April 6, 2006
Jing Fong Waiters Want Their Tips
The NY Times reports that six waiters at Jing Fong, the dim sum palace in Chinatown, have sued the restaurant over their tips, claiming that the money is actually going towards paying the dim sum cart ladies. Plus, the 35% service charge that Jing Fong charges for parties over 30 has also not made it back to the wait staff. Tips make up the bulk of servers' wages (even Times food critic Frank Bruni seemed to think tips under 15% were terrible when he moonlighted as a waiter for a week) and the article points out that NY State law allows waiters to be paid under the $6.75 minimum wage, but they must keep all their tip money "though it can be redistributed among the waiters." Jing Fong denies the charges, saying their workers (waiters and dim sum ladies alike) get a base salary plus tips; owner Ming Lam says, "Our way of practice is 100 percent legal, otherwise my attorney wouldn't let me do it." That's a good one!
Leaving a tip is an interesting thing in Chinese culture - some people leave smaller tips in line with 10% (whereas a server at a restaurant most anywhere else would sneer at that) but the reason may be that tips aren't left in China. Have you noticed a different dynamic with tipping at Chinatown restaurants? And since we know it'll come, let's just get "Tipping is not a city in China" out of the way.
Photograph from Adam Kuban on Flickr
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I'm not Chinese so I just follow what the groups of old Chinese people do at JinFong. They usually just leave a dollar or two tucked into the handle of the teapot. I trust they know the protocol much more than me. And I don't want to overtip and inadevertenly offend someone. HA!
Me and my friend (also asian) got into this same discussion while eating at Jing Fong.. I feel that since we're in the US, protocol is minimum 15% so thats what we should leave. You wonder why the waitstaff at these places are so gruff and rude, and its probably because they're so used to not getting tips..
Besides.. You're STILL spending less money even after a 15% tip than you would for 1/3 of the food at any brunch place in the city..
I was told by a bartender at Jappas 38, the karaoke/bar/restaurant in mid-town, not to leave a tip because the staff doesn't get the money. I always thought that she was getting shafted but didn't know if it was a cultural thing since the place was Japanese.
Well the thing is, we're in the US, so i leave around 15%, if anything i round up. I think it's fine that they redistribute the cash to the pushcar ladies, but the servers definately have to be taken care of first. I mean, honestly, an extra dollar or two for servers that work that hard is worth it. What're you gonna do with that extra cash? Buy a pack of gum?