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Comment by genocidicbunny | Hacker News Reader

Sounds like they're not paying their staff enough. If they're not having trouble with staffing on busy nights, but are on quiet ones thats a pretty sure sign that they need to raise their pay. On busy nights staff might be okay with the lower pay thanks to tips, but otherwise its likely more profitable for them to go work somewhere else that pays better.

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>tips

Barstaff don't get tips in the UK

It's more likely that on quiet nights/days it's simply not cost effective to open. During a weekday a small pub might literally have one or two customers. They're traditionally owner-operated for a reason, and the reason is because the margins don't allow for staff.

Fair point. I'm looking at this from an American point of view, and I forgot that wait staff in the UK get paid actual wages unlike in the US.

> Barstaff don't get tips in the UK.

At least when food comes into it they may do, quite a lot of tips where my brother worked a few years back (pooled and shared between bar & kitchen staff). Nothing like the US though indeed.

Definitely changing that though, esp over last 10 years. Many pubs in London (and increasingly other areas) will put an "optional" 12.5% for service for food, especially if they have a "dining area" off the main bar. It's also increasingly common for pubs to have people asking if you'd like another drink, and charging you 12.5% for the pleasure - this seems to be a lingering effect after covid where you couldn't go to the bar to order.

> On busy nights staff might be okay with the lower pay thanks to tips

You have absolutely no idea about this topic you're commenting on, do you?

It might not be applicable to the UK, as someone else pointed out, but this is absolutely the case in the US. On a good night, a server might make several times more than their hourly wages in tips alone. I've known plenty of people that worked as wait staff at a restaurant that liked the tipping system because thanks to tipping their wages were several times higher than minimum wage. Most of them would have rather had a slow night once in a while rather than give up the tipping because of how much they made thanks to tipping.

Well, sure. But this thread has nothing to do with the US, right?

> this is absolutely the case in the US

How is that relevant to the number of pubs in England and Wales, which is the topic.

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