can people in chicago working for tips really make money? (Cambridge: apartments, leases)

[movingsomewhere]

[SIZE=2]I've heard of waiters/waiting tables making up to 70K a year, and yeah most of this money is tax free money. Is this true? How about pizza delivery drivers since doing this kind of work to make money relies on the tips/tippers?

I'm a college age guy trying to move to Chicago for school and just to relocate out of my current location (this place sucks!) and hope to make money in tips since no one these days can live off the minimum wage! I live in suburban Maryland right now and in this area delivery drivers can make between $50 to $100 a day in cash (this is between 5 to 8 hours of work a day and depending on the tips/tippers as well). The hourly pay is usually minimum wage and gas will be paid for by the pizza company. You can make more in tips than what I mentioned above if it's busy (usually weekends), or if there is a game or special event and everyone is ordering and looking to spend money and be generous. Colder seasons like during fall, winter, early spring tend to get busier than summer because it's cold and people don't spend much time outside so they'd rather order a pizza and have it delivered. It all depends on the tippers really and how many customers you can deliver to in a timely manner. To make that typical $50 to $100 a day, you'd have to have delivered to atleast between 15-25 customers a day (if busy, this usally takes between 5 to 8 hours a day). If you're a good and fast driver and know the area well or have a GPS or map reading skills, you'd be ok and might even be able to deliver more in less time which should equal more tips! But at the end of the day, it all depends on the generous tipper(s). From what I've been hearing, people doing work for tips in Chicago can make a lot.

Also, here in MD, the average rent for a studio apartment in a mediocre location/city (and overall the entire state) starts at $850 a month! I've seen that in Chicago it starts at $500, and for a world-class city with true diversity, this is mind-boggling.
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[Attrill]

It is definitely possible to make good money as a waiter or bartender, but it may take a while to find a good job at a decent restaurant. The biggest problem with working as a pizza delivery guy is the cost of gas. Chicago has some of the most expensive gas in the country and it hits delivery workers and taxi drivers pretty hard.

$500 seems a little low to me, I have seen decent places in pretty safe areas for $700-800.

On the plus side, Chicagoans tip above the national average. I saw a survey a couple years ago that put the average tip in Chicago close to 20%.

[movingsomewhere]

$500 for an apartment is rare in most of Maryland. Housing cost here is very high only because it's near the capital (D.C.) but that's about it. Housing here, even the size of an oversized trailer, starts at 400K (if you're lucky) all the way up, even in the ghettos/by the ghettos or near it. It's a small state. There's a name/nickname for these type of houses; "ramblers". Most studio apartments here start at $850.

As far as gas prices go, pizza delivery drivers are reimbursed for it, so it is not a problem. I am not sure about Taxi drivers since it is not technically a type of job that "delivers" something, plus they already overcharge anyone and everyone that rides a Taxi in a major city.

[Chicago60614]

My friends own a bar up on Halsted, and I know all the bartenders/servers. They're just a bunch of random 24 year old guys picking up shifts, but Thursday through Sunday nights they pull in around $300 each per night.

I think the average tip in Chicago is almost always 20% on other things besides drinks.

[lincolnparker]

I lived in maryland for five years, first in baltimore, then in southern md, a dc suburb. a 500 dollar apt is either in a slump or in the middle of nowhere, not easily accessible to the metro (perhaps fredericksburg?). even in baltimore, an ok one bedroom apt in an apt building, not near the water, i.e., inner harbor, will run you upwards of $1200 (look into The Cambridge at 3900 N Charles). if you want to be near the water, or close to a metro station, you will likely be paying $1500 for a one bedroom, or close to $1000 for a studio

Originally Posted by movingsomewhere

$500 for an apartment is rare in most of Maryland. Housing cost here is very high only because it's near the capital (D.C.) but that's about it. Housing here, even the size of an oversized trailer, starts at 400K (if you're lucky) all the way up, even in the ghettos/by the ghettos or near it. It's a small state. There's a name/nickname for these type of houses; "ramblers". Most studio apartments here start at $850.

As far as gas prices go, pizza delivery drivers are reimbursed for it, so it is not a problem. I am not sure about Taxi drivers since it is not technically a type of job that "delivers" something, plus they already overcharge anyone and everyone that rides a Taxi in a major city.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by movingsomewhere

...As far as gas prices go, pizza delivery drivers are reimbursed for it, so it is not a problem. I am not sure about Taxi drivers since it is not technically a type of job that "delivers" something, plus they already overcharge anyone and everyone that rides a Taxi in a major city.

Most places do not give their drivers money for gas here. Taxi drivers here pay for their own gas as well most of the time.

[tb4000]

Depends on the clientele. If they're under 30, I won't even front, be prepared to receive sucky ass tips, if any. Coming from one, young people are horrible tippers.

[Drover]

There are a lot of people under 30 in this town making good money and willing to spend it. Depends a lot more on what kind of establishment you work in than the age of the clientele.

[PokerPlayer1]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Most places do not give their drivers money for gas here. Taxi drivers here pay for their own gas as well most of the time.

That's pretty much standard anywhere.

The cab business uses an "operator-leasee" model, where the driver leases the insured vehicle and the medallion (the license to operate the cab) from the parent company for a daily or weekly 'rent'. Everything the driver makes on top of that is theirs to keep. If they make a ton of money, it's theirs. If they have a brutal week, it's possible that they can actually lose money; rent isn't cheap. It can be upwards of $2000 a month, plus another $800-$1000 a month in gas. The business is totally feast or famine. There are months where a driver clears $4,000 take home, there are months where a driver works four weeks and breaks even on their rent and gas, plus maybe an extra $500- for the entire month...

Cabbies pretty much work entirely for tips, as the cost of gas and rent is usually equal to their fares. Unless your cabbie is positively awful and gives you clear-cut reason to not give a gratuity, you should always tip them. Not tipping a cabbie is basically telling them that they did something wrong and as a result, they just wound up working for you for free. If there is one profession that is most sensitive on tipping to survive, it's Taxi driving. Unlike other professions where the worst case scenario is minimum wage, cabbies actually come out of their own pockets to do the job and have no underlying "wage" whatsoever.

[movingsomewhere]

I've worked at all 3 "popular" pizza franchises: Dominos, Pizza Hut, and Papa Johns. All pay their drivers for gas. Shouldn't be any different in Chicago. You must be talking about those locally owned "no-name brand" pizza chains.