gra·tu·i·ty
ɡrəˈt(y)o͞oədē/
noun
noun: gratuity; plural noun: gratuities
- a tip given to a waiter, taxicab driver, etc.
synonyms:
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“Tipping—which
may have originated in the taverns of 17th Century England, where drinkers
would slip money to the waiter “to insure promptitude” or T.I.P for
short—wasn’t embraced by all Americans when the custom began to make its way
into our country’s taverns and dining halls. A movement against tipping began
in the late 1890’s as many Americans believed that tipping went against the
country’s ideals and allowed a clear servile class that would be financially
dependent on a higher class” (Burton, n.d.).
“’Tipping’
is not a city in China.” ~The Ranch bar, Furth, Germany
Dover sole, gently sautéed in butter, lemon and
herbs, served tableside in the pan and deboned by the server. Chateaubriand cooked to order and carved
tableside by the server. Caesar salad
with croutons sautéed in butter, parmesan, and garlic at the tableside; the
romaine tossed in dressing made from scratch at the table. Flaming cherries jubilee; crepes made to order. The little amenities like not having to ask
for your water glass to be filled because that was anticipated, as well as the
fresh ground pepper being offered for salad and other entrees; or the fresh
grated parmesan…the clearing of dishes and replacing of silverware; the
crumbing of the table; having nothing left on the table except coffee spoon,
coffee cup, and water glass at the end of the meal when the check is presented
(unless, of course, the diner had dessert).
I enjoyed every aspect of serving in the various places I served. We didn’t make tableside steak Diane at the
Olive Garden of course; but even the corporate owned “OG” knew that the
experience of dining was at least as important as the quality of the food,
which is probably why they sang that birthday song at any opportunity to
support the fun atmosphere they cultivated.
Unlike a lot of ex-servers I don’t tend to over tip: I know that the law of averages says a server
is going to average a certain amount of gratuity whether everyone TIPS them or
even when some guests rudely leave no tip at all. I prided myself on earning twenty percent (back
in the eighties and nineties): that was
the goal, though it was not automatic for sure.
And while that was the goal of my service, I understood the game
too: you can’t ask for the gratuity or
shame the guest after the meal by giving back the gratuity even when you don’t
think it was enough. I know one server
who said he found out where a diner worked, went to his business (a dentist)
and got a service from this diner (got his teeth cleaned) and when the bill was
presented he stiffed him and told him “I gave you a service at my place of
business and you stiffed me, so now you know what it feels like.” I don’t know if that’s true or not. But you kind of like renegade stories like
that as you progress in the serving business.
I think the best
servers remember the law of averages: it
all works out in the end, and you can make a pretty good living on TIPS if you
keep that in mind.
Large parties always require a tip to be written
into the check. Usually parties of six
or more. This is because, based on
sales, this can really bring a servers average down if they aren’t tipped in
the accepted 15% manner. And the IRS
more and more has become adamant in collecting taxes on gratuities (as they are
easier to track with most people using some kind of plastic payment). In the cash days it was very easy to claim
the minimum required 8%; in the plastic days mostly all TIPS are accounted for
and therefore taxable. I don’t know if
the 8% claim is automatically assessed or not, but I do know that that’s what
you had to claim to keep the IRS off your back “back in the day.” So on large parties you had to be
protected. And your taxes on your
assumed 8% TIPS were assessed from your paycheck: a servers pay in Ohio was $2.13 an hour as a “tipped
employee”. This was employment law. Any “tipped employee” could make less than
minimum wage legally, it being understood that much of their income came from TIPS;
and the taxes on the TIPS would come out of that slender paycheck which more often
than not would read $0.00 after the assessment of tax on the TIPS claimed. That’s why I say serving can be a great way
to make a living: you didn’t need the
paycheck and you could do just fine, not have IRS trouble, and probably average
about 18% - 20% of your sales while claiming the minimum 8% for taxes.
You become aware of the sales aspect to serving: the law of averages means you have to accept
that some diners just aren’t going to tip, or they aren’t going to understand
the customer, or they’re going to stiff you.
But others will over tip or tip “correctly”, which is usually 15%. In the end a server will “average” 15-20% of
their sales over time as TIPS.
