i try not to push my opinion on social/political/religious issues too far. really i just want this blog to give the reader an insight into the life of a late twenties, single, southern kid… well and maybe give you a chuckle once in a while. i’m no activist, but sometimes, some situations hit really close to home and i just can’t keep my damn mouth shut.
i waited tables (and bartended) for many years… almost half my life actually. waiting tables is a singular experience. for a small time you become friend, advisor, psychologist, responsible party, entertainer, subject matter expert, etc. to the people sitting in front of you. they may tell you more than you want to know or may become friends. either way, your job is to provide service. and you will do whatever (well, almost whatever) it takes to do this as effectively as possible ’cause hey… we like getting paid.
recently there has been a photo circling around that shows a receipt for a meal with an 18% included gratuity (an okay tip). the signee of the receipt marked out the tip, wrote “i give God 10% why do you get 18” and then proceeded to NOT tip at all.
now. don’t get me wrong. i am all for religious beliefs and the inheritant freedom that should come with those. i have my own beliefs and a very healthy respect for all others beliefs (or lack of belief). however this customer obviously has misplaced some ideas. i will explain (hopefully logically) why.
- it is absolutely ABSURD to compare a tithe (a tenth part of something paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax especially for the support of a religious establishment… in this case, generally 10% of income for most churches is the expectation i understand) to payment for a service. if this person actually does tithe 10% on a regular basis, i am truly impressed. however, again, a tithe is a voluntary contribution in the sense of this situation. a tip is payment for a service. unfortunately there is no across the board standard for said service but you have to pay for work that’s performed for you. this is why we sell perky, friendly, and helpful like it’s going out of style.
- say, just say we DO accept that 10% for the God is ok, thus it must be good for your server as well. think about this: if you tithe as you “should” that means you are tipping 10% of your salary. by this same logic, does it not follow that if you tithe then that would mean your server gets 10% of your salary as well. trust me, any server would LOVE 10% of your salary. i’ll sign up to work in that restaurant any day.
- again, to point out the obvious differences between a personal relationship with a religious figure and a business relationship with a tipped employee, there is no way anyone should ever compare the two. it’s like comparing apples to spreading mulch. not even in the same realm of relationship. trust me, these two relationships would never show up on the comparrison part of the SATs.
had this customer commented on the service provided and stated that it was sub-par… that would be a horse of a different color. to me, it almost seems that the customer used his or her religion as an excuse not to tip. gee… wonder how the Big Guy (or Gal) would feel about that. to harm another human being in his/her name.
to all my servers out there: keep doing your thing. sell service with a smile. project your joy. and when something like this happens to you (unfortunately, it will. it’s happened to me many times) try and feel sorry for the person… and remember their face for the next time you see them and they want good service.
ok. rant over.
say it with a damn smile. 