My first wait job ever was at one of those spaghetti houses. Each meal came with a salad (french, italian, blue cheese, thousand island, and creamy pesto), bread, a beverage (milk, coffee, or tea), and ice cream at the end. The most expensive meal on the menu was $8.99. As you can imagine it was a popular spot for families and large groups. Interesting policy the restaurant had, there was never added gratuity and they wouldn't seat a party until it was complete.
That last rule lead a lot of people down the path to dishonesty. "They went to the bathroom," people would explain of the empty chairs. Or my favorite, "They are parking the car!" Uh huh, some 30 minutes away so that they can practice for that 10k they are doing next week.
One Sunday afternoon I was working (the dreaded post-church service shift) and I was seated with a group of 14. Clearly a couple of families dining together. Very nice, sweet even. Except that there were only about 8 of them there. Ok, fine, no biggie I wasn't swamped.
"Hey there, how is everyone? I see you are waiting for a few, is there a beverage I can bring you while you wait?"
They start ordering tea, coffee, etc. One guy asks for soda, I tell him that unfortunately, only coffee, tea, and milk are the complimentary beverages. Everything else is extra, but refillable. He asks how much it is for the soda and when I tell him, "seventy-five cents," he tells me that milk will do just fine, then.
I don't know just where it came from. It was out of my mouth and hanging in the air before I ever had a chance to realize I was thinking it, but I instantly said, "Yeah, that seventy-five cents is really going to set you back, isn't it?"
The eight people at the table all turned instantly quiet and looked at me. I paused, warm breath still in the air from the last comment. I wanted to die on the spot.
"Heh, he, umm hee hee hee," was my response, instead. For some reason they all laughed a little and I walked away wondering about my future with the company and the possibility of getting fired on a Sunday afternoon. The rest of the time that table was there I kissed their asses so very mightily. You never saw such bread, soda and water refills. Service was quick and friendly (of course it was always so). I even managed to keep my smartass mouth shut. When they left, I was just glad they didn't ask to speak to a manager.
The tip? Around 20%.
I was very, very lucky that day and I remember that each and every time I tell that story.
Posted by kerewin at July 14, 2005 11:35 PM