To Restaurant Waitstaff: Want Bigger Tips?

To Restaurant Waitstaff: Want Bigger Tips?

by Serendipitous | Published on August 9th, 2008, 8:54 pm | Life

Last night, my family and I went out to dinner. (Yep, so I can haz cheezburger!) :mrgreen:

We entered the restaurant, and three employees were at the host stand. One said welcome while the other two smiled to greet us.

The host who said welcome led us to a booth, then our server arrived to take our drink order. When she returned with our drinks, she took our dinner order. After that, she stopped by once to tell us our order would be ready soon. The next time she came by was a minute or so after another server delivered our meals. She asked if everything looked all right and if there was anything she could bring us. She returned with the condiments we asked for, then left us alone a little while. The next time she checked on us, she asked how our dinner was and if she could bring me a drink refill. And the final time she checked on us, she asked if we liked our meal and if she could bring us anything else. I said I was ready for the check. When she came back with the check, I already had my card out. She gave me a moment to look over the bill, and I handed it back to her with my card. She came back with my receipts, wished us a good evening and thanked us for dining there. We thanked her and wished her a good evening too. I filled out the tip line of the merchant copy, giving her more than 20%, which is what I consider over-tipping for this type of restaurant, but she earned it. The extra was well-deserved.

I know my account of my dining experience sounds ordinary. As a waitress, she did everything in her job description. The most basic tasks when waiting tables. So why the extra in her tip? Because everything she did, she did with a smile. And it wasn't a pasted-on smile. She smiled warmly and sincerely. It actually made me feel like she cared about whether or not we enjoyed our dining experience there. How many times have you sat at a table and felt like the waitstaff could care less if you came back? I'm definitely going back, and will request to be seated in her section if she's working.

And whenever I smiled, she seemed to appreciate a smiling customer. It reminded me that sometimes as a customer, even I don't give my full attention to whomever is waiting on me. Maybe smiling works both ways. A happy customer gets better service, and a happy server gets better tips.

So, that's it. SMILE!

And when you smile, mean it. It just might increase your tips and bring repeat customers to your section.

Completely agree. Tips are directly proportional to the amount of drinks I receive, the quality of service, and the attention to detail one gives. Tips are earned, not assumed.

This post is totally worthless without pictures (and naming the restaurant involved).

BecauseHeLives wrote:This post is totally worthless without pictures (and naming the restaurant involved).

LOL

I actually was going to post generic pics, but didn't! Why don't you hit Google images and throw some in here what you would have included if it was your post?

I also figured naming the restaurant really had no bearing on this post, but for the record, it was a Red Robin. Cheezburgers!!!

Serendipitous wrote:
BecauseHeLives wrote:This post is totally worthless without pictures (and naming the restaurant involved).

LOL

I actually was going to post generic pics, but didn't! Why don't you hit Google images and throw some in here what you would have included if it was your post?

I also figured naming the restaurant really had no bearing on this post, but for the record, it was a Red Robin. Cheezburgers!!!

YUP. RR has good burgers indeed. Sign up on their website and get a complete free meal coupon sent to you every year. Chilis has (or had) one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. It was their BBQ bacon cheeseburger with the triple thick bacon. It was awesome.

Liv wrote:Completely agree. Tips are directly proportional to the amount of drinks I receive, the quality of service, and the attention to detail one gives. Tips are earned, not assumed.

Once upon a time, I had a plastic wallet-size card that listed customary tip amounts for various types of services received (ex. manicure/pedicure, flower delivery, shoeshine). For bad service, it suggested leaving 25 cents to indicate the tip was not forgotten. :shock:

BecauseHeLives wrote:YUP. RR has good burgers indeed. Sign up on their website and get a complete free meal coupon sent to you every year. Chilis has (or had) one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. It was their BBQ bacon cheeseburger with the triple thick bacon. It was awesome.

Crap! Another thing I have in common with BHL? I ordered my burger with bacon and cheddar and bbq sauce on the side. I guess all these other forums balance out our differences in that other forum!

Serendipitous wrote:
BecauseHeLives wrote:YUP. RR has good burgers indeed. Sign up on their website and get a complete free meal coupon sent to you every year. Chilis has (or had) one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. It was their BBQ bacon cheeseburger with the triple thick bacon. It was awesome.

