Let's take an honest look.

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 09:12 AM)pally Wrote: Its all in a quest of never ending ever growing profits.  Used to be a company could show stable profits and pay comfortable dividends.  CEOs in the 1970s made about 20-30% the average worker salary.  Now they make 200-300%.  Stock holders are no longer individuals but now it all belongs to the Board of Directors , Hedge Funds, and other institutional holders.  The oly goal for companies now is to make as much profit as possible before they implode.  They don't care who they leave in the wake.

Employees have finally gotten wise.  They are no longer going to devote their lives to a job that will screw them down the line.  They don't see the benefit because in many cases there is none.  In a country where the unemployment is 4%, another job is easily found

That is the lazy answer that does not scratch the surface of the issue.

Workers are still not applying, and when they do, they usually do not show up to interviews.

Facilities are short handed due to a sense of entitlement, people getting free money for doing nothing so they do not see the value of working, and a poor work ethic in general.

If you took everything the CEO's made and dumped it into employee salaries, what would be the impact on the hourly pay of employees? My guess is it barely moves the needle, pennies. The labor force participation rate is 62.5% currently, which is lowest it has been since the late 1970's, with exception to covid years. Unemployment is low because people are not jumping back into the workforce due to reasons mentioned above.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 09:32 AM)CJD Wrote: The real minimum wage meaning slavery?

Per Thomas Sowell's boos Basic Economics, 
"Unfortunately, the real minimum wage is always zero, regardless of the laws, and that is the wage that many workers receive in the wake of the creation or escalation of a government-mandated minimum wage, because they lose their jobs or fail to find jobs when they enter the labor force. Making it illegal to pay less than a given amount does not make a worker's productivity worth that amount—and, if it is not, that worker is unlikely to be employed."


We see this to be true in places where the minimum wage is substantially increased over a short period of time. 


Employees lose their jobs and the price of goods provided by the facility increases.

[*michaelsean*]

(06-11-2024, 01:10 PM)GMDino Wrote: So should we cut everyone's pay to "ensure good service"?

Might make cable companies and phone companies work harder if they relied on tips.

Or police, politicians, etc.

I’m getting a little tired of the tip economy now. I’m now all for raising prices and paying the employees more. I can’t take a piss without a tip screen in front of me.

[Mike M (the other one)]

(06-11-2024, 03:32 PM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: I get Bidenomics is not to blame for everything going on out there, but using it as the top name in the haze of the state of things. It is impacting all service sectors. Fast food paying a starting wage of between 12 and 20 bucks an hour is insane! I agree the industry does need to do more to pay employees more if they are there long term, but if the wages do not move, then it is up to the employee to get out of Dodge and make a better living.

I think people are head over heels for DJT saying he would eliminate the tax on tips, but what about the employees in the kitchen still being taxes, and likely making far less hourly than servers, who have less to do with the food and food safety. It is tough finding good applicants that will last beyond the first paycheck. Maybe moreagents for vetting unemployment claims are needed?

I agree a lot goes on the parents as well, and hate thinking this may be the start of a generational thing  that we will have to edure.

Most of those service fields aren't meant to be career jobs. 
If you want a good paying career job, you either need to work  your way up into management in those fields or get a degree in a well paying field. 

[HarleyDog]

(06-12-2024, 06:40 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I’m getting a little tired of the tip economy now. I’m now all for raising prices and paying the employees more. I can’t take a piss without a tip screen in front of me.

And that could work too. Bad service? Just don't go back.

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 06:46 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Most of those service fields aren't meant to be career jobs. 
If you want a good paying career job, you either need to work  your way up into management in those fields or get a degree in a well paying field. 

They are starter jobs, at starter pay. Learn a skill and get promoted and move on. If you want to make a career out of doing laundry in a casino, that is your choice. I work in public service, if my salary is not enough for my lifestyle, then I need to be the agent of change, not the government. 

Now the Bic Mac is 7+ bucks, which is driving people to Applebee's. 

Crazy times.

They labeled it Bidenomics, not me.

