5:18 p.m. - 2004-01-18
the verbal tip
As anyone who works in customer service knows, people can be horrible, stupid wankers.
Yet, despite the human being�s capacity for extreme stupidity, laziness and general ignorance, every once in a while, you come upon one or more people who are thoughtful, decent and just plain nice.
I came across a bundle of them yesterday evening, and it just made my night. I had this party of nine sit in my humble section at the Fish: five adults and four kids. I didn�t think much of group at the time: probably a humble bill and a rounded down tip, that sort of thing. The dinner went along without much of a hitch, there were a few high maintenance requests, a cranberry juice spill all over the table, and a green lobster that didn�t appeal to a hungry eight year old (incidentally, if you�re lobster is green, don�t worry, it just had the unfortunate fate of being born a male). But at the end of the evening, the man in charge of the bill complimented my service and thanked me for a great night. As did his wife and the older lady sitting beside her.
The verbal tip can be a nasty business. Thanks so much for the kind words, but that doesn�t exactly pay my rent, big guy.
But the guy left me a hefty tip to boot, finishing off what was a fairly lucrative night for me. These are the people that you just don�t come across often enough, in my opinion.
Now, there are times when things go wrong, mistakes are made and my service is, to put it bluntly, shit. I understand getting the big 10% on that. But it�s so often that I will bust my ass to make someone�s night a pleasant one, and I get the big crapola in return. So, when a table like this comes along and recognizes that I�m not so bad at my job, I can�t help but break out in a big, goofy grin and pat myself on the back.
We all deserve a little recognition once in a while.
So, here�s a tip from me. Next time you decide to eat out, after you�ve finished looking over the dessert menu that you won�t be ordering from, after you�ve taken a big swig out of your fifth cup of coffee and just before you block the whole aisle while putting your coat, mitts and hat on, be kind to your server. It�ll make you both feel better.
