Running Bear's October 2022 Coffee Shop

[Snowman]

I was a minimum 20% tipper before Covid. Since Covid my minimum has gone up to 25% and I have been tipping 30% + if the service is worth it. Automatic tips, I have run into a couple times this year. I told the server because both times they were exceptional that the automatic 24% tips were less then I would have given them.

I typically tip 33% if I'm in for breakfast, based on a point once made to me: Breakfast usually costs a lot less than does dinner, but the server still pays the same cost to come in for work (fuel+time). And perhaps even very early hours--not enough sleep, too soon to get back up. So maybe that smaller check ought be offset with a larger tip. Made sense to me.

 

[TLOC]

Good morning to good tippers, happy booze buyers for a cause or not, readers of the daily news and happy train modelers of any scale. It’s beyond chilled in So. Central Wisconsin. 29f degrees at wake up at 6:15 but thankfully there’s as no wind chill. High for the day is now 50.

Today as promised to my wife I will go ride her monsters called horses. 3 of them for 1 hour each and the other 3 tomorrow. Yes, they will get a apple when I greet them. I truly believe they know I don’t like them but that I am always good for an apple. If I can get the daughter and SIL to ride with I only need to ride for an hour.

Yesterday afternoon I picked newly fallen branches in the woods. These will be for some pulp wood piles and 21 loads for the pulp cars. It was a nice refreshing lazy time out in the woods. Normally when I walk the trails I am doing it for exercise at 3 mph. Yesterday off the trails was nice. Instead of the oven I broke them down and put them in the gas grill on the deck at 250f degrees. 3 hours and I believe they Are pretty dry and bug free. I will have plenty HO scale 100” pulp sticks when I get them cut up. That of course was the plan.

I also yesterday worked 1 hour on the layout. Started installing the fencing between the Transload facility and the PMY lead tracks. Today, I will continue the installation process.

I am taking a break from the weathering bench, it sort of started at noon yesterday but I will admit I was at the weathering bench for 30 minutes yesterday afternoon. I over did a car and covered almost all its coloring. 10 minutes of power spraying with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol at 65psi from the airbrush worked wonders in the client‘s eyes. The other 20 minutes was emptying the compressor, breaking down its parts and cleanup of my paint booth area. I will go back in after the horse riding on Friday, probably after lunch.

I see the bidding on EBay has slowed.

Finally, a funny one for all you online and FB time wasters (I am one)

 

[TLOC]

I typically tip 33% if I'm in for breakfast, based on a point once made to me: Breakfast usually costs a lot less than does dinner, but the server still pays the same cost to come in for work (fuel+time). And perhaps even very early hours--not enough sleep, too soon to get back up. So maybe that smaller check ought be offset with a larger tip. Made sense to me.

Good idea, thanks

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Down boy, down.
Some restaurants want me to add the tip into the check.
I'd prefer just to leave cash on the table.

 

[bnsf971]

Adding the tip into the check is "supposed to" mean the server and bussers both get a piece of it. If you leave a cash tip, there is nothing that says whoever gets back to the table first doesn't get it all. And I've watched it happen. Downside is, the tip is then taxable.

 

[logandsawman]

Good morning all, 33° and cloudy, no wildlife on today's commute

Flo - I'll take two cakes and two eggs, over medium, coffee and water. Thanks!

Troy - The Mac and Cheese looked good, I will try some of that

Louis - "I would have taken better care of myself if I knew I was going to live this long"

Tom - Eating out - my wife loves to cook and prefers her cooking to most restaurants, and so do I. We eat out about once per week, and Taco Bell counts!

Mike - are the NJ pine flats anything like the pine barrens in west central Wisconsin?

Saw a very sad episode of Gunsmoke the other day, from Season 7. That is one program that did not believe in sugar coating the story. Matt Dillon had to take a man that saved his life to be hanged. He tried to assist him to escape but the deep ethical undertones of the story did not allow either one to be a party to that, they both respected the law. The episode was called "Hangman"

back later, Dave LASM

 

[Bruette]

One place I do like to eat is The Golden Corral (all you can eat) I love their vegetables! They don't use too much seasoning or butter.

When I go, I eat a lot and every kind, except asparagus. I don't like asparagus. I especially love their cabbage! Now my wife makes it like they do, just for me,

I hand our server the cash tip.

