Messages

2491

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 10:18:33 AM »

But let me say this with your words, is it right to punish the customer for something management did?

Well, I don't see it as punishment. I'm not messing with anyone's food, and I'm always polite and professional. But if I have two deliveries, and I know one of them won't tip (perversely, the people who don't tip are generally the ones who order most frequently) I deliver the other order first, regardless of how old the two orders are. That's a simple cost/benefit analysis, IMHO.

I can't really speak to what tips were like before the companies starting imposing "delivery fees", because I've only been doing this since 2007. But everyone I know in the industry (I've worked in six different stores, for three different companies) is honest with customers about how much of the delivery charge "goes to" the driver. (Drivers were getting a per-delivery supplement before the delivery charges, so it's kind of misleading even to say they "get" some of that money - it's 100% profit for the store.) I think it's exceedingly rare for a tipping customer to have become a non-tipping customer because of the system, though. Some people tip, and some don't - I really believe it's as simple as that.

2492

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 10:06:11 AM »

I think you're misunderstanding me here. I DO tip, and quite generously, because I am aware of the way wait staff is compensated. I just think the concept of having to make tips to earn a decent wage is ridiculous and should be changed.

I didn't misunderstand at all, and in fact I agree with you. I quoted your post initially simply because it provided an example of what my job actually *is* - which is quite different from what most people think it is, in my experience.

2493

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 10:03:30 AM »

a10t2... do you realize what you just said?  Some people are just getting by and ordering a pizza once a month might be their idea of eatting a prepared meal such as a restaurant.  Just saying.... 

I sympathize with those people (hell, I *am* one of those people). Would you make the same argument if they went to your daughter's restaurant once a month and didn't tip, though? If so, that's fine - I disagree, but you're certainly entitled to your opinion.

2494

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:59:36 AM »

So please explain how delivery or waiting tables is any different than other job?

The only difference is that a driver or waiter doesn't make minimum wage. As I've said, I think it's a stupid and arbitrary system, but it is what it is, and if you're going to support it by ordering the food, you should be tipping.

A job is a job and you should be compensated for your work, by your employer, and not expect the customers to pay twice. Personally, I would never want to be paid by tips. I would feel cheap.

I certainly agree with you there. I find it incredibly demeaning.

2495

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:55:44 AM »

Wow. I don't think I've ever had anything I've written so thoroughly misunderstood.

If you had bothered to read my earlier posts, you'd find that I do tip. However, I would prefer that they be paid a decent wage for a days work. Yes, they sit around between runs.

In colloquial English, "you" can be used as an indefinite pronoun. In the future I'll use "one" for clarity.

Also, the entire point of my little rant was that drivers are *extremely* busy, all the time, and that very little of the job is the actual driving.

Why is it "okay" for them to provide poor service, if they don't think they'll get a good tip?

I provide non-tipping customers with poor service whenever possible for the simple reason that I LOSE MONEY delivering to them. If there's something I can do that may cause them not to order again, it's in my own interest to do it. Frankly, I don't care if anyone else thinks that's "okay" or not. This isn't a hobby; it's my job. I do it for the money.

I'll bet you take breaks quite often to post here. Maybe you should be tipped for only the time you work.

Tell you what. If you ever see me post between 5 PM and midnight, Thursday through Sunday, I will give you unlimited license to berate me about not doing my job. It's 10:45 on a Thursday morning - since you're posting, may I assume you also work nights?

Better get yourself a soapbox.

I think you may need to look up what that expression means. I was on a soapbox. Then I got off of it. Now I'm on a different soapbox: the one I use to defend myself against ad hominem attacks on the Internet, apparently.

2496

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:42:04 AM »

What about people that can't afford the extra tip to the driver?  Should they be denied or have their food spit on the next time they order?

That excuse carries no weight with me. Eating out, including delivery, is incredibly expensive. If you're on a budget so tight that a couple dollars make a substantial difference, you should be cooking your own food.

2497

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: anyone by chance

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:33:51 AM »

Anyone that commutes 3 hours is a friggin moron

No argument here. Just don't say that to half the people who work in Manhattan.

2498

All Grain Brewing / Re: Astringency in dark beers

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:11:35 AM »

Is it the roasted and chocolate malts that I tasting in these dark beers?

It sounds like you're doing everything else right, so that could be it.