I tip for the dining
room experience: from the time I come in
until I leave I am (not consciously all the time) considering the experience. Was I greeted and acknowledged? Was the table clean and set? Was I acknowledged in a reasonable amount of
time after I was sat, given water without asking or being maneuvered into
buying bottled water? Is the server knowledgeable
and did the server tell me anything about the “specials” or the menu? Did the server keep an eye on my drinks and
coffee, keeping them filled without my having to look around and ask? Was the server unobtrusive? That is to say did the server “ask” if I
wanted more things or just give them, like water and coffee, bread and butter, anticipating
the need? Was the server available
relative to level of business? How was
the table maintenance?
To me table maintenance is crucial. It requires timing and judgment when you
order entrees so that you are not piling dishes on top of each other. It requires clearing salad plates unless the
guest said they want to keep it. It
requires replacing silverware. It
requires making sure fluid levels are topped off when the meal arrives. It requires replacing napkins if necessary. All things guests probably won’t even notice,
but all things that enhance a good dining experience. In the end the guest is happy to leave a
gratuity in this kind of comfortable dining experience, and if they don’t it is
not on you, the server, because you provided a dining experience that will have
them remember the experience there and bring them back; as well as ensure that
on average if you provide that level of service your TIP average will be where
you want it to be without having to ask for it or be upset by the occasional
bad tipper.
I’ll over tip if the
service blows me away. I will give a
standard 15% for a standard experience.
I will tip less if the server just doesn’t care and it shows, relative
to business level.
I don’t tip for food. It is not my job as a diner to pay the cooks
wages through tipping. And I’m not going
to discuss wine service here.
Servers generally share their TIPS with the server
assistant or “busser” who cleans the tables, resets them, and assists in
keeping fluid levels full, replacing silverware, filling coffee, etc. Often times these days the server has to do
these things in the midrange restaurants.
But the bus staff needs to be just as aware and anticipatory over their
territory as the server. Doubly, no,
triply aware as they anticipate back of the house needs, server needs, and
guest needs. Their availability,
cleanliness, and discretion is a direct reflection of the establishment’s commitment
to the guest.
Some servers create self-fulfilling
prophecies with some guests. Don’t get
me wrong: there are certain types of
guests who are notoriously bad tippers no matter how good your service is. Just as with some guests you can rely
absolutely on their tipping 15-20% (whom we used to call “professional diners”,
usually business travelers or people who enjoy a good dining experience on a regular
basis, like me these days). For the
latter, dining out is an event to look forward to; an experience that goes
beyond the food. The food is crucial too
though, don’t get me wrong. For example,
in one establishment I ordered a Chicken Portobello entrée, the selling point
of course being the meaty Portobello mushrooms to accentuate the chicken. When I got crimini mushrooms and asked about
it the server said she didn’t know if these were Portobello’s or not; and the
manager seemed perturbed that I would even ask about the Chicken Portobello
sans Portobello.
It isn’t difficult to
provide a good dining experience: just
do what you say you are going to do, and respect the guest.
And like I said, some guests seem to be notoriously
bad tippers to the point that servers will start assuming that, when guests fit
the description of a bad tipper (they seem poor, they are people of color, or from
the country India…this is not to encourage discrimination of any kind or say it
is right…just my experience in the professional serving realm) they aren’t
going to get tipped; and they don’t serve them well, or they get an attitude
before giving them a chance.
This means you’re getting burned out as a server of
course.
Consistency of service even against the odds gives
the law of averages plenty of room to work.
It is frustrating when Mr. Patel doesn’t tip you; or when the poverty
stricken people who are having a night out leave you a really bad tip while “running”
you no matter how much you anticipate their needs. A friend of mine used to call it “blue collar
night”. Let’s not even talk about the “early
bird specials” and senior discounts. You
can tell you are going to get a bad tip when the guest gushes over how great
you were (“verbal tip”; a compliment is fine, but overcompensating means bad
tip); or when the guest “runs” you without giving you a chance to
anticipate. Or if they ask for ketchup
for their steak or tartar sauce for their Dover Sole (:-p). But these are exceptions; or find another establishment
to work in.
Consistency of service against the odds marks you as
a server, and the establishment as a go to place. And everyone, despite income, deserves a
night out without feeling shamed into giving more than they can or expect to
give. That is the service industry. No guarantees, but on average you can do
consistently well.
Recently a friend took
me to a place where he loved the food.
It was kind of mid to high end price range; and the penne pasta Florentine
with the parmesan cream sauce and chicken was superb. We were greeted at the door (he made a
reservation) and the place was clean enough.