Crap! Another thing I have in common with BHL? I ordered my burger with bacon and cheddar and bbq sauce on the side. I guess all these other forums balance out our differences in that other forum!

You are SOOOO much like me it should scare you pretty badly.... :twisted:

What time should I pick you up for church in the morning? :wink:

Well hell, I like RR too. Not only are their burgers good, but the appetizers and mixed drinks are great as well. One waiter there helped us sneak out our Tiki glasses one night when we asked nicely. Of course I cant praise him to his boss on that little tid-bit of service.

Seem rather consistent. I've been to R.R. in Cali, NC, and other places round the country. All top notch.

BecauseHeLives wrote:
Serendipitous wrote:
BecauseHeLives wrote:YUP. RR has good burgers indeed. Sign up on their website and get a complete free meal coupon sent to you every year. Chilis has (or had) one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. It was their BBQ bacon cheeseburger with the triple thick bacon. It was awesome.

Crap! Another thing I have in common with BHL? I ordered my burger with bacon and cheddar and bbq sauce on the side. I guess all these other forums balance out our differences in that other forum!

You are SOOOO much like me it should scare you pretty badly....

What time should I pick you up for church in the morning?

If it's a cheezburger festival taking place at the church, I'll be ready before the sun comes up. If it's a worship service...

yeah, I'd be like a dog who only goes for rides when he's going to the vet. :evil:

BHL wants a pic? Here's a pic!

She's saying it with a smile! :lol:

My impression is that RR as an organization cares about its rep as a place to have fun and get terriffic burgers. I would guess that hiring wait staff that care about the customers' experience is a high priority for them.

And I agree completely that giving a generous tip for a smooth experience is a good thing to do. Even though Sanjuro disagrees with my methods... :mrgreen:

Liv wrote:Completely agree. Tips are directly proportional to the amount of drinks I receive, the quality of service, and the attention to detail one gives. Tips are earned, not assumed.

Thank you. I don't know how may times I have said the same thing (with the emphasis on the refills) and someone gets upset. "Well...well...you don't understand...." I know that a lot of times I am not the only person in the restaurant, but you can definately tell if the waitstaff is just going through the motions. Why should I reward mediocrity with a good tip?

BTW, I was at the RR in Apex on Thursday. Had the Sicilian Burger and it was mmmm...goood! And it was a team outing, so lunch was on the boss!! :mrgreen:

Yes! There's nothing that will earn you a less tip then me sitting their with cotton mouth barely able to chew my food because my mouth is so dry....

I'm sitting their sucking on my straw making funny noises as the waitstaff walk on by..... hell no.

Since you people have made me hungry and all I'll giver my recomeendations....

Good service, excellent food, and great prices! That's MOOSE CAFE at the Farmer's market. I have never had a problem with the food there or with the service. Both are A-1. If you haven't been there then I suggest you check out the place.

Most meals are 6.99 or less and the plate is way more than most people can eat. The first time I went there I got the meatloaf. It looked as if I had 2 lbs of meatloaf on my plate. I'm sure it probably wasn't but it sure appeared that way. Homemade mashed potatoes, cornbread, mac and cheese, and yes... collard greens. Everyone gets a biscuit with applebutter before ordering. I must admit that those are the biggest biscuits I've ever seen. The chicken & dumplings and the country fried steak are very tasty as well.

I took my wife and two kids there and the whole cost was about $30 and that was with a nice tip.

I'm just saying.....

BecauseHeLives wrote:Since you people have made me hungry and all I'll giver my recomeendations....

Good service, excellent food, and great prices! That's MOOSE CAFE at the Farmer's market. I have never had a problem with the food there or with the service. Both are A-1. If you haven't been there then I suggest you check out the place.

Most meals are 6.99 or less and the plate is way more than most people can eat. The first time I went there I got the meatloaf. It looked as if I had 2 lbs of meatloaf on my plate. I'm sure it probably wasn't but it sure appeared that way. Homemade mashed potatoes, cornbread, mac and cheese, and yes... collard greens. Everyone gets a biscuit with applebutter before ordering. I must admit that those are the biggest biscuits I've ever seen. The chicken & dumplings and the country fried steak are very tasty as well.

