Tips on Tipping

Sept. 20, 2006

Since I began writing the Tastemakers and Bottoms Up columns for the Northern Express two years ago the feedback has been interesting. There has been the occasional e-mail or call thanking me for turning a reader on to a beer or a restaurant. But most of the feedback has centered on two areas that are directly related to each other: service and tipping.
Those who provide the service of waiting on customers have contacted me complaining about the lack of tips being left and have asked that I write an article explaining the proper tip etiquette. Others have contacted me complaining about the service at area eateries and taverns, suggesting that today’s service staff lacks a sense of professionalism, and these servers expect 20% for 10% service.
The service horror stories that have been reported to me in recent years coupled with my own personal experiences leave me giving the Northern Michigan restaurant service community a C-. Now, before those of you who serve people for a living start drafting that letter to the editor, take a deep breath and look around at your industry. While your personal service standards may be impeccable, how about your colleagues?
A C- means just below average. I award that grade because there are a lot of wonderful, professional people who are giving A+ service in this region. They keep the service grade from being a D. Unfortunately one two many are giving failing or just average service.

THE BENCHMARK
Now about tipping at an eatery. For those of you that are being cheap take notice. The benchmark should be 20%, but that 20% should be earned. Those who work in a restaurant, club or tavern depend on tips. It is their salary. In most cases wait staff receives a base pay of less than minimum wage so tipping is essential. It should be noted that a server has to “tip out” at the end of the night by giving part of their tips to the bartenders, and bussers.
Here is something for both the server and the customer. Tipping is based on the pre-tax amount on the bill. I don’t know about you but paying taxes is bad enough paying a gratuity on being taxed is not for me. Any etiquette guide will state that gratuities for any service are based on the pre-tax total.
There are other variables that come into the debate when dining out. The biggest one is when ordering a bottle of wine. This is a judgment call on the customer’s part. In some cases where a server does an excellent job assisting in the selection and presentation of the wine 20% is deserved. A pull the cork and drop the bottle on the table and walk away is 10% at best.
There are several schools of thought about bar service when food is not involved. Again, I work from the 20% benchmark while others feel that pulling a draft handle and setting down a beer mug warrants 10 percent. Somewhere in that range seems fair.

SERVERS GET BURNED
My family of four often takes advantage of specials in the area such as a burger/beer (pop) for 3 bucks or other similar offerings that get us out of the restaurant for less than $15. A $3 tip for an hour’s worth of work to serve the four of us is not fair and not right. My rule of thumb here is one-dollar tip for everyone at the table and an extra dollar for the tip out and only if the service is flawless. Again, why should the server be punished because his employer is offering a deal? After all, if my $15 tab had been closer to $25 then I would have left $5 anyway.
This dollar rule holds true for other things. If I am out for breakfast coffee and roll and the tab is $3, I don’t leave 60 cents -- it is dollar tip. If my lunch check is $7, it is a $2 tip.
Another area where servers get burned is with the two-for-one special. The rule here is to tip based on what the total would had been before the discount was given.
As for buffets, the 15% is a good benchmark. By serving yourself you are doing one-quarter of the servers work. But they are still clearing plates, bringing beverages and assisting with special requests.
Diners, beware of gratuities already being added to your check. Every restaurant has their own policy and some in the region add 18% automatically for parties of six or more and have a small notation of this in the menu. A few readers contacted me appalled by this policy as they didn’t see it on the menu and ended up leaving an additional 20%.
A note to servers: be up front with your patrons about this and let them know when you present the check. A server recently tipped me off about this as he presented my check politely, informing me “Sir, 18% gratuity is included in your dinner check, I hope everything was to your satisfaction.” It was and I noticed a line for an additional tip and added another 10% for his honesty and exceptional service.

WHY SUFFER?
There is no excuse for “no” tip. If service is that bad and you failed to let your server or management know along the way then no one benefits. Why suffer through an evening of poor service. Be up front about it. Also, when you receive exceptional service, let your server and management know about it. There are often comment cards but I prefer the personal touch of letting my server know how much I appreciated the great service and then on my way out I let the manager know.
A final thought on tipping. Do not punish the server if the food is not up to your expectations. They didn’t prepare it so “don’t kill the messenger.”
The gratuity you leave should be based solely on the quality of the service.
Now, for those who are in the service community, (and realizing that I run the risk of not getting served around here ever again), I have these words for you: “Shape Up.” I experience a lot of wonderful service throughout Northern Michigan and in the Tastemakers column I recognize those establishments and individuals whose service standards are impeccable. Unfortunately, for every “great” service experience, I have three average or below-average experiences.
I am getting tired of hearing “well, this isn’t New York or Chicago, this is a resort town.” That is a cop-out. Metropolitan areas should not have the corner on the quality service market. Great service is possible everywhere regardless of the community. We have world-class eateries here and one of the top culinary programs in the country, so resorting to average service should not be the goal or the standard here in Northern Michigan.

AMBASSADORS
Speaking of visitors, those of you who tend bar and wait tables are our ambassadors to Northern Michigan. You have an important impact on our economy and whether a visitor might return to the region again or not.
Seem a little far-fetched? Guess again. Recently a community leader contacted me with this horror story. He and his wife were entertaining the CEO and owner of a company that was looking at three communities to relocate his operation to. His company would employ 300 people in professional high paying jobs. During his visit his hosts took him to a local establishment 30 minutes before it closed to order take-out food to picnic at one of the area parks. The staff was rude and said they had cleaned up the kitchen and were not serving any more food. When they were asked about closing time still 30 minutes way they responded, “we want to get out of here.” The CEO probably didn’t base his decision not to relocate here on that experience alone, but it certainly didn’t help to attract his company here either.
For the past six years I have been the spokesperson for the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail. I often entertain visiting wine and restaurant critics and travel writers from major magazines and newspapers. I cringe when the service is poor. It is a reflection on me, personally, because the writer has entrusted my expertise in making the dining selection. More importantly, it is a reflection on the area as well and has an impact on what the writer will ultimately write about us.
Recently, I dined with a restaurant/wine critic from a major newspaper and three of four nights the service was terrible. After his last day his final comments were “I would come back to the area for the wine and the food but certainly not for the service.”
When his article came out he failed to mention one of the restaurants we dined at. Why? Because he has a reputation to uphold. When he gives a recommendation to his readers they count on his expertise and reputation.

REASONS WHY
I don’t think anyone intends to give bad service. There are several reasons for average or below average service in our region ranging from high turn over rates to lack of training programs to server attitudes. Also, several establishments lack a service standard. In talking to owners and managers, it seems that many have resigned themselves to a mindset of a “resort community service standard” or we should resign ourselves to “being grateful for average service.”
Can we do better? I think so. This mindset of resigning to being “average” really needs to change. There have been some rumblings around Northern Michigan by some that a customer service standard for the region needs to be established. I couldn’t agree more.
So I am issuing a challenge to the culinary community. Start one. Come together and create a service standard and hold your staff accountable to it. If you have service standards for your operation currently, take time to review them and ask yourself the question, “Can we
do better?”
But we need a collective Northern Michigan service standard.
Servers, if your restaurant doesn’t have a customer service standard, ask them to create one. Ask for training seminars. It seems that the Great Lakes Culinary Institute should start offering monthly customer service seminars.
For those of you who are offering great service, look around at your colleagues. Restaurants are a team sport. You may be the best server in the world, but if I end up with your colleague who is the worst server in the world I won’t be back and pretty soon no one else will.
The clash over tip amounts and quality of service will certainly continue in our community. Let’s all start working together to raise the standard. For tippers, get up to that 20% benchmark and for heavens sake servers earn it.