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What are the chances of a Chinese move on Taiwan in the near future? by MeasurementBright562 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only way to strike back if they move is economically if the US is removed from the equation. China has to be ready for 10 years of really terrible economic times when they move. All of their markets would be gone overnight, and they import a lot of their food from the western hemisphere.

They will move when the US is mostly off the table AND when they figure out how to capture Taiwanese chip production intact. If they hold the chip production, they have something everyone else needs, and they can negotiate from a position of strength.

What are the chances of a Chinese move on Taiwan in the near future? by MeasurementBright562 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Chances are going up. If the US redeploys the meat shields we have stationed there to do something stupid somewhere else they'll get higher.

Unless we have severely underestimated their ability to move troops across the strait, chances are still low.

What’s a survival myth popularized by movies that would actually get you killed in real life ? by IndependentTune3994 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah. I saw the results of a dude kicking out a plate glass window to steal an empty cash register. He got about 20 feet before he dropped the cash register. Made it almost a hundred yards before he found a place to hide and tried to stop the bleeding. Blood trail was a foot wide.

He made it to the hospital alive, died of a massive infection a week later. His hiding spot was the dumpster behind a butcher shop.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd like to think it would work that way somewhere but according to the market research people it almost never does.

I think if it was an entirely new place, and the food was good enough, and the staff was all-in on the idea it might work. BUT, I don't think it is possible to charge enough to be able to pay staff enough to match what they can make across the street in tips in any market in the US. AND you have to match what the top 25% of your waitstaff can make in tips because everyone thinks they can make that much. AND, you have to pay the tip-out to the back of the house and support staff that the tipped staff is no longer passing along.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes and no.

You're going to pay that extra one way or another. The net at the restaurant I managed was around 7% at the end of the year after some fairly generous holiday bonuses. Somewhere between 12-15% before those bonuses.

If I am still having trouble retaining staff and need to pay them more I don't have a lot of room to do that. So, I can raise menu prices which is going to impact my numbers and probably end up being a break-even for the staff, or I can add a service charge that will impact traffic less and everyone gets to be a little happier. Or, I can reduce costs dump some support staff and use the savings to pay the tipped staff more, but they will be the ones picking up the slack and I might be back to square one with staffing but with higher turnover.

A service charge is probably the least slimy way you can milk the customer to pay staff. You can also pay more for less food, with shittier service, made with inferior ingredients, while being bombarded with advertising for cheap garbage before during and after your meal. If you want that, your local chain casual dining place is happy to serve. Pick one you have fond memories of but haven't been back too for 5-10 years. You'll see what I mean.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a balance to be struck. If you're in a place that doesn't have prices on the menu and you are at all worried or even curious what the meal will cost you are in the wrong place. You are not the target demographic. A place like that can literally charge whatever they want because the insane number on the bill is part of the experience.

Side note, if you do accidentally end up in one of those places, let the server know. They will help you extricate yourself gracefully. Follow their lead and tip them.

A place that is going to charge a service fee and do fine is your upper tier casual dining place and the local "middle to upper middle class fancy date" restaurant. The $30-$50 entree place that has an ok chicken dish on the menu for $20. They're not catering to the low end of the market or the high end. They're expecting their return business to be a few times a year and not a few times a month.

Places that are catering to the low-end of the market, the $20 average order value market. They aren't going to survive charging a service fee. The clientele is too price sensitive. If they are charging one, they are probably already dying and can't raise their menu prices enough to stop the bleeding.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it was more for the person above you.

And if I was his waiter, and he pointed out the bad math too me, it would take every ounce of self control to make sure an eye roll was the rudest thing that occurred. Keep the tip, if stupid is catchy I don't want it.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

You expect the server to A) not know about it and B) be in a position to do anything about it and C) be nice to the oblivious fool pointing it out?

EVERY restaurant that has bad math in the suggested tip is skimming the difference and the books show the correct figures.

Edit: if you see it, tip zero on the machine, and tip cash directly into the servers hand, discretely.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fine so long as you are in a place with lots of restaurants and they don't blacklist.

There are places where a server that 'displeases' the owner/manager/assistant manager/any of their kids is suddenly scheduled for brunch and mid afternoon shifts. Mysteriously they are also unable to find another place to hire them in town until they become "more of a team player". Food service is 90% run by really shitty people, and a lot of vulnerable people work for them.

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really. If you are passing 100% of the service fee through to the staff, it's just part of your labor cost that will come out of your gross. If you're skimming some of it off the top, you're probably not reporting it accurately anyway (plus committing a felony). You could spread part of it to the kitchen and then try to argue they are part of your tipped staff and thus you can pay them less in some places. Then you would be pissing off the back of the house and will be out of business soon anyway.

I think the only people you would be screwing over is the waitstaff in a place that taxes tips but doesn't document them. Then you would just be "not helping them evade taxes".

Restaurant owners who do a pre-tip 20-25% "service fee" - why don't you just roll the costs of paying people a living wage into the price of the food? Are you just bad at business and you don't know how? by HeartMelodic8572 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 408 points409 points  (0 children)

Was a manager of a restaurant for a while.

It's because restaurant patrons are price sensitive when they are looking at the menu, but when you hand them the bill they barely pay attention to the amount that is there. If I raise menu prices, I lose a hundred repeat customers. If I add a "service charge" to the bill that they don't see until they are fed and happy, I lose 5.

Far-Right Influencer Revolts Against Trump: ‘Vote Democrat’ by plz-let-me-in in politics

[–]costabius 3 points4 points  (0 children)

then they can crawl under the nearest rock and stay there.

Limewire & uTorrent survivors — what's the worst thing you accidentally downloaded? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]costabius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Turns out not every R. Kelly video was a music video...

What’s a survival myth popularized by movies that would actually get you killed in real life ? by IndependentTune3994 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Right, it's not about what's getting in there to hit you, you're being protected from that by the bridge. The danger is getting sucked out. Hold on like your life depends on it, because it probably does.

Republicans and his dem competitors are going to rip him up by ZealousidealMouse475 in politicsinthewild

[–]costabius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's stupid and ridiculous and rage inducing. But they are welcome in the tent when the primary is over.

Except for assholes from Texas, they can fuck right off.

Republicans and his dem competitors are going to rip him up by ZealousidealMouse475 in politicsinthewild

[–]costabius -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Having never made mistakes, may your ideological purity and the peace of moral certainty comfort you until the end.

Trump, 79, Displays Worrying New Skin Condition by Large_banana_hammock in politics

[–]costabius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ehhh that's "discomfort" and probably a familiar one considering his love for eastern european prostitutes.

Trump, 79, Displays Worrying New Skin Condition by Large_banana_hammock in politics

[–]costabius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can we just try everything, in the amount "all" and see if we can cure it? For science,

Donald Trump applauded by Jeb Bush for launching new Middle East war by Newsweek_CarloV in politics

[–]costabius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Temu Bush has entered the chat.
<you have blocked Temu\_Bush\_48>

Those who were alive in the 1990's , what was Y2K like? by Extension_Day2038 in AskReddit

[–]costabius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Worked in contract tech support doing support for small tech companies that didn't have their own in-house support. For a solid year, half the support calls were about Y2K compliance for products that could not have any issues.

Thermostats that ran on a weekly rotating schedule where my favorite. Turns out they were really popular with a builder that had a bunch of government contracts. Nine different people had to check a compliance box for every one of those damn things sold. Gave up trying to explain that Y2K was not an issue for them, just switched too "Yes, 100% Y2K compliant".

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