I posted this to Tumblr the other day, and thought it worthy of a re-post here.
A Labor Day PSA:
The next time you go to a bar, a restaurant, or any other service oriented place of business, please remember to leave a decent tip.
People in the service industry work hard to make sure you have a pleasant experience. They’ve got to keep a smile on their faces even with rude customers.
They are not slaves. Please don’t treat them as such.
The way you treat service personnel will be reflected back to you. If you treat your waiter or bartender with kindness, their gratitude will be evident. As a bartender, I periodically sent complimentary drinks to good customers. The bad ones were often made to wait.
Remember also that there are some things beyond your waiter’s control.
Your waiter is your advocate, and does everything in his/her power to bring you what you ordered. Don’t punish your waiter because the kitchen made a mistake.
Finally. If you don’t have enough money to leave a tip, stay home.
Never, ever stiff your wait staff. If the service is bad, take the waiter aside and calmly explain. Believe me, they do want to know if there was a problem so they can correct it. If you blow your cool, it will be YOU who is wrong. They can refuse you future service.
For more on Tipping, see CNN Money
ADignorantium 