Minimum Wage

I heard from a guy working at a movie theater this week. He was very pleased that he got some tips while working the concession counter in the theater. I was shocked. I didn't know that anybody tipped concession workers. I always treated them like vending machines, which is a step above what they are, which is accomplices to highway robbery. Here is the price, yes it is exorbitant, but you are trapped inside here and this is the only food there is, so if you want something to eat, you have to buy it from us and you will have to pay our prices.

In recent years, I have modified my outlook. Movie theaters are in business to make money. The ticket prices, while high, are still a pretty good deal for what they deliver. On the other hand, the food is optional. I know the prices are going to be exorbitant, and if I go to the theater with my family it is going to cost me North of $20 for popcorn and soda pop. That's just the way it is, and after twenty years I'm become accustomed to it.

Running a movie theater can be a pretty iffy propostion. If the movies are popular, you may draw big crowds and make a ton of money. If not, you could lose your shirt. Concessions is a way to generate more money when times are good, which may keep you in business through those inevitable lean times.

So concession stand prices are a fact of modern life. Get used to it. Still, tipping concession stand workers was a new idea to me. I mean, you don't tip workers at food service restaurants. (okay, maybe you do. I don't). In general fast food places seem to discourage it. I suppose it gives them a slight competitive advantage. Some people are cheap, but are also sheep, and would feel obliged to tip if it were allowed. If tipping is prohibited, then they can be cheap without feeling guilty.

You don't have a lot of interaction with fast food restaurant workers. This is less of a social event than it is a refueling operation. I suspect a lot of people would just as soon swap out their dead battery pack for a new one as sit down for ten minutes to consume food. Keeping prices fixed also speeds up the business end of things. We don't have time to stop and figure out how much the tip is, much less dig through our pockets to find the correct amount of cash.

Which brings us to actual restaurants. Jack and I go out to lunch once a week. We've been doing it for years. There are three restaurants we usually go to. Occasionally we will branch out and look around, but we have pretty much settled on these three:

• O'Connors in Multnomah Village
• Buster's Barbeque near I-5 & Highway 99.
• The Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, also know as CPR, near Highway 26.

O'Connors is a real restaurant, it is not part of a chain, they have a cook and they have had the same wait staff for years. It's in an old building with old furnishings, the food is good, there is always something new on the menu and prices are reasonable.

Busters serves meat buffet style. They've had the same guy with a knife behind the counter forever. He slices off a piece of whatever you want, his assistant hands you a bowl of "side", you pay the cashier and find a table. Don't think I've ever tipped here either. Probably should.

CPR is part of the McMenamins brother's chain. These guys have built themselves a little empire based on their home brewed ales. They typically will take over an old building and refurbish it to use as a restaurant. CPR was such a success they built a new building to use as a restaurant. The original old house is still there and is kept in good repair. It is something of an emblem for the place. The odd thing about this place is that the wait staff is constantly changing. The only person there that I am reasonably sure will be there next time is big bearded guy and I think he's the manager. Waitresses never seem to last more than a couple of weeks. This place is in close proximity to Intel. Is there a connection between this location and the high turn over in staff?

Lunch typically runs $20 to $25 for the two us, and we usually leave 4 or 5 dollars for a tip.