One More Dollar: My Guide to Tipping Etiquette

When you are in a restaurant or pub, how well do you tip the wait staff or bartender?

I have a friend who always tells me he feels extra pressure to tip better when he is with me. All of my years in the service industry have certainly affected my monetary generosity, even after I left for a while. And I believe overall the public is more aware of the necessity to tip restaurant employees better and of their low hourly wages.

Industry standard has set the scale at 12, 15 and 18 percent over the years. Who came up with this number anyway? We've all seen our grandmother pull out her tip card when the check arrives. Mobile phones even come equipped with tip calculators now.

I for one am embarrassed to dine with someone that uses one of these contraptions and, in the past, have over compensated for lousy tippers in my party.

My tipping standard, regardless of service is 25 percent + $2-5 extra. If I would have received that as a server, it would have made my night. A tip like that can give someone a little more pep in their step that night, and more often than not, give you even better service next time you come in.

Maybe this isn't something everyone feels comfortable doing. That's okay. Here is what I recommend.

If service was poor beyond belief, then I encourage patrons to tip accordingly and speak to a manager about the poor service. They will appreciate your criticism if they truly care about the service in the restaurant.

If service was good to amazing, then throw out your tip card and your pride. If you have a hard time deciding what a good tip is, then give a minimum of 20 percent. Then, I implore you to add $1 to that. Icing on the cake would be a positive compliment to the staff and manager, as well as a thank you.

A little known fact. Servers in Indiana make $2.13 per hour. On average, the "tip out" a portion (sometimes 40%) of their tips to hosts, bus boys, cooks and bartenders.

The bottom line is, what are you going to do with that extra dollar or two, that you can't give it to your wait staff? I encourage everyone to make a commitment to giving one extra dollar each time the dine out in 2010.

Get Ahead of Your Day

Ever get to lunch and wonder where your morning went? Ever get to 5:00 and wonder where the whole damn day went? Or in the restaurant business, the example would be arriving at Saturday and wondering where the week went.

Its impossible to cram 25 hours into a day, but many of us in this business have tried and even more have prayed to the Gods of beer & time wishing for just one more minute.

Early in my management career, I figured out the secret to beating time and getting ahead in the day. For you, I will now divulge this top secret method. The secret is not really so secret, but I like to think I have it all figured out. And I can break it down into three simple steps.

Step One:

Love what you do and be passionate. The easiest way to fall behind and accomplish nothing is to be apathetic about what you do. Apathy leads to procrastination. Procrastination leads to 6:00pm and a to do list still untouched.

Step Two:

Prepare for your day. This is the most important and easiest way to be excellent and successful in what you do. When preparing for a day in the restaurant, or any business, there are some things I have done and highly recommend. (Adjust accordingly for your likes and personality.)

Always make a list starting the night before, at the end of your work day. It is amazing how much time you will free up for the next morning when this task is completed the night before. Don't think of this as work. Do as I would do and accomplish this task as you sip a frosty beverage after work.

Step Three:

Start the day early. When opening the restaurant, I would routinely arrive 1-2 hours before needed. My favorite way to begin any day is sipping some fresh brewed coffee while I read the morning paper. Listening to ESPN Radio or some music is the best way to get the day going. I call this getting into my day and it is essential to my success.

I am currently sitting in Caribou Coffee in the Columbus, Ohio neighborhood of Grandview Heights. I am in full prep mode for the day.

Early arrival will give you a chance to actually accomplish that morning walk through you never get to. Or plan accordingly when you find the ice machine has malfunctioned on the hottest day of the year. Or call in some back up when you have a string of emails with staff calling of work. (Funny how those come in at 5:00am after a big party night).

These two hours in the morning are the best part of the day. It gives me a chance to clear my mind and prepare for the day. As I said, adjust accordingly to who you are. If you are an exercise fiend, maybe you will head to the gym to clear your mind and mentally prepare.

Regardless, follow these two steps and you see an increase in productivity, success and most certainly find that extra hour you've been searching for.