> That's how low the fine art of tipping has fallen. I seriously thought that girl was going to bust out the windshield or something -- all because we gave her a smaller-than-usual tip. I fear what would have happened if we had left nothing at all, which used to be a perfectly acceptable practice. People today...
>
> -useless"When did 'gratuity' abandon 'gratitude?'"ness


I learned a lesson that stays with me to this day at the Chili's I worked at in Texas for a couple of years.

A woman came in with about four scruffy kids -- exactly the kind of table you roll your eyes about and bemoan your fate if they get seated in your section. I gave her very perfunctory service, assuming from the start that if she was alone and feeding four kids, not only would they be a lot of trouble, but I wouldn't see much reward for mopping up the inevitable spills, special orders, and keeping four kids full of free soda refills, much less the mess I'd have to deal with after they left.

That woman left me about a 25% tip, back when 15% was just becoming the standard, up from 10%. I never felt so bad in my life. And from that day on, I at least tried to give every table the same level of service I'd give a VIP, whether I thought it was going to pay off or not. Hopefully it paid off on a different level.

Mousie