Kids these days! You might as well forget that plan of going to college. I have a better way to make a living than a standard 9-to-5 job. No experience necessary. Just patience. The ability to smile. And basic balance. What is this magical career that will make you rich?
WAITING!
That means waitstaff. Waitresses. Waiters. Working in a "nice" restaurant, serving customers. Who knew it was such a lucrative gig? Not this ol' gal. Of course, you'd need the right temperament. The customer is always right. But if you can swallow your pride and sense of entitledness, to allow others to feel entitled... you can make a fortune!
We met Genius near the city on Friday evening. He's passing through to visit a college friend for a special event. In looking for restaurants, Genius found a bar and grill that serves Italian food. Of course everyone else loves it. So I said goodbye to my standard "terrible tater," and perused the menu online. At least they had SLAW!
Anyhoo... the story of our meal is on my not-so-secret blog. I'm just here to talk about the MONEY. It was quite expensive for my tastes. It's not like we were going out for elegant dining. No tablecloths, even! It's a strip mall bar and grill. At least the portions were huge. So considering how many meals we will get out of the leftovers, it's about the same as a regular meal at a restaurant or fast food around here.
Anyhoo... what I'm leading up to is the practice of tipping. These days, it's considered standard to tip about 20% of the bill. The waitstaff in a restaurant like this is raking in money hand-over-fist!
Our bill was $108.75. We told Farmer H to make sure he gave the waitress a "decent" tip. No need to be a cheaprumpus. She was friendly. Barely made her presence known. Brought beverage refills without being asked, checked if we needed anything, then skedaddled. Unobtrusive, yet present when needed. Farmer H gave her $25. We were fine with that. I'm sure SHE WAS, TOO! We were there about 90 minutes. She also had other tables. Think about her tips! As Farmer H said, even if people only left her 10% (which is considered substandard, or signifying poor service) she would make a bundle for the night.
Of course, it helps to be a cute young gal, on a Friday night, at an establishment that also serves alcohol. Even though waitstaff are often paid under the minimum wage, with the expectation that their tips will compensate for that... it seems like a lucrative job if you can get it!
4 comments:
When did 10% come to mean substandard? Clearly I am behind the times thinking 10% was a decent tip. I don't know these things because here in Australia we don't tip as a rule, though some people are beginning to and some pizza takeout places actually have a tip jar on the counter! Wait staff here are paid a decent living wage so I don't think tipping is necessary though I have told an occasional taxi driver to "keep the change"
River,
10% used to be a good tip, and 15% was considered really generous. I guess it's over the past four or five years that 20% has become a thing. Inflation, I suppose! I didn't think it was all that important until I worked at the unemployment office, and "discovered" that the waitstaff were not paid even the minimum wage. They were presumed to earn that with the tips.
My husband is a generous tipper. Most of our favorite places that we frequent are very happy to see us walk through the door. He was in the habit of getting breakfast most every day at the Huddle House. Biscuits and gravy, not something he should eat regularly, but I like to pick my fights, and I am tired of that one. To get to my point, the dish is $3.99, plus the iced tea and comes to less that $5. He leaves a $10 on the table and the remainder of it is his tip. Recently, he went to his favorite booth, and his favorite server would just bring his meal to him shortly after his butt hit the seat. She happens to be a midget, and it requires her to go around the counter to be seen. Soon as she disappeared behind the counter, the cook barked at her and said "He can wait like everybody else!" Really loud. He got up and left and will never go back. I bet that short little waitress is mad at that cook!
Kathy,
Oh, no! I feel bad for the waitress! She got the short end of the stick (so to speak). That cook was probably jealous of her tips.
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