*edited post title to make it clear that this is a joke
I’ve definitely noticed that my favorite takeout place’s POS makes giving no tip as hard as possible (Other->No Tip->Yes). “Fortunately” that is also a place where the owner is a prick and doesn’t share tips with the staff so they encourage you to leave no tip.
And the really funny thing? If it wasn’t about the same number of presses to leave a custom tip, I would generally round up at most POSes. Which isn’t a lot, but it does tend to cover credit card fees on the average and makes card statements easier to skim. Of course, I have also noticed a rise in “Regular” and “Cash” pricing where those fees are explicitly passed on to the customers to begin with so…
I’ll tip quite generously for a sit down meal or something like a haircut. For calling me up to the counter when my takeout is ready? Fuck off.
I’d report the owner to the DoL. I’m fairly certain they’re breaking the law
- There is a lot of wiggle room about how POS based tipping is treated from a legal perspective
- The food service industry, much like repair/contracting, is notorious for being largely unenforceable for fines like this
- Let’s just say that I like the crew that does the actual work there and I am pretty sure none of them are in this country legally…
Breaking the law does not mean that the business will get punished. And if it does, it’s a fine.
When the punishment is a fine, it means that it’s a law against poor people.
I see you’ve never witnessed the DoL fuck a small business to death over stuff like this. The owner would be required to pay back, at minimum, the x amount he stole from the employees. Often it’s several times as much, which could easily bankrupt them.
The real issue is that employees don’t usually know what the boss is doing is illegal.
In rare (usually politically charged) cases? Sure
Mostly what happens is the owner pays back a fraction (if that) before telling the former employees to fuck off. Said former employees then need to decide if it is worth finding a lawyer to pursue this. And the margins for small businesses are often small enough that it is pretty easy to shuffle off any assets and then declare bankruptcy before doing it all over again later.
Everyone loves the news story where an asshole has been ordered to pay a massive fine. Very few people pay attention to what happens after the local DA takes a campaign photo.
owner is a prick and doesn’t share tips with the staff
This is fraud and should be illegal. Even though it’s not illegal, the staff can sue him and will win.
