From: no_offline_contact@example.com   
      
   On 2025-12-26 2:25 p.m., Adam H. Kerman wrote:   
   > BTR1701   wrote:   
   >> On Dec 26, 2025 at 11:10:15 AM PST, ""Adam H. Kerman""    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> BTR1701  wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> Went to pick up a friend at the airport yesterday. Got there early, so I   
   >>>> parked and went into the terminal for a bite to eat. I ended up getting a   
   >>>> sandwich and a soda at a completely automated shop on the concourse. I   
   took   
   >>>> my   
   >>>> items to the scanner to pay and was presented with a tip screen: 30% 40%   
   and   
   >>>> 50% were the options with no "no tip" option or ability to skip the   
   screen.   
   >>>   
   >>>> For a store WITH NO EMPLOYEES.   
   >>>   
   >>>> Who am I tipping in that scenario? Myself?   
   >>>   
   >>>> I'm certainly not tipping for any kind of service. It's basically just the   
   >>>> corporation saying, "Hey, I know we priced the sandwich at $8.00, but we'd   
   >>>> really like it if you paid between $10.50 - $12.00 for it instead. We just   
   >>>> don't want to look like gigantic cockbags with our prices and push people   
   to   
   >>>> eat elsewhere."   
   >>>   
   >>>> There was a "custom tip" option, so I chose that and entered $0.00, which   
   it   
   >>>> rejected as invalid. So I entered $0.01 and it went through, but I was   
   still   
   >>>> enraged at having to pay even a penny for this kind of nonsense.   
   >>>   
   >>> I would have cancelled the order the moment I saw the tip screen, given   
   >>> that there were no human beings to tip.   
   >>>   
   >>> Did your state make the minimum wage for tipped and non-tipped wage   
   >>> earners the same? I think that's a hint not to tip your waitress.   
   >>   
   >> No, they did a carve out for fast food restaurants which mandated they be   
   paid   
   >> $18/hr starting 2019 and rising each year until it hits $25/hour.   
   >>   
   >> But it's only for fast food restaurants, not sit-down restaurants. And Gavin   
   >> had them put a special carve-out in the statutory definition of "fast food"   
   >> that exempted any fast food restaurant that baked its own bread fresh on the   
   >> premises so that his buddy who owns Panera wouldn't be hit with skyrocketing   
   >> labor costs. When that hit the media, Gavvy hastily retracted the carve-out.   
   >   
   > Wow   
   >   
   >> Still, it seems like Subway would have met that bread criteria as well. I   
   >> wonder how they managed to exempt Panera and not Subway (or Firehouse Subs   
   or   
   >> any other sandwich shop that bakes its own bread)?   
   >   
   > I try to avoid Subway. I don't care if they bake it in the restaurant --   
   > pre-rolled dough from the freezer. It's lousy bread that tastes mass   
   > produced.   
      
   The first time I tried Subway, maybe 30 years ago, I felt the same. They   
   only had one kind of bread and it was really bland and tasteless. I   
   bought subs from other chains. But then I went to Subway again for some   
   reason - probably because I was hungry and there was nothing else close   
   by - and found an assortment of breads (at least 5 different ones). The   
   one I chose was tasty so Subway became my preferred sub place. (Mind   
   you, I think the other chains also offered an assortment of breads by   
   that point.) Do Subways in Chicago not offer an assortment of breads?   
      
   Damn! Now I'm thinking about going to my nearest Subway and having a   
   nosh! But it's cold so I'm make a bowl of popcorn instead....   
   --   
   Rhino   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)