When I came in tonight to the restaurant, the owner actually had me poke toothpicks into the stems of drooping roses to make them seem like they were more alive. It worked, and I was actually able to turn it into an amusing game for myself. But, still... pretty pitiful. Apparently he bought all these roses yesterday and many were droopy and dead today.
It was a fitting exercise in my long, bad day, a day in which I was irrationally really cranky throughout the latter part of it. However, I still was a good waiter tonight. I just saw this movie Waiting, and there was this character with severe anger management issues who went in the back and screamed and screamed but then was really, really nice to her tables. That wasn't quite me, tonight - I did all my screaming on the inside, and wasn't rude to anyone I work with - but tonight reminded me of it. I was pissed off and tired and I needed some rest but I was still able to turn on the charm with my tables.
I was the only waiter tonight, in fact, who averaged 20% tips. V-day is a notoriously slow tip day, because it brings out a lot of folks who don't eat out that often and still think mid-teens is a good tip, but my tippers were all great. And a special shoutout and apology to the Lithuanian couple who I thought were going to stiff me and who left me $40 on a $140 bill.
I'm so tired, though, and am definitely sure that the $130 I walked with tonight was not worth it. But I just noticed my BGE bills in the mail when I walked in the door, so I'm sure once I open those I'll be glad I have that.
The Caged Bird Sings, Ctd
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4 comments:
Exactly what global world leader has declared "mid-teens" no longer an acceptable tip? Did waitservice get any better? quicker? Nicer? than, let's say, 5 years ago? The average workerbee salary hasn't kept pace with inflation so why do servers deserve an increase in pay without an increase in service?
Silly, if you wait on me you'll still get15% and I'm not going beyond that unless you plan to plate my food with gold. I'm glad I spend less and less in restaurants these days, who needs the tude.
What happened to the last post?
Thanks for making my work-days a little brighter...been following this blog for several weeks now!
Cham: It's not about tude, it's about leaving the appropriate amount according to accepted customs in a culture (no "global world leader" has ever declared anything an acceptable tip). If you tip 15%, especially on the east coast, especially if you're in a non-chain restaurant, then you're to be considered cheap - the servers think so, and most likely whoever you're eating with thinks so, too. I rarely, if ever, get tips below 18%-20%, and if I do, I definitely make note of it. And I don't mean to be rude, really, but maybe you're one of those people who really doesn't know any better.
And I'm not saying I haven't left a 15% tip before. I have. But I leave 15% if the service is bad, that's all, and usually I talk with a manager as well. So, when I get 15%, unless I know I screwed up with them (this doesn't happen often, I'm a conscientous and polite server), then I just think they're cheap.
Belle: It was a dumb post. I decided to eliminate it because people were taking it too seriously.
Anon: Thanks!
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