Righting the Wrong

Getting a sorry tip is part of the gig. Some people I wait on are very generous and go above and beyond the standard 18-20%. Most of the others are right around that range. It is actually a very small percentage of the people I wait on who are bold enough to tip me 15% or less. I have to be honest, when I first started waiting tables, I could remember each one of them and their faces would haunt me in my sleep, all the while complimenting my superior service (this is known as a 'verbal tip'- and is useless when it comes time to pay my bills).

As time goes on, it all becomes a blur. In order to maintain sanity, any server has to forget the guy who comes in and tips $5 on $150. It happens. Its part of the gig.

That is why it caught me off-guard the other day when my friends and I went to my restaurant to eat lunch and a guest walked over to me and handed me an envelope with a note apologizing for and rectifying a poor tip he had left a couple of weeks ago. Here's the letter:




Among all the other crazy things that happen in this job, it is nice every now and again to see somebody who cares for others and considers their feelings and needs.

So a note back: Way to go, dude!