I took my wife and two kids there and the whole cost was about $30 and that was with a nice tip.

I'm just saying.....

The Dreaded Christian Table

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7198

the comments to this article are really... damning
http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.co ... tract.html

Sunday, May 18, 2008

#237. Tipping at restaurants with a tract.
If I wasn't busy with the SCL Facebook group, I would start a new one called, "People that have given their lives to Christ because a customer tipped them with a gospel tract instead of money." The preliminary numbers I've run estimate that I should have roughly 2 members by the end of year. (This would be a great point for a waiter that embraced eternal salvation and the blood of Christ through a "tip tract" to blow this whole idea out of the water.)

I didn't really want to write this post because I didn't believe it really happened. I grew up outside of Boston and never heard of doing something like this. But when I wrote about those fake ten dollar bills that are actually tracts, a lot of waiters and waitresses wrote in to tell me they'd been given tracts instead of tips.

The key word is "instead." That's no good. I mean if you want to give a tip and a tract, that's your call. That is different to me. I have some friends that give out tracts and candy at Halloween to neighborhood kids and I don't have any issue with that. But the tract always rides shotgun with a blow pop and a tootsie roll, they never just throw it into the bag solo. I don't do that at my house, but I'm in no position to judge folks that do.

In defense of people that leave a tract instead of a tip, I think we have to remember some verses in Luke 20. When they asked Jesus if it is right to pay Caesar taxes, he responded, "Instead of paying your taxes, leave behind a gospel tract." What? That's not how the story happened? Oh, minus ten points for me.

Please resist the urge to leave a tract instead of a tip after church today.
Posted by Prodigal Jon at 4:50 AM

The Dreaded Christian Table

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7198

Maybe you'll want to explain how taking a swipe at Christians is relevant to the thread at hand?

Serendipitous wrote:
BecauseHeLives wrote:This post is totally worthless without pictures (and naming the restaurant involved).
.... it was a Red Robin. Cheezburgers!!!

YUP. RR has good burgers indeed. Sign up on their website and get a complete free meal coupon sent to you every year. Chilis has (or had) one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. It was their BBQ bacon cheeseburger with the triple thick bacon. It was awesome.

I'm quite surprised to see you name Red Robin. I took the boys there several years ago (Colorado store) and the burgers were awful. The meat was cooked to leather and as I remember it, the sides were nasty too. Did they change radically over the past 4-5 years? Or is the Denver store just all messed up?

I've heard similar remarks about the restauraunt at the farmers market. I've yet to have gone, but have heard such.

BecauseHeLives wrote:
The Dreaded Christian Table

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7198

Maybe you'll want to explain how taking a swipe at Christians is relevant to the thread at hand?

They are notoriously cheap tippers, dearie.

Questioner wrote:
Serendipitous wrote:
BecauseHeLives wrote:This post is totally worthless without pictures (and naming the restaurant involved).
.... it was a Red Robin. Cheezburgers!!!

YUP. RR has good burgers indeed. Sign up on their website and get a complete free meal coupon sent to you every year. Chilis has (or had) one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. It was their BBQ bacon cheeseburger with the triple thick bacon. It was awesome.

I'm quite surprised to see you name Red Robin. I took the boys there several years ago (Colorado store) and the burgers were awful. The meat was cooked to leather and as I remember it, the sides were nasty too. Did they change radically over the past 4-5 years? Or is the Denver store just all messed up?

I've been to two different RRs and both have been very good. It could have been that particular location (Denver) that was bad, maybe an issue with staff or management. I've had that experience with chains. One bad location spoils it for the rest.

C. Alice wrote:
BecauseHeLives wrote:
The Dreaded Christian Table

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7198

Maybe you'll want to explain how taking a swipe at Christians is relevant to the thread at hand?

They are notoriously cheap tippers, dearie.

And black people like watermelon and fried chicken.

BecauseHeLives wrote:And black people like watermelon and fried chicken.

Actually.... Ever been to Roscoe's? August 10th, 2008, 3:05 pm Reply with quote

Actually.... Ever been to Roscoe's?