Over the last few weeks, I have been sent some pictures and stories of people who have used sneaky tactics to try to help them bump up their tip average. These are “tactics” that I do not agree with or endorse in any way. To use deception as a way to try to get your guests to cough up a few extra bucks is not just insulting to those who it works on, but as a character trait, it paints a picture to those who know the truth.
I understand that people are in the service industry to make money (we all are), but in my opinion, it’s way more satisfying to receive a tip for doing your job well and with pride rather than having to resort to using manipulative methods in a hope to bank more cash.
Here is one of the pictures I was sent to us from someone who found it on their news feed:
This was one of the worst of the dozen or so I’ve had sent to me, and I know this is sounding like a rant (which is not my usual type of post) but I want to point out the importance of being 100% honest with your guests.
I’ve always said that we should treat our guests in the restaurant the same way we treat a guest in our homes. Sure it’s a little different because our guests at home are usually friends, or friends of friends but just because we don’t know someone doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated in this way, especially if it’s for monetary gain.
Over the years of serving, I’ve seen situations where servers and bartenders have been caught out in their lies, and the result as you could imagine was negative and uncomfortable on both sides.
If you make a mistake, mess up a table’s order, forget something or drop a plate just remember that we are human, we make mistakes and most people understand that. Owning up and being honest about it may upset a guest or two but blaming the kitchen for “forgetting” to make a tables meal because you forgot to order it is not the way to go.
I’ve had tables thank me for being honest in situations where I have screwed up and in the end, have tipped me the norm or above the standard percentage for this reason.
Don’t be afraid to admit responsibility for a mix-up and show respect to your guests because we are not perfect, nor should we believe that we are.
Thanks for reading my rant 🙂
