This is a poem about nice man from Mankato who stiffed me Monday night.
It would be one thing if you walked off the interstate with a back pack and a dirty beard.
But when you tell your server that was the best steak you have ever had, and that the service was wonderful, pay with a Benjamin and stiff me (even taking the quarter in change) you obviously have no shame, no life, or both.
I hope you throw that quarter in a wishing well, because you need all the help you can get.
S. L. Ehrisman (c) 1/26/11
One of my old college roomates who waited would chase down a patron and politely, but firmly ask as to why he got stiffed. He typically would say something like:
“Sir, Beg your pardon, but I noticed you didn’t leave me a tip, and since that’s how I make the money I live on I’d like to know what I could’ve done better or changed to make your meal more enjoyable?”
He would do it in the entry way so most times there typically be people right there. 9 out of 10 times he’d get the “Oops…sorry about that, I forgot” and if the customer had an issue he would take notes as they spoke, apologize and thank them.
He got to the point where he never got stiffed.
I’m sure you realize that since you’re a psuedo-public personality, you may get folks who come in and hose you simply because of something you’ve posted at some point. Not much you can do about that. Conversely, you might get a fan or two who frequent the place just to take in your magnetic and charming aura..so I’d guess it evens out in the end.
Just out of curiousity, what is this place where they serve such fine steaks? If you don’t mind my asking.
And, what if the hundy had been counterfeit? Would you have to pay then?
Probably was counterfeit? Huh? I actually thought the whole incident was funny. I love it when people are overly nice then stiff you. We have this running joke about those kind of people, “You can’t pay bills with verbal tips.”
Sy, I was in a restaurant down in Florida a couple years ago and had a nice meal and tipped well. Upon our group leaving the waitress caught up with us and asked us a similar question. Right there I was ready to take my tip back. It is an OPTION to tip for good service, not required. You know how it works going in and they aren’t all going to be winners. I wish waiters would quit crying because they don’t get enough in tips.
Jim – It all evens out at the end of the day. But in South Dakota, servers depend on tips. Our wages don’t even cover tipshare. As I have told people, you do have a choice, you can tip appropriately, or we could go to the European way of dining out. Servers are paid a salary or wage, you are not required to tip, of course you pay twice as much for a meal, and you get shitty service ALL OF THE TIME. I think Americans are lucky to have the tip system, don’t mock it.
Jim, the only time my roomate would chase someone down was when he got stiffed. If you “tipped well” as you claimed to do you wouldn’t have heard from him.
When a person tips nothing, there’s a chance they forgot. If a person tips a dime at least you know they remembered and apparently hated something. My roomate would want honest feedback as to why, so if it was something he did, he could change it. A tip (or an intentional non-tip) is a message. If you don’t have the balls to actually hear a reply to your message than maybe you shouldn’t send the message that way.
Also, remember that the wait staff can only do so much. If you hate the service that’s one thing, if your meal wasn’t cooked right or you couldn’t get seated right away that’s an entirely different thing. I think a lot of people don’t understand that and the wait person ends up taking the crap for something that was either a kitchen or front of the house issue.
L3wis, do the cooks still put too dang much seasoning on the porterhouse steaks?
As a comparison though on tips, you take my order and bring me food. Fast food joint, they take my order and bring me food, but no tip. Your employer should pay you a decent wage not dependent upon generosity.
They put 17 seasonings on all the steaks, but you can request it without.
As for ‘Just taking the order’ and ‘Bringing the food’, I wish it was that easy. If that is your excuse for not tipping, you might as well just eat at Culvers, because I really don’t want to wait on your cheap ass.
Actually my broke ass does eat at Culvers more often! You do get the gist of what I am saying though?
Jim, sounds like you’ve watched Resivoir Dogs one too many times. If you go to a sit down restaurant and are waited upon, you need to tip according to the level of service that was provided. Your gist is a fucking stupid one and it proves that you are a typical cheap midwest idiot.
Who wouldn’t take a butter burger over a filet?
Ironically, some Culver’s meals are more expensive then where I work. You can get all kinds of meals for under $12, get more food, and some one brings it to you, what a concept.
Jim, you sound like you have one standard you want all restaurants and their staffs to adhere to and if so, you have that completely ass-backwards.
Fast Food is order taking and speed. Wash, rinse repeat if necessary. You get handed a bag and it’s up to you to enjoy your experience from there on out. Stay or go, sit in a booth or eat in your car.
Dining out means going to a place and spending time being waited on. Speed is not the defining factor, it’s merely a component of the overall experience.
Here’s another way to put it; no one ever gets laid after taking their date through McDonald’s drive through.
I got laid by a co-worker after working a shift at Mikey D’s once. Does that count?
Uh, I mean twice.
It definately counts, just not towards what I’m talking about.
I got laid once – uh, yes, that’s the right number in this instance – after taking my date to the Barrel. But then they DID have waitresses, on rollerskates, I guess. And we didn’t really drive “through”, just “up”.
Did you leave a good tip?