Tipping & Etiquette Stories

Many years ago while working at a very popular restaurant that had a 2 hour wait on a Sat night, the servers and I got together after work and decided we couldn’t run after patrons who stiffed us, but we came up with an idea that worked. Mind you, this was before the ATM/check card was used so widely. We probably did 50% in checks and 40% in credit cards and the rest 10% in cash.

We decided that the folks who stiffed us on credit cards or personal checks would get a postcard from us.

You’re saying WHAT???

We went to Kinko’s and got postcards printed. The front was just the spot of their address, and of course no return address, lest our employers find out and can us. On the other side it had a cheery smiley face that had a caption that said ‘Congratulations, you have been inducted into the cheap tippers hall of fame.’ What a hoot.

Shame on me……..:-)

Naughty Girl in St. Paul

Tagged as: gratuity, server

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I was working the closing shift one night when a group of six came in late. I had two other tables that were almost finished with their meals. I approached the new table of 5 ladies and one man. The man was talking to the women and did not acknowledge that I was standing at his side, so I was waiting for him to take a breath so I could break in and introduce myself, welcome them to the restaurant, and take a drink order. Well, he never stopped talking.

I looked away from them and noticed one of my tables signaling me for their check. I discreetly walked away and handed the check to the other table and they handed me a fifty dollar bill and told me to keep the change. This took about 15 seconds.

I walked directly back to the six top and was finally able to speak, greeting them warmly and asking for a cocktail order. The man looked up at me and said, “Well! We did before you rudely walked away!” I was shocked as I looked at the ladies at the table. They seemed embarrassed at his behavior. He continued to talk to me like I was I was crap on the bottom of his shoe.

I took their order and served them as well as I would have taken care of any other guest but without a smile or any chitchat. My only other table was finished and as I was presenting their check to them they said they could not believe the way that guy was treating me; and they were bikers from a gang. They had more class than he did.

When the six top was finished he presented a charge card which I ran and brought back immediately and watched him practically tear through the paper as he was signing it . As they were walking out the door I went to the table and saw a hand full of change on the table. That was my tip on a $90 check! I had held my cool long enough! I scooped up the change and ran to the door, opened the door and saw them just shutting the car doors. I threw the change at the car as hard as I could and yelled, “Don’t ever come back!” Then I started to cry and went to tell my boss what just happened in case they called him and he said, “Don’t worry about it, we don’t need those kind of people in here.”

Here’s the funny part. About 4 years later I was working in another restaurant when he was seated in my section with another gentleman at lunchtime. I recognized him right away. Everything went fine; as I was presenting the check I said to him as I say to all my guests at this time, “Thanks for dining with us, hope you enjoyed everything!”, as this opens the door for compliments about my service and generally increases my tip. He could not stop gushing about my service; “Everything was wonderful!” I’d like to believe that I had something to do with his new manners.

Tagged as: gratuity, server

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This is for a great number of Brits out there, travelling the world, dining out, and just being so mean. I am 100% sure that they are not as unaware as they pretend to be about tipping practices in the countries they travel to. I am of course a waitress who has been the receiver of such meanness for the past 12 years. I live and work in L.A., and even people who regularly come to the restaurant I work for, friends of the owner, most of the time getting free stuff, will still at the end put down max 15% of the check. If they had a free bottle of wine, which I opened and served for them, or I brought free desserts, or the owner picks up the whole check for them, they do not feel compelled to make sure I am taken care of. What’s up with that Jerry would say!

Finally what brought me to write this was last night’s five English and one American wife. One couple who are regular patrons comes in with two other couples, slow night of course (is Jewish New Year Holiday). They sit at one of my patio tables, they order, everything is fine, they order three bottles of the expensive Brunello Di Montalcino wine, food is fine, they are happy, except for having to fan themselves with menus since diners next to them are smoking. I tell them that since the other diners (who are nice tippers) are finished with their food, I will drop off the check in the hope they will leave and by so doing please them. I do and after not too long they leave.

After a while the person at the table who had ordered the wine asks for the check and when I pick it up, thanking them, I noticed that on $664…. he has left $44…which is barely 15% on the food. I was really distressed, how rude is that, and on a slow night, and even if he is fresh from British Airways, why didn’t our regular customer or his American wife make sure I was not stiffed like that? What’s up with these people? Plus I did open the wine, brought our best glasses out and poured it! I think that if you can afford to buy $360.00 + tax worth of wine you should be able to tip on it.

Distressed Waitress

Tagged as: gratuity, server

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