The only way a server can make a decent wage is if they are left tips by their customers. A lot of people strongly believe it is the responsibility of the restaurant to provide a higher pay scale for their waitresses and waiters. This would take the responsibility away from the customers. Despite this the American restaurant industry continues to function in this manner. In many way this practice is unfair to the serving staff. A waiter can perform excellent services that please the customer. The customer can still decide to leave a tip that is simply not fair. This could deprive the server of a meal at some point during the week.
There is a waiter in Las Angeles that took care of several teens who were going to be attending their homecoming dance. This particular waiter remembered being a young student in high school. He also remembered how much he wanted to attend his own homecoming dance. This was partially why he ensured the group of teens enjoyed a good experience while they were at the restaurant. The waiter made certain they enjoyed themselves. Despite this the waiter received a despicable tip.
The waiter did a really good job taking care of all the teens. Despite this his tip was just $3.28. This amount of money probably will not even cover a coffee at Starbucks. It certainly could not pay the mounting bills of the waiter. After the waiter had gone home he began to feel hate for the students. He felt they did not understand how valuable his hard work was. He believed they looked down on him and people like him due to a sense of entitlement. These were his assumptions. He forgot about the slight within a few days and his life continued normally. He got a letter from the teens ten days later.
The letter talked about how the teens had come to his restaurant to eat as a part of their celebration for homecoming. They told him the experience of being there all alone was new and exciting. They said he was the best waiter they could have ever wished for. They told him he was accommodating, helpful, kind, did not treat them like babies and even managed to make certain the food did not cause any problems with their allergies. The teens wanted to make sure they said thank you for ensuring their experience at being grown ups was both fun and amazing.
The letter then apologized for the way the group acted. They were only thirteen years of age and new to the experience. They did not understand the right way to handle the bill. They thanked him for the way he divided up the check so each of them could pay for their share. They said the bill was very reasonable but they were not really familiar with tips. They simply took what they had left out of their pockets and it totaled $3.28.
They did not understand at the time just how little of a tip they had left. They said they realized how hard he had worked but they were clueless. When they realized they had made a mistake later on they felt really bad. They wanted to make it right. In the envelope they included what they know knew was the right tip. It was eighteen percent with a little extra thrown in because they though he was amazing. They then thanked him for his patience, help and making it a fun night.