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 06:40 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I’m getting a little tired of the tip economy now. I’m now all for raising prices and paying the employees more. I can’t take a piss without a tip screen in front of me.

I agree.

I tip for truly good service, and if I am not with my significant other, I may even tip zero.

The food is not affected by the server, nor is the cleanliness of the dishes, but they get the extra cash the back of the house never sees? 

The Uber Eats, gig economy takes like 40% of a bite out of facilities, so anyone claiming to care, like we see here, better never be ordering from a delivery service.

But that's not covenant, so they will complain from the ivory tower...

[HarleyDog]

(06-12-2024, 07:45 PM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: They are starter jobs, at starter pay. Learn a skill and get promoted and move on. If you want to make a career out of doing laundry in a casino, that is your choice. I work in public service, if my salary is not enough for my lifestyle, then I need to be the agent of change, not the government. 

Now the Bic Mac is 7+ bucks, which is driving people to Applebee's. 

Crazy times.

They labeled it Bidenomics, not me.

Applebee's has kept their menu prices pretty steady. I was surprised the last time I visited and took one of my daughters to lunch. I had a couple beers and a good meal and so did she and the bill was $40 if I remember correctly? The food was great quality and the service was great. Whoever's running that business needs a good shot of bourbon and a lap dance from his/her choice. 

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 08:10 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Applebee's has kept their menu prices pretty steady. I was surprised the last time I visited and took one of my daughters to lunch. I had a couple beers and a good meal and so did she and the bill was $40 if I remember correctly? The food was great quality and the service was great. Whoever's running that business needs a good shot of bourbon and a lap dance from his/her choice. 

I can get a beer at Applebee while I wait.

Not a fair tiebreaker...

Lap dances, that is another story for another day my friend!

[NATI BENGALS]

(06-12-2024, 07:45 PM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: They are starter jobs, at starter pay. Learn a skill and get promoted and move on. If you want to make a career out of doing laundry in a casino, that is your choice. I work in public service, if my salary is not enough for my lifestyle, then I need to be the agent of change, not the government. 

Now the Bic Mac is 7+ bucks, which is driving people to Applebee's. 

Crazy times.

They labeled it Bidenomics, not me.

Maybe they shouldn’t be. Not everybody can be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or CEO. There are plenty of people out there who are not intellectually gifted that need to make a living somehow or else they will dependent on the government.

[Mike M (the other one)]

(06-12-2024, 07:45 PM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: They are starter jobs, at starter pay. Learn a skill and get promoted and move on. If you want to make a career out of doing laundry in a casino, that is your choice. I work in public service, if my salary is not enough for my lifestyle, then I need to be the agent of change, not the government. 

Now the Bic Mac is 7+ bucks, which is driving people to Applebee's. 

Crazy times.

They labeled it Bidenomics, not me.

Yea i don't bother with them anymore, figure if i'm paying that much, might as well go a couple more blocks and get a much better burger at 5 guys and get much better fries to boot. 

[NATI BENGALS]

(06-12-2024, 11:54 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Yea i don't bother with them anymore, figure if i'm paying that much, might as well go a couple more blocks and get a much better burger at 5 guys and get much better fries to boot. 

Homemade smash burgers ruined it all for me.

I thought I found the holy grail when I made some bacon wrapped shot glass burgers. Then I tried making smash burgers. I’ve never made them any other way since. Just ridiculous the simplicity and the results. And the fact I can make probably 8-10 burgers for the price of one fancy burger from a sit down restaurant.

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 09:14 PM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Maybe they shouldn’t be. Not everybody can be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or CEO. There are plenty of people out there who are not intellectually gifted that need to make a living somehow or else they will dependent on the government.

I agree something should be done. I like the idea of  a basic universal income that promotes people getting into the work force and/or improving the community, but it is tough to figure out how to make it work. It is even harder to sell the idea.

Currently, there are a lot of social safety nets out there that are little used, or simply poorly promoted, so the money goes unused year after year.

But that is a discussion for another thread, lest we derail this one.

