Opinion
Lack of appreciation for great service causes exasperation
April 6, 2012
If you can’t appreciate great service, reconsider going out. “Here you go Jennylee, thank you so much for your wonderful service.” I look down at the signed credit card slip and noticed that there is no tip for me.
There was obviously nothing wrong with my service, so why did I not receive a tip for the service that I gave them? I wonder sometimes if some people grew up not tipping, so they have automatically not tipped based on the past.
It is 2012 and if you receive great service then you should award your waitstaff with a generous “thank you,” in the form of a tip.
The restaurant industry is an extremely hard industry to work in because you don’t know what to expect when someone walks into your establishment.
You could have a person in a great mood that compliments you and leaves you with a generous tip and a smile on your face, or you could have younger aged kids coming up to you asking for “free” shots, then not leaving you anything. Why would you go into a bar and expect free stuff? If you can’t afford a drink, then maybe you shouldn’t go out.
I remember a time when I worked at an establishment that had “birthday night.” On this particular night if you came into this place the week of your birthday and brought in some friends, you would drink for free. Well, I had a group of people come into the bar with their birthday friend and order drinks.
All of the friends thought they would also drink for free, but I said no. Then when he ordered a drink he didn’t tip me. I understand that people don’t tip every time, but when he came up to me for the fifth time and didn’t tip, I got upset. Needless to say, he got kicked out around 10 because he tried giving free drinks to his friends.When an establishment gives you free drinks for your birthday this doesn’t mean that everyone in your party gets to drink for free, or that you get to slip your friends a free drink.
It means that you drink for free, but you should also tip your waitstaff. I understand it is your birthday, but try to think of the other person giving you the free drinks. What are they getting in the end?
Another thing to keep in mind when you go out is that everyone makes mistakes and if someone messes up on your order, oh well, it was an accident.
Waiters and waitresses do make good money when they have customers that appreciate their service, but they work long shifts and don’t get breaks. I worked at one establishment for eleven hours straight with a 15-minute break.
So next time you go out think of the person serving you your drinks and remember just because someone isn’t “perfect,” doesn’t mean they don’t deserve recognition.
Jennylee Fahey is a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.