On the table was a flyer that explained that this establishment was
including a 20% tip on all entrees because of some court ruling having to do
with how they shared their TIPS with the back of the house. Clearly this was not on our minds when we
went to dine. But it was now that we
were there.
I know that some places require tipping to the
bartender (who is not considered a tipped employee and generally makes more
than a server, makes their own TIPS, and makes a lot more than servers); some
have “food runners (expediters) who earn a gratuity from servers; and some even
tip the cooks. Some places “team” the
tables and pool their TIPS. As a guest I
am not trying to be educated on how the establishment divides up gratuities. And being greeted with a flyer explaining that
because of a court ruling they are adding an automatic gratuity to every
transaction was distasteful to me because of the above stated reasons. What is the incentive for service then? And the lack of incentive showed.
Once I had a party of guests who fit the profile for
bad tippers. Must’ve been ten of
them. And it wasn’t looking good because
if I wrote in the tip they would probably complain also. I set in my mind to blow them away with competent
service, anticipating, being patient when they ran me, checking on them, making
sure they didn’t have to ask for water, coffee, hot water for tea, or soda
refills. Silverware, pre-busing, you
name it, I was there. In fact I tried
too hard and actually dropped a tray of dirty dishes (a large one) in the
dining room (no busser) after pre bussing.
They had separate checks of course.
And some stiffed me and some tipped me well. I served well though, despite the dropping of
plates. No shame.
But I had some old servers early on in my first job
who taught me about good service: to say
“right away” when the guest asked for something, even if you couldn’t get it
right away; and do your business of serving and clearing. Just do it.
I admired the waiters in tuxedoes manipulating the fresh ground pepper
dispenser which was three feet tall; tableside service, and above all, the
satisfaction on guests faces when they enjoyed a good meal without distraction…elegant. I admired the professional attitude and pride
in the profession. To this day I would be proud to be a professional
server. As I always said “it’s hard to piss
someone off when they are eating.”
People like to eat, and I like accommodating them in this pleasurable exercise.
I wouldn’t ruin the experience by explaining to them
why I was taking money from them before I served them. No matter how good the meal, the meal is only
part of the fragile experience of dining.
So when this particular establishment my friend took me to had the flyer
on the table telling us how they were taking 20% no matter what because of some
justification I was not aware of until that very evening, the tone of my
experience was affected immediately. Long
story short, as great as the pasta was I likely won’t go back or recommend the place
because of this disservice and disrespect to me as a guest.
IRS notwithstanding,
the contract between server and guest is based on a very American tradition: “To Insure Promptness” is what TIP
is understood to stand for; not to make sure that everyone in the back of the
house gets paid a living wage, or even for me or any diner to be made aware of
this when dining. Seeing a flyer when we
were seated that explained we were to be assessed a tax for our meal regardless
of service or experience was an assumption on the establishments part that the
service would earn that 20%. And when I looked around at the level of
service: tables with appetizer plates on
them when bills were presented; not getting even one water refill, having to
ask for the server who was inattentive (I don’t “run” waiters despite fitting
the profile in many of their minds of a classic bad tipper) and, not being
presented with dessert options despite wanting to leave…you must give this
option even light heartedly while having checks ready to present; when I
experienced and saw the level of service, in my mind a standard tip was in
order; possibly less since we had to flag down the server and ask for things
like water and a to go box. Certainly
not 20%. I like paying for service; and having been a
server I understand the fairness of the structure.
As a server you open and close the dining session as
tour guide, ensuring the diners wonderful excursion through the culinary
delights of your establishment; that they have everything they need to enjoy
their meal, and can leave in a timely manner, having been presented with all
available options, no more, no less. You
certainly don’t tell the guest about your labor problems with a flyer on the
table. Guests aren’t in it for
revolution; just to eat.
I could go on about declining service standards
being proportionate to the rise in TIP jars being placed everywhere; or how the
good nature of folks who have been conditioned in the US to TIP has been co-opted
by an economic model that expects
something for nothing (and some would call that “privilege”), or how tipping is
actually an absurd practice that acts as if we have more money than we actually
do, based on an old tradition of European nobility and imported to the US as a
way of saying we were as good as European nobility (Burton,
n.d.)
which perhaps we are, but throwing money around that we don’t have certainly
doesn’t prove that point. But what’s the
point? I just won’t eat at Turkey Red again
or recommend it…
Burton, B. (n.d.). A brief history of tipping.
Retrieved from Food Woolf:
http://www.foodwoolf.com/2010/08/history-of-tipping.html
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