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 11:54 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: Yea i don't bother with them anymore, figure if i'm paying that much, might as well go a couple more blocks and get a much better burger at 5 guys and get much better fries to boot. 

I've seen the inside of too many kitchen to go out to eat very often. Ice machines are almost always filthy, drying racks sticky with filth, almost everyplace is understaffed and cleaning is the first thing to fall off...

That said, Five Guys is normally pretty clean.

And as someone said, it is always safer and cheaper to make it at home!

[FormerlyBengalRugby]

(06-12-2024, 06:40 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I’m getting a little tired of the tip economy now. I’m now all for raising prices and paying the employees more. I can’t take a piss without a tip screen in front of me.

Last year the South Park guys purchased and renovated a theme restaurant they highlighted in one of their episodes "Casa Bonita."


https://www.businessinsider.com/south-park-creators-eliminate-tips-casa-bonita-pay-30-hour-2023-6?op=1


Days before opening, though, the restaurant asked employees to sign new contracts that offered hourly wages for servers and bartenders of $30 an hour, according to Axios Denver. The new contract said they would no longer receive tips to supplement their wages, Axios reported — the minimum wage in Colorado is $13.65, according to the state's labor department.

[*michaelsean*]

(06-13-2024, 08:08 AM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: Last year the South Park guys purchased and renovated a theme restaurant they highlighted in one of their episodes "Casa Bonita."


https://www.businessinsider.com/south-park-creators-eliminate-tips-casa-bonita-pay-30-hour-2023-6?op=1


Days before opening, though, the restaurant asked employees to sign new contracts that offered hourly wages for servers and bartenders of $30 an hour, according to Axios Denver. The new contract said they would no longer receive tips to supplement their wages, Axios reported — the minimum wage in Colorado is $13.65, according to the state's labor department.

That works for me, and if they have to raise prices to cover it, I’m fine with that.

[StoneTheCrow]

(06-13-2024, 07:37 AM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: I've seen the inside of too many kitchen to go out to eat very often. Ice machines are almost always filthy, drying racks sticky with filth, almost everyplace is understaffed and cleaning is the first thing to fall off...

That said, Five Guys is normally pretty clean.

And as someone said, it is always safer and cheaper to make it at home!

Correct. At 5 guys, you’ll order a double burger w/ bacon, fries and a coke and the cashier will be like $79.85 please.

[NATI BENGALS]

(06-13-2024, 07:33 AM)FormerlyBengalRugby Wrote: I agree something should be done. I like the idea of  a basic universal income that promotes people getting into the work force and/or improving the community, but it is tough to figure out how to make it work. It is even harder to sell the idea.

Currently, there are a lot of social safety nets out there that are little used, or simply poorly promoted, so the money goes unused year after year.

But that is a discussion for another thread, lest we derail this one.

Take a wild guess which party is looking to kill that idea you like.?


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-17/south-dakota-texas-block-local-universal-basic-income-laws

I think it will be a necessity with AI and automation becoming more prevalent.

[*Synric*]

(06-14-2024, 07:27 AM)NATI BENGALS Wrote: Take a wild guess which party is looking to kill that idea you like.?


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-17/south-dakota-texas-block-local-universal-basic-income-laws

I think it will be a necessity with AI and automation becoming more prevalent.

UBI sounds like an amazing idea until you realize the cost. Just giving the 300+ billion Americans 10k a year would cost roughly 4 trillion. I would rather see the Government force manufacturing jobs back into the US which was the backbone of the Middle class. The jobs don't exist anymore so neither does the middle class.

[NATI BENGALS]

(06-14-2024, 08:02 AM)Synric Wrote: UBI sounds like an amazing idea until you realize the cost. Just giving the 300+ billion Americans 10k a year would cost roughly 4 trillion. I would rather see the Government force manufacturing jobs back into the US which was the backbone of the Middle class. The jobs don't exist anymore so neither does the middle class.

I don't know how to make the math work.

AI taking many administrative jobs. Robots taking many manual labor jobs.  Stuff like AI robots, robotaxis, and AI created content all on the horizon.

I don't know what replaces the middle class jobs that will be lost.