The Big Tipper Theory

I have a theory about the quality of service given in any restaurant. It took many years of research to develop. I will preface it by sharing my dining out experience as a child. I am the third of four children. My father was not a wealthy man, and my mother enjoyed cooking. As a result of that, eating in a restaurant was a treat for their children. We would get dressed in nice, clean clothes, and present ourselves at local restaurants. After being made to wait for some undisclosed time(as it does take extra time to make a table for six), we would be seated, and wait more for our server. More often than not, the server took the attitude "get these kids out of here before they cause a scene" and would rush us through our dinner. The other times we would get something similar in attitude, "I can't believe I got stuck with the cheap family with lots of brats-they can wait til I'm done with my conversation and getting the big tip from my smaller tables." These attitudes illustrate the premise of the Big Tipper Theory.

The Theory

When patrons enter a restaurant, they are immediately sized up. Do they look like people who will spend a lot of money? Are they fat? What is the condition of their apparel? Do they speak in a cultured, educated manner or is their speech peppered with profanity and slang? Are they old, young? How many people are in the "family?" All of these things add up to the rationalization for giving poor service, treating the patron as a second class citizen. They don't look like they'll tip well so why should I work so hard for the measly hourly wage I'll get? In layman's terms, a server gives the service that is comparable to the tip they expect to receive. Its a harsh way to think, but that's what seems to be the mentality of poor servers.
The other end of the spectrum belongs to those servers who just like their jobs and work for the joy of doing good work. These people tend to ensure their patrons glasses are never below half full. They always check up on their tables, to see if everything is running smoothly and the needs are met. These servers are exemplary and when I am blessed to have one, I give large tips and compliments to the manager.

As a note, tip is an acronym for the phrase "to insure promptness." It used to be issued to the host/hostess and servers prior to seating and ordering. It was done to insure seating and food would arrive promptly and in good order. There was a time when the pride in merely having a job was enough, and the tip was a surprise. In this day and age, a tip is expected.

This post was in no way meant to be derogatory towards any persons who are currently employed as waitstaff. It was merely meant as an explanation of my mind-set, also as a way to educate those who are unaware of some of the inner workings of a restaurant.