Waiter decanting out of sight

Grocery store margins are 1.25-1.5%…

So it is all about the volume, like petrol stations?

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I hate tipping. The ipad swivel for counter service is particularly insulting. That being said, I’m not aware of many countries where one can earn 4 digits per night waiting tables except the United States. Assuming a 20% tip, you only need to sell $5k of food and wine per night to hit $1000 in tips. At a high end steakhouse type place (even somewhere as “downmarket” as Ruths Chris or Mortons) where the average entree price is $50+ and average price of wine is $100/b, you really only need to serve like 25-30 people (people, not tables) per night to hit $5k on a weekend splurge night. You’d pretty much be guaranteed to get there at ~50 people. Of course some people will order water, no starter, the petit filet and no dessert, but some people will also order 3 courses, the Tomahawk steak and the Sassicaia…

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We told you before Justin. We ain’t tipping no damn 20% on the Sassicaia :disguised_face:

you forget that the waiter also has to tip out. So maybe holds 65-80 percent of his tips.

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True - and depends on restaurant policies. If it’s place that has server assistants, bussers, food runners, sommelier, the whole 9, then yeah. If they’re just tipping out a bartender 5-10% of alcohol sales, it could be upwards of 90%.

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agree. And when they add 3-5% for health care, I subtract that from the 20% tip I usually provide. Pay for your employees’ benefits yourself, Mr. Restaurant Owner, like we other business people do. Raise your entree prices or lower your profits.

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At least in the US petrol stations wouldn’t be able to exist on current pricing and volume except for bigger operations that have multiple stations and therefore get a more competitive rate on the gas they buy. For everyone else (and even the big operations really) it’s the margins on the convenience store side that make their business, also, any fast food restaurants attached.

With BYOB I open the bottle at home few hours prior to heading to the restaurant, decant the wine and then pour it back to the bottle right before leaving for the dinner. In this case no need to decant at the restaurant.

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I believe in NJ you can legally transport open bottle in the car trunk.

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You’re just hurting the servers in this case. It’s a bad situation where they get to lie about their menu prices but you’re not hurting the owner here.

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Correct

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When I think of the Finnish alcohol legislation and how at times it doesn’t seem to make any sense, it’s always good to remind oneself that there are always even crazier laws out there.

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Do you know how that works in SUV? Technically it does not have enclosed trunk.

New Jersey Open Container Law – N.J.S.A. 39:4-51b Place it behind the last seat

I have an SUV in NJ
I keep it in the rear cargo area. I think NJ defines it as the area behind the last seating row

Edit- I see Tom posted the reg. That’s where I have been storing previously opened containers of alcohol.

LOL sometimes (actually often) I’m really glad I live in Florida. I cannot imagine a scenario in which a sheriff’s deputy here would be even remotely pedantic enough to cite a 100% sober driver for an “open container” consisting of a full bottle of wine.

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Don’t jinx yourself

Yes. I always think that Florida is such a laid back open state.

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If you are talking about a fine dining place with team service I’d bet a bottle of Screagle that they tip out at least 20. Maybe 35 percent.

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