 

[Bruette]

Louis - "I would have taken better care of myself if I knew I was going to live this long"

I second that! All we can do now is the best we can.

 

[Smudge617]

I really do try not to scare people, honestly, I do.

On the internet you can't even see how big I am.

Why do I not find that reassuring ?

 

[Smudge617]

Adding the tip into the check is "supposed to" mean the server and bussers both get a piece of it. If you leave a cash tip, there is nothing that says whoever gets back to the table first doesn't get it all. And I've watched it happen. Downside is, the tip is then taxable.

Most servers are on minimum wage, so I very much doubt anyone tells the taxman how much of a tip they received.

The issue I have with adding the tip onto the cheque, is that some restaurants keep the lot, and the servers receive nothing, most restaurants you receive the cheque in a little booklet type thing, I always hand it back to my server and tell them there's a little something for them.

 

[bnsf971]

Most servers are on minimum wage, so I very much doubt anyone tells the taxman how much of a tip they received.

You are completely wrong. According to the IRS tax code, tips are considered taxable income, and tipped employees are expected to disclose that income. The restaurant is also expected to report that income to the IRS.
What a wonderful (taxable) world we live in...

 

[Smudge617]

You are completely wrong. According to the IRS tax code, tips are considered taxable income, and tipped employees are expected to disclose that income. The restaurant is also expected to report that income to the IRS.
What a wonderful (taxable) world we live in...

Yes, I appreciate that it's taxable income and they are "expected" to disclose the tips received, but I doubt few actually do, which is probably why restaurants are going into paying the tip with the cheque therefore making the restaurant liable for paying the tax and the servers get the rest. Well that's the theory anyway.

 

[Snowman]

Back early from the volleyball games on campus. The #5 Women beat #1 Nebraska 3 games to none.
25/23, 25/23 and 25/18 and the scores don’t reflect the dominance the Badgers had over the Cornhuskers. 8000 sold out seats is normal. But the seats were filled for an early season conference game. It was hopping and I am home at least 90 minutes sooner then I had plannedA

Flo- a couple of over medium rooster bullets, some porkroll & scrapple(cafés up here look at ya like ya got 3 heads if you ask for either one up here), a stack of Mel’s famous keto pancakes & a TGOM to wash it down, PATY.

LOL! Even if I was short-order chef, I think I'd be sayin' "WHAT the he** does he want?"

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Looks like clear skies and 49° out there this morning. It does seem that every star in the universe is shining out here in the country sky. Still no real change in the forecast except it probably won't get above 55° during the predicted thunderstorms tomorrow. The cold front hitting after midnight tonight may have more force than originally expected. Tell me what you experience Patrick.

It's weekly grocery trek day at the SFW estate. Looks like a big day today since we went lightly last week. I know that Dollar General is on the list but I don't know what my wife has planned. I do think that we are stopping for BBQ on the way home.

Thanks for the comments and reactions for the scenes that I posted yesterday.

One of my neighbors, a 52 year old man named Bubba, is the son of another neighbor who moved in about a year after I did in '81. So I have known Bubba since he was 11 years old. After he graduated high school, he moved out into the world and I only saw him occasionally after that. About ten years ago, he and his wife and their daughter moved into a trailer up the road that he rents from dad. Yesterday afternoon he came by with a young man who is 31 years old, his son from a very brief marriage (maybe just a fling), after high school in 1990. I had never met him before and he was really just an unconfirmed rumor to me. He wanted to show his son my train shed. Well, the son was completely enamored by what he saw and he ended up spending nearly three hours here. I ran trains, showed off structures and scenes and generally answered every model railroading question that could be. He carefully inspected the entire layout, but skipped the messy workbench. I'm convinced that he left with the intention of taking up the hobby, and he seems to have disposable income to do it with. The only downside is that I did no modeling work yesterday, but I did get to run many trains, and so did he. I even told him the advantages of DCC, even though I am a diehard DC operator. He did admire the walk-around memory throttle that I was using.

So no pictures today of any new projects. I will leave you with this though. A couple of Hydrocal structures from Downtown Deco.

