Stop Blaming Servers for Restaurant Prices!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last several months, you probably know that inflation in our country is at it’s highest point since 1982. Seriously, the last time inflation hit this hard, Olivia Newton-John was singing about Jazzercise and E.T. was phoning home about it.

Prices are going up everywhere, from the grocery store to the airlines and every place in between. That also means that restaurants are even more expensive than they used to be. Menu prices, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, have increased 7.2% between April 2021 and April 2022, which represented the largest 12-month gain since 1981. Rising inflation can’t be pinned onto one particular person or factor for responsibility. It’s a combination of a lot of things; supply chain issues, the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, corporate greed, government, etc. But you want to know whose fault it isn’t? Restaurant servers, that’s who.

Look, customers, we get it. You’re not happy about paying $16 for a cocktail and $18 for a burger. We’re not thrilled about it either because we have to listen to you complain about it all the time. Theoretically, servers are making more money if people are tipping the same percentage as the prices go up, but that’s not always the case. Plenty of customers are playing the “I’m too broke to tip” card these days seemingly exempting themselves from the social contract that is tipping servers.

Stop using the impending recession as an excuse to justify being cheap. And even more importantly, stop blaming your server for the rising cost of restaurant prices. Your server literally has nothing to do with that. They might be in charge of stocking the restroom with paper towels or refilling the salt and pepper shakers, but they are not creating spreadsheets with a food cost analysis and determining how much to charge for bacon or avocado in a salad.

When consumers buy an airline ticket, they might grumble about the cost as they submit payment for it online, but they don’t yell at the flight attendant when they board the plane. When they purchase a pair of expensive Nikes they don’t get pissed off at the Foot Locker sales clerk and demand to see the manager about it. Yet, for some reason, restaurant customers are different. They think its alright to berate an 18-year old waitress at The Cheesecake Factory because the Pasta Carbonara costs $20.50. Stop doing that, it’s not okay.

We all go to restaurants knowing full well it’s going to be expensive. Everything is expensive now, that’s just where our country is. Even the double cheeseburger combo meal at McDonald’s is over ten bucks now if you choose large over medium. Accept it.

If you don’t want to pay the higher prices at restaurants, then stay at home and cook your over-priced groceries from the under-stocked grocery store. The next time you go to a restaurant and your eyes want to pop out of their sockets when you see the prices, take a deep breath and think about your options. If you don’t want to spend that much money, maybe have one cocktail instead of two. Or drink water instead of iced tea. Or split an appetizer with someone instead of having one all to yourself. But whatever you do, hold your tongue when you are tempted to complain about the prices to your server. If you do, they will smile politely and express empathy while trying not to tremble with rage. It’s not their fault  that restaurants are expensive. Stop blaming them for it.