rant: fine dining

[haltz]

$50/hr is $100k/yr at 40hrs. I know there are some people in Chi/NY/SF that hit six figures, but it doesn't really happen in St. Louis afaik. $25-30 is a big deal here, as an average and after tip outs etc, and about as good as it gets. Probably tops out at about $35.

[33anda3rd]

Right, but that's part of the Eater piece on The Radler eliminating tipping, that they will pay servers $22-30/hour based on experience, and have an 18% service charge.

There's less $ in the tip pool because people tip more than 18% on average. And Radler is now paying tax on that money. So there's less to go around, but they're paying out everyone. If they can't get good servers b/c good servers want to be in a tip house making 20-22% in tips and tipping out bussers, etc. instead of making a flat $30/hour, then they're paying everyone the low end of $22. The gap between a $22/hr and $30/hr server is $15K/year. If they have 10 servers there's a $150K gap in there. Where does that all go? To giving every cook a 35% raise? To the owner's pocket? To pay for operating expenses?

[33anda3rd]

Ran into Adam at the famers market yesterday, had a nice long chat. I had many questions. The excess money from busy season/busy nights is going to be a reserve to pay staff to work in slow season/on slow nights. So that first couple weeks of September when restaurants slow down, the week after Valentine's Day when everyone has shot their dining wad for a while, the August weeks when summer vacations are happening and they're slower, the excess money is going to be held back so that servers are making a consistent income. That's his story. Everything he's saying both to me and in interviews this week states that it's not to balance out the kitchen and FOH wages, but his chef/partner was interviewed with him and there were a lot of comments about income equality so I assume it's a thing they're planning.

[tlombard]

I just saw on Facebook that Adam's Smokehouse is now delivering to a couple of ZIP codes and mine is one of them. Now I'm just waiting to find out if they will deliver to my entire ZIP code or not. I have a feeling that they'll have a cutoff line at Kingshighway and I'll be left two blocks out just like Pizza Hut where they say they have a two mile delivery radius and I'm less than 2.1 miles from two stores and neither will deliver to me when I have my yearly craving for a stuffed crust pizza.

Update: Adam's Smokehouse just made themselves at least another $100/month from me. $10 minimum order, no delivery charge and they will deliver all the way to me. I know what I'll be having for dinner soon, if not tonight!

[Freed Roger]

Steaks etc cooked on Himalayan salt block. What is the deal? My first hearing about this recently.

[tlombard]

I have no idea what that is but today our cafeteria has 'lasagna without noodles' on the steam table. What??? The lasagna part is the freaking noodles so if you don't have noodles then you in NO way have lasagna.

But I have to admit, the salsiccia they have in there today is legit. I heard they got it from G&W and that was all I needed to hear. Had one and will probably go back for a second in an hour or so. They should have stuff like that more often.

[Swirls]

I have no idea what that is but today our cafeteria has 'lasagna without noodles' on the steam table. What??? The lasagna part is the freaking noodles so if you don't have noodles then you in NO way have lasagna.

Apparently they were making gluten free lasagna... Only they could have still accomplished it with gluten free noodles.

[tlombard]

I have no idea what that is but today our cafeteria has 'lasagna without noodles' on the steam table. What??? The lasagna part is the freaking noodles so if you don't have noodles then you in NO way have lasagna.

Apparently they were making gluten free lasagna... Only they could have still accomplished it with gluten free noodles.

Could be but I won't even give them credit for thinking that far ahead. Maybe they just really wanted to push the delicious G&W salsiccia so they made up some soupy vegetables and cheese (oh yeah, it was vegetarian even) without the expectation that nobody would actually buy it.

[Freed Roger]

Himalayan salt blocks.? Anyone. For cooking steaks etx on? I am skeptical. Anyone?

[redbirdjazzz]

Himalayan salt blocks.? Anyone. For cooking steaks etx on? I am skeptical. Anyone?

I've heard good things, but never gotten the chance to try it.