About WW

Wiser waitress was first launched in 2009, after a broken leg, resulting from a hiking accident, suddenly forced a  unplanned vacation from waiting tables.   Thanks to a broken fibula, some free time , and a few friends ready to pitch in, the opportunity became available to write and reflect on a industry I had for so long relied on as my way of earning a living.

After a decade of waiting tables on the west coast, It was shocking  to discover servers in the South West are only paid $2.13 an hour.  Waiting Tables in San Francisco didn’t make me rich, but it did provide a living wage.  I could pay my rent and save some money.  And  most of us didn’t mind sharing some of our tips with the back of the house  as we were making the same minimum wage as everyone else. The minimum wage for a dishwasher was the same minimum wage for a server.

But upon arriving  into the waste land of $2.13 I discovered quickly the down side of the tip credit.  Not only did I experience a dramatic drop in my income, I found that there were many employers abusing the tip credit.  Not only were they taking the tip credit, thus allowing them to pay servers a small tiny wage of $2.13, they were also requiring these servers to share tips with back of the house employees, sometimes the whole staff.  And unfortunately , these employers were not the exception as I found the practice to be widespread and common.   Nobody seemed to bother meeting the criteria   for taking a tip credit and  no one, including the wait staff often didn’t even know what the criteria  was.   Tired of  seeing waitresses and waiters work in oblivion and employers taking advantage of their ignorance, I felt it was important that everyone wise up on the rules of industry.   I believed that if more employers and tipped employees actually understood what exactly the tip credit  was, then maybe the criteria for taking a tip credit would finally be met.

And so countless hours were farmed out to emails, phone calls, research and  interviews. Friends donated their time by editing, cross-referencing  or translating text in Spanish.  Our goal was to provide  answers, and clear up  the widespread misconception, erroneous information  about  state and federal regulations among  policy makers, public officials, restaurant workers, and employers. And the process was not easy. We  encountered many state and federal workers who were also confused about the tip credit. Extracting  public information from these various agencies requires patience and a tenacious spirit.  But by raising questions, these public workers were forced to  become more aware of the laws and policies themselves.

And  treasure hunting  for  public information  is a worthy sport;  Information harvested  can be used as  a powerful tool against corruption and abuse.   It was believed that by pulling all this information together,  wiserwaitress could  provide  a reference site  for servers that would display accurate public information, rather than just become another site complaining about the industry.

Yes,  we  may need sites to go lick our wounds-  maybe thrash around in a good chat room for a while.    But other than sharing our survival stories about abusive management and the bad tipping practices of famous or not so famous diners, We need  accurate information.  When we bone up on the tip credit, learn to keep track of our earnings  and learn about current policies we can at least recognize  when employers are not complying with the law.  Whether we choose to act on the information is a personal decision.  Sometimes just knowing the law is enough- like donning a revolver. Just showing your piece can ward off a intruder and sometimes when a unscrupulous employer knows the staff is aware of their rights, they just may be persuaded to follow the law.

Wiser waitress is not anti-business.  Wiserwaitress believes restaurant operators don’t always cut corners or fail to meet criteria for the tip credit intentionally. Sometimes it is just a matter of education.

But businesses can still be profitable without exploiting workers. and may help improve tourism by providing  good jobs.   Wiserwaitress believes that  by providing this information,  some restaurant operators may end unlawful practices.   Restaurant owners who treat their workers fairly encourage strong service. And strong service can foster a robust, healthy toursim, which benefits everyone in the community.

Furthermore, Wiser Waitress does not reflect the views of  my current employer or any other employers.   I  just  would like to put both my years of experience and others experience in the industry to some good use.

Wiserwaitress  was created to display  public information that hopefully everyone – diners, employers, servers, public officials,and policymakers, can  benefit from as well as encouraging a demand for restaurant revenue that doesn’t depend on cutting corners and disregarding the rights of workers  and hopefully inspire everyone to  start questioning  the existing policies that affect both the tipping system and the dining experience in the U.S. today.

Special thanks to to everyone who participated in editing this website

Country folk restaurant advocates Rural Northern NM (picture above)

Thank you!!!!!!!

Gina Ferrer, Yesika Medina, Katherine James, Carol Crews, Mindy, Christina, Jimena, Brandt Milstein, Micheal Blaha and everyone who has contributed to the humble beginnings of this blog.