Crappy Tippers....when it's not deserved!

So our restaraunt is quite a popular place to come eat and drink out on the west side of town.

(Kinda why I chose to work there but that is beside the point)

On Sundays during the day we are always quite busy and we get a lot of big parties, I had a four table section today, one of those tables happened to be a 9 top tble that can also accomodate 12 to 13 if you move the chairs around. Needless to say that table was not empty for more than 5 minutes from 1100 till I left around 445.

We were also on a wait, which ,not to insult anyones intelligance, means when people walked in the place was full and they had to wait 15 to 20 minutes (or longer) to get a table.

Now just for arguments sake I have also been a customer at plenty of restaraunts, So this story is not just coming from a server's side. I understand being hungry, waiting for a table and having to wait to get your food.

That being said our restaraunt serves chips and salsa to every table, by standard they are to be out to the table within a minute of the table being sat, and before the drink order is taken.

In a perfect world, or written down on paper that works out great, it also works great when we are slow. However, when we are busy, that just doesn't happen.

So with that intro to the table I am about to speak of....

My 9 top table had been sat with an 11 person party and I was in the kitchen getting the drinks they had ordered

Let me just stop and say the in the above mentioned perfect world I would have also been informed while I was back there that a 2 person party had been sat at another table, I then would have asked someone to take them some chips and salsa as I finished drinks for the 11 party.

Once again that perfect world does not exist when we are busy. It's just not possible seeing as how the entire staff is busy.

So as I walked out with a HUGE tray of drinks and extra salsa for the party I noticed the 2 women sitting at the table behind them.

(by the way they could clearly see me walking out with the drinks, not as if I was hanging out against the wall doing nothing while they sat at their table)

I distibuted drinks and let the party know I would be right back with them, walked happily to the 2 ladies sitting in the booth, introduced myself, let them know I was going to go and grab them some chips and salsa, and asked if I could grab them something to drink while I was back there.

They ordered their drinks and I also (which is our mandatory thing to do) offered to take their order right then if they were ready. They were, they had clearly been here before, they ordered their food and also informed me they would like an appetizer of Guacamole, I smiled said I would be right back with their drinks and chips etc.

Her reply, "Yeah thanks because we're starving" now not such a bad reply, you obviously come to a restaraunt because you're hungry, but it was her tone, she was completely sarcastic and rude.

I am NOT a person who really lets others get to her, esp at work so I smiled and said "Of Course" and honestly was not upset at all as some servers would have taken offense to her tone and facial expression, whatever I'm pretty grouchy when I'm hungry too.

So I went to the back grabbed everything for them, and also grabbed a drink refill on 2 Dr Peppers for my 11 top that I saw needed filled as I was walking back to the kitchen.

Took me 3 minutes, I know because there is a clock above the door we walk in and out of.

I dropped everything off to the ladies first, and when I dropped the Dr Peppers to the party they, of course, needed more chips, (sometimes the chips and salsa are a pain in the ass :) )

So then the 11 top was ready to order. It took a few minutes due to the fact that well, it was 11 people!

I took the order, turned around and the ladies needed more Ice Tea, now when I say more I do not mean they were empty as if I had been ignoring them, I mean they were halfway full which in our restaraunt is wrong (that perfect world calls for refilling at 1/4 empty)

I grabbed the Tea Pitcher from right next to their table, refilled their drinks, asked if there was anything they needed,they were fine, and then walked away to enter the 11 top's order in the computer.

Took a few minutes to enter the order, I then went back to do my rounds, I also by the way had another 2 top table who were well into their food while alll of this was going on.

The 11 top needed more salsa and some water, my 2 top of ladies needed nothing and I took an empty plate from the 2 top who was almost done, at the same time I noticed a new table being sat at my only free table which had been being cleaned as all of the rest of the story was going on.

So........

I went to the back, grabbed some salsa for the 11 top, some chips and salsa for the new table and walked out the door.

Greeted the new table as should happen in the perfect world, with their chips and salsa, asked for their drink order, offered to take the full order, they weren't ready so I left to get their drinks.

Dropped off the salsa for the 11 top that I had been holding the whole time talking to the new table, went by my 2 ladies with the guac and tea, asked how they were, they said fine, and I walked back into the kitchen to get the drinks for the new table.

I do not feel as though I am doing a bad job at any of my 4 tables out there, in fact, and not to toot my own horn AT ALL, but I know that I am good at serving, and to be honest I enjoy it,thats why I picked up this part time job for extra cash.

Anyway

So as I am walking out with table #4's drinks I notice my food for the ladies is up, I set my drinks on the tray and take the whole thing out,

(even though we have someone designated to run the food out to our tables, if I am not busy I like to drop it off myself more table interaction which leads to better tips I believe)

So I drop the drinks at new table, tell them I will be right back, and drop the food to the 2 ladies.

They thank me, I check on 11 top that needs more chips, and the old 2 top who is ready for their check.

I then walk back to newset 2 top, grab their order quickly, go into the kitchen, print the check for old 2 top, grab chips for 11 top and enter food for new 2 top.

Takes me 4 minutes.

Get back to table of 2 ladies after dropping chips at 11 top and they say they are fine, refill teas at 1/4 full, everything is great.

So it continues that way which honestly is how my tables work, I have a system and very rarely leave someone feeling not taken care of.

So explain to me why when the 2 ladies split their check making each one around 14 dollars, one leaves me NO TIP and the other leaves me 1 dollar???????

Honestly did I deserve that?

I really saw RED when I opened those books and wanted to run to the parking lot and throw their Damn dollar at them!

If I ignored them, or they had to ask for refills, or their food was wrong, or something happened maybe I could have understood,

but really??

If you can't afford to tip then you can't afford to go out to eat, and thats all there is to it, Do people realize that servers still only get paid 2.13 an hour??

I mean, I go out of my way to make peoples experience at our store enjoyable, I joke around, I smile, I play with kids, I conversate, and hopestly I think it works so well for me because I genuinely enjoy it, I am not just wlaking out faking being happy or interested, I do enjoy my job, I have liked serving since I was 15, which like I said before is why I went back to it.

SO when I go out of my way to make your day better, is it really fair to leave me such a tip??

C'mon.

Grrr, I really am over it now but Some People I Swear!!!