I've asked that question so many times, I'm sure my roommate would tell you I say it in my sleep.
Having been a server and many times felt the brunt of people who don't know how to tip well falling on my section I feel as though this post has been long in coming.
For those of you who have never been a server, it's my personal opinion that you should. I cannot tell you how humbling of an experience it is to wait on a table hand and foot, be yelled at for doing nothing wrong, not be able to defend yourself, and rely solely on people's generosity for your paycheck. While it teaches you humility to be a server, it also teaches you how to treat your server when you go out.
So here it is: How to Make Your Servers Day Better.
While no server should ever complain about their customers (because hey, it's our job, deal with it) there are many many ways that you can make your servers life a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable. I believe as Christians everything we do reflects Christ in us and so how you treat your server is actually important. Just because you're the customer doesn't mean the world revolves around you and your server is the scum of the earth. They're a person, you're a person. Show love.
Always remember: Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.
First off, don't suggest a table to sit at unless the place is like totally dead. There are these things called sections and your servers rotate as to who gets the next table. When you demand to sit in a certain place you throw off the entire chart and mess up the rotation. Just sit where the nice host tells you too, it will be alright.
Next, be patient. Most people don't realize that on average a server could have from 4-6 other tables that they are also waiting on. They'll get to you as soon as they can. Don't go out to eat if you only have 30 minutes, because you'll be stressed out, your server will be stressed out, and it will not end well. Leave plenty of time to enjoy the experience, and your server should be plenty available.
Be kind. I cannot tell you how many times I got to work in a good mood just trying to please my tables when out of nowhere they're yelling at me and snapping rudely when I did nothing but ask them how their meal was. If you've had a bad day and are going to be rude, go home, take a bubble bath and drink a glass of wine. Stay away from people because your server has probably been on their feet for like the last 8 hours and just wants to go home. Say "please" and "THANK YOU!" Don't be on your phone when they want to take your order. Seriously, how rude. Treat them like you'd want to be treated, it really shouldn't be that hard. They are a person, and Christ died for them too. Act like it.
Be clear. Don't order one thing, change your mind, order something else, and then order the first thing again. You're gonna end up with the wrong meal and you're going to be annoyed, and your server's going to be annoyed. Just be very clear about what you want. Your server isn't a mind reader, tell them clearly and plainly what you want, and say it kindly. Also, don't add and subtract a million things from a place, if it's not on the menu, we don't make it. This isn't a specialty food shop and if you don't like what's on the menu you should have gone somewhere else.
OK, tipping. This is probably the most important as our money follows where our heart is. If your heart is for your server, then tipping should be easy. But if your heart is where your wallet is, then don't go out to eat.
Let me start by saying this (and I was shocked that most people don't know this) minimum tipping wage is $2.13 which means that your server really doesn't make any money other than tips because that 2 dollars an hour goes straight to taxes most weeks. If you don't have enough money to go out to eat, get what you want, and still leave a tip, then don't go to a place with a server because you're creating a big problem for your server when you don't tip (like an "I can't pay rent this week" kind of problem). Tipping is also a big reason I think everyone should be a server at some point in their life. 20% is good, but honestly I think 25% is better. Like I said earlier, if you don't have enough money to go out and leave a nice tip, go to a self-serve place. Never leave less than $2, even if your bill is somehow like 8 or 9 bucks. If you were a difficult table (which I told you not to be) leave an even nicer tip, bigger group? bigger tip. Waiting on a large group is super time-consuming and your server seriously deserves a nice tip for putting up with you. (side-note: call ahead if you're a group larger than 10. It's just really nice).
There are many other things that I could mention, but really if you just start to think of your server as a person that God loves and so should you, then you should be fine. Ask them how their day is going, pray for them when you pray for your food. Leave them a nice note saying how awesome they were. Lift people up. "Some people go to beautiful places, other people make a place beautiful." Be the kind of person that makes a place beautiful with the way you treat others.
PS- Never ever ever ever ever leave a tract AS a tip. I've seen that turn away so many people from Christ and it seriously makes me very angry. If you're going to leave a tract you better leave a really nice tip to show that you're legit.
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