When did tips for waiters become mandatory instead of a token of our appreciation for their great service? That seems to be a concept out there that is alive and well in society. A few weeks ago I was in another state with a group of friends. We had a long day and were starving. We found what we thought was going to be a terrific place to eat dinner. Well, the food was amazing but the service left something to be desired to say the least.

Do you know the waiter actually followed us outside to ask if we forgot to leave his tip? That is something I had never seen before. Now, I will tell you that I do leave a tip most the time if I feel the waiter is trying. But this guy was clearly not involved in what he was doing at all. My friend had a glass of iced tea that was cracked all the way to the bottom of it. How it didn’t break I don’t know. When I pointed it out to him he took it and didn’t say a word.

He didn’t come back around for about 15 minutes and it wasn’t busy in there at all. We had to remind him to bring her another drink to enjoy with her meal. We also didn’t have silverware.

The side items we ordered, and I was getting frustrated. We couldn’t even find him most of the time to ask for what we needed. I don’t think we were expecting any more than the basics for our meal either.

Tips for waiters are very important to them and I certainly do understand that. They have to make a living and most of the time they aren’t even being paid minimum wage. They may have children to support, car payments to make, and working as they move forward with their education. Therefore tips for waiters need to be generous when they service is decent or excellent.

I guess part of my concern is that the quality isn’t there like it should be. Do some waiters think they don’t need to work for their tips anymore? Perhaps it is a lack of training at the restaurant they work in. So they develop their own routine and their own ways of taking care of customers. They don’t realize that they aren’t representing the business in the most favorable light though.

If tips for waiters are so vital to their survival then they need to make some effort in my mind. I guess part of my issue is that I have walked in their shoes in a variety of different restaurant atmospheres. I do realize the work can be fast paced and hurried. I do realize that meeting the various demands of everyone can be trying. However, I also realize that good service comes with a smile, a genuine desire to serve the customers, and being attentive to what they need in order to enjoy their meal. Tips for waiters that do so will be very generous regardless of the type of restaurant they work in.

Patti Farnham has a great deal of experience in the hospitality business. You can get more great information from her at http://www.gratuity-ingenuity.com. Check out her website http://www.gratuity-ingenuity.com/waittables.htm to learn more on how to make bigger tips.