> Servers, see, are cheap. They pay us a grand total of $2.63 an hour. Servers never get raises, either, because they're likely just to complain and whine about how low their hourly wage is anyway


Well fortunately I live in CA where they have to pay a server minimum wage, but it doesn't really do very much, after taxes your lucky to get a check for more than $75. With that said, if you want a raise, give yourself one! As a server, you have the power to make as much or as little as you want. I worked as a server and a bartender for several years before going into management. I was a damn good server too. Sometimes there isn't much you can do, but most of the time, you can make as much as you want to. Check out the website at Cornell University. They have several papers that were written on the psychology of tipping. Very interesting stuff. I never realized that it was something that people would write about, but they have a management program there. There are a few papers that most of my staff really found helpfull. Most of them actually read them and made copies.

"they won't make as much money, but we're not really concerned about our employees, just about how much we can line our own pockets."

Think about this, managers don't make very much on salary. Most of the time, my closing servers make more than I do. If a manager gets a lousy bonus, they'll be lucky to pay their bills. Our bonus is like our tips. If a guest is not happy, I'm sure there are shortcuts that you take to make them happy so you get a tip. Am I wrong? Well, if a manager doesn't receive a bonus, or their bonus is very poor, it's like they worked all month, for less than minimum wage, and then didn't get any tips on top of that. By the way, a managers day is at least 12 hours. And most restaurant managers end up taking their work home with them after their 12 hour days. Many end up losing families because of there job. I know I've come close to losing mine in only 1 short year. I know that shortcuts and sacrificing service for numbers is not the best practice out there, somwtimes it is what has to be done untill you can find that middle ground.
Note: 9 out of ten restaurants fail within the first year. Restaurants on average keep less than 5 cents for every dollar that comes into the store. Labor is a restaurants highest cost.
This is why the numbers are so important at the top. You can't please everyone all of the time, but you need to keep the one who signs your check happy.