Troy - I am not confused by sportsball of any kind, I just became disenchanted with the whole sports world when they started acting like prima donnas around 2005 or so. The real nail in the coffin was Colin Kaepernick and the copycats from all sports. I still like to watch Women's Beach Volleyball.
Patrick - You're correct that grade crossings can be installed over track that has been ballasted, I just like doing it on clean track. But that's just me, I don't think that there is any rule of thumb.
Tom O - The Alkem fencing looks quite good in the package. I'm sure that you will keep us up to date with it.

Everybody have a great day.

 

[troyphoto]

Actually, in the USA, most wait staff are below the US minimum wage, thanks to Pizza Godfather Herman Caine.

He was head of some restaurants association big lobbying group that negotiated with other lobbyists and Congress back in the 1990s??? Maybe 2000s???? The other minimum wages at the federal level were decoupled from the restaurant wait staff. The Fed levels are the lowest any state or local can set its own minimum wages.

Servers' minimum wage hasn't risen since unless a state or local has changed their version of it.

And, IIRC, the fed tax code assumes a % of the total sales billed out under a server to have generated a tip. Forget the amount, but I believe that "auto declares" a 10% or so assumption of tips received if the auto-pay systems report less.

Perhaps someone with recent restaurant experience can fill in the gaps for me.

 

[Snowman]

I really do try not to scare people, honestly, I do.

On the internet you can't even see how big I am.

Well, I'm sure your--no...yer...no.............you are...not as think as I big you are. Err...think as you big you...oh never mind.

This is good whoosky...err...scoth...no...skotch...tape. No....

 

[MilwRoader_Steve]

Ugh - -

Finally my turn for the 'vid. Had a great weekend with my youngest dau and her energetic guide dog staying over Sat & Sun nights. Took her to work Monday and then worked from home. Feeling draggier and draggier as the day wore on, but attributed to the fun weekend. But by Monday night was achy, slight cough and feeling feverish. At bedtime, measured 99.2 which is high for me who is normally 97.0 Tuesday it kicked in hard. Wife gave the covid test Tuesday night which was positive. Fortunately, I've been able to convalesce at home and have not required intervention. I think the worst has passed but still not 100%.

Actually ran trains Monday. It had been almost six weeks. Amazing how the track gets "dirty" or oxidized. One very reliable loco (not run for a couple months) was rather balky. Had no energy Tuesday or yesterday (spent a lot of time with John Wayne), but may run to finish the ops started Monday.

Starting to get the winter mode bug to work on the layout again.

That's all guys, please continue with regular conversations. --------Steve J

 

[MilwRoader_Steve]

Nice way to be an advocate for the hobby, Willie!

I raised a son who cooked and two girls who both spent time serving tables. So we had many a 'discussion' regarding front-o-the-house versus back-o-the-house.

But as a general rule I am a good tipper. Although I have taken on as a personal mission the city of Minneapolis who raised server wages to $15/hr. At our favorite restaurants, the servers were up in arms about the idea. Most of them topped $70K/year, and six-figures is not unheard of. They had no interest in going to work for a city-defined "Livable wage."

 

[JeffH]

Fun story about tipping.

During High School, our oldest daughter worked as a server at a local breakfast place. There was this one older gentleman who came in every morning for breakfast. He always tipped right around 20%, according to my daughter. Right before Christmas, he picked out a few of the servers who he had come to know, and gave each of them a $100 bill when he paid his bill. This Gentleman went out of his way to tell the owners that "this isn't a tip I'm giving. This is a gift, that is from me to them. This is not a tip based on performance, or anything else, just me wanting to give a christmas present to these kids. According to the tax laws, gifts are not taxable, and should not be included anywhere on these kid's W-2."

I thought that was pretty cool thing for him to do.

 

[Bruette]

Most servers are on minimum wage, so I very much doubt anyone tells the taxman how much of a tip they received.

Smudge, it is even worse than you can imagine.

Our federal minimum wage is only $7.25/hour. Employers that have "tip" workers can take a tip credit up to $5.12/hour. Leaving the tip worker with a minimum salary of only $2.13/hour. Provided the tips are $5.12/hour or more. Employers of tip workers have a $5.12/hour incentive to report the tips.

We can't have the working poor making too much! Politicians might tell you it is only teenagers and entry level workers. Tell that to the senior citizens working to pay health care co-pays.

Federal Department of Labor

Tips

A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal...

www.dol.gov

Some US states have different wage laws.

Minimum Wage Rates by State 2026

www.minimum-wage.org