One other thing I've noticed is that for extremely dark beers, the mash chemistry calculators tend to overestimate the RA needed. You may be able to cut back on the carbonates and still get your pH in range.

2499

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: anyone by chance

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:08:13 AM »

New Englanders... 

Three hours isn't a road trip. Hell, in a lot of places it's barely a commute.

2500

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 04, 2010, 09:06:59 AM »

You go to a McDonalds, a single person usually takes your order, takes your money and fill the sacks with the items you ordered. At rush times they're running around at top speed. Do you tip them? I would guess that's a no for most of us.

Now imagine that the same person puts your food in his car and drives it to your house. And after all that, unless you tip him, he isn't making minimum wage.

I guess maybe some people are under the impression that delivery drivers sit around and eat pizza until an order is ready, then drive somewhere, then come back and sit around some more. Unless they're extraordinarily busy, most pizza places will operate with a manager, a dedicated pizza maker, occasionally one other "insider", and anywhere from 1-10 drivers. When you order pizza, there's a 95% chance that a driver took the order, prepped the ingredients, boxed/bagged the order, and did the dishes.

If you're making the case that who is paid minimum wage and who isn't is arbitrary, I'm right there with you. If you're using that as an excuse not to tip, you're just cheap.

Back off the soapbox...

2501

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Honey for Priming

« on: February 04, 2010, 08:46:24 AM »

Interesting insight, Skyler. I have two beers sitting in my secondaries right now, and I plan on using DME to prime. I've been using corn sugar until now; any thoughts about priming each batch with a cup of DME each?

I'd be worried about how precisely you could predict the level of carbonation. Are you just going to assume that the DME will be 60-65% fermentable? It just sounds like you're asking for inconsistency, honestly.

Why honey?it is more expensive and will NOT give a honey flavor unless the beer has been pasteurized

That doesn't make sense to me - I can get good honey flavor by adding it in the secondary, so priming seems like a natural thing to try.

2502

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 03, 2010, 08:34:07 PM »

That's the federal law. States can set their own minimum wage laws, but they have to be as much or more than the feds.

2503

Ingredients / Cardamom?

« on: February 03, 2010, 08:32:54 PM »

There's a Penzey's spice shop in town that I drive by all the time. I finally went in today because I wanted to try some chamomile in a wit. Turns out they don't carry it (and I really don't think I'll be shopping there again; the place has the floor space/product ratio of an Apple Store). The one nice thing was that they have sniffable jars of each of the spices, and I ended up getting some whole green cardamom.

Anyone know how much of this to use in a beer? My first instinct is to treat it like coriander (1/4 oz at flameout) but I was wondering if maybe that would be too much. Everything I can find about cooking with it says it's incredibly potent. So maybe I'll start with more like 3-5 grams. Which also brings up the question of what I'm going to do with 1.7 ounces of the stuff.

2504

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 03, 2010, 08:25:48 PM »

But I will say this too.... at least the store makes it up so you get the state minimum wage for pizza drivers,  my daughters don't have get that even.

They should, or their employer is breaking the law. If they make $2.25 an hour, and their tips don't average out to $5.00/hr, the restaurant has to make up the difference. http://www.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm

I get offered beer every once in a while. Of course, it's always BMC. You better believe if someone offered me a homebrew I'd be all over it.

2505

The Pub / Re: tipping?

« on: February 03, 2010, 07:39:31 PM »

Now tell my daughter or me that a pizza delivery driver needs something extra when they're At Least getting state minimum wage and they deliver within 5 miles average?  Maybe if they drive like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt... then yeh, otherwise their tip was already calculated in and I paid for it already.

Pizza drivers are not paid minimum wage. They get "minimum wage" in the same sense that a waiter or any other tipped employee gets minimum wage. If their tips don't come up to $7.25 an hour *for an entire pay period*, the employer is required to make up the difference.

None of the national chains actually pay the driver the entire "delivery charge." The driver is getting somewhere in the $0.50-$1.00 range per delivery, to subsidize the costs of operating a vehicle. It costs of minimum of about 30 cents a mile to operate a compact car. For the majority of deliveries, if the customer doesn't tip, the driver is effectively paying money out of pocket.

The odds of a late delivery being the driver's fault are generally pretty low.

I agree with glitterbug: all you did was punish someone who has no input in the process and hates the "delivery charge" more than you do. On top of which, you made yourself memorable - in a bad way - to someone who is alone with your food.

Disclosure: I deliver pizza for a living.