The nitty