On the subject of Tipping

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
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It's good to get back to teaching, but it's also a nice change of pace waitering and bar tending over the summer. I'll be honest, the catering company I work for pays pretty well, for a summer job, but we're always praying for the best source of income for food service people... tips.

In the restaurant world, waiters and barkeeps make meager salaries, so tips are their life blood. I actually heard of a cafe in California that changed this. They pay their staff a decent wage, and DIScourage tipping. My catering company is sort of halfway there. I make roughly $13-15 per hour (and I think that varies according to age and experience) and sometimes I get tips here and there.

I've waitered parties where my whole job was to bring guests drinks, in which case I got a few "slipped" bucks here and there. I made about $30 extra that night.

Some parties were at country clubs or yacht clubs, where they pay exorbitant fees to belong, so they feel that they don't need to tip. Others believe that you must tip a waiter in order to guarantee the best service. These people also act like, "I just gave you a tip, now you're my bitch!"

I bar tended at a wedding this summer, where people tipped a LOT. The bride and groom were young, and all their guests were college age. Ergo, they drank like fishes. In fact, the bride had a pimp goblet she carried around that I had to keep filled with wine. They also tipped like they were at an ACTUAL bar. On the other hand though, they were also rich brats. One of them became my buddy, and I kept him filled with his signature drink. At the end, he raved about us. "You guys were great! Really! Awesome! Thank you so much! Here, let me give you guys something." He gave us $2.

We pooled the tips together, and I was informed that what "they did" at this catering hall, was give 10% to the runners, and split it with the bussers, etc. And I ended up with $26 instead of a quarter of what had to have been over $200.

My monthly gig pays best. I bar tend at the American Legion hall in Amityville, which is really in Copaigue. (I know, it's weird.) They have a monthly senior singles night, and I'm basically the guy for that evening. What's great about it is that it's a pre-paid open bar, but the guests come up with the intention of "buying a drink." Therefore, whatever they would have given me for a purchase goes into the tip basket. I come back clearing $200 a night.

As a tipper myself, I always tip generously. 15% is the standard, but I always go up to 20%, mostly because it's easier to calculate in my head. (Just move the decimal (10%), and double it.) I've only had a few occasions where I felt like Mr. Pink in Reservior Dogs, and I didn't tip because of poor service.

Once at Friendly's, we had an incredibly rude waitress. We gave her an equally rude tip. One Penny. Another time, we left the diner honestly forgetting to leave a tip. The waitress ran out to the parking lot asking, "Did you guys leave a tip?" She meant that she thought someone else took it. I, panicking, ran over and gave her a few bucks.

Overall, I'm happy to get back to a yearly salary. And I will continue to tip generously. A) because I DO believe in Karma, and what goes into your waiter's pockets comes around to you in service, and b) because I've looked at food service from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow it's tips' illusions I recall. I really don't have any money at all.