30 dollars on tips per month the minimum wage is even lower. It remains than only 2,13 dollars in Virginia. This means Karen ist only earning 2,13 dollars per hour before taxes.
On top she has to pay the busboy, bartender and host from her tips. Her tips are her income. Without tips she can’t afford her apartment, meals, clothing and what else is needed to survive. Tips are rated as income and you have to pay taxes for it. Calculating with a 40 hours week you are ending up with a 340 Dollar paycheck per month only considering the minimum wage. For a medium 1 bedroom flat you have to count with a monthly minimum rent of 1.000 dollar in the area of Washington D.C.. And this price will be difficult to find. Be aware that your salary has to be 2 to 3 times higher than your rent. Karen is depending on the money her guests are giving to her. You can discuss whether this is the right way to organize work and salaries. But in any case it is a system that works within the US, as every American knows the rules and is contributing adequately. Except the tourists, who don’t know because no one really explains what is behind it. Thanks to Karen, Meredith and Derek for helping me to understand that this is just another system, differently organized compared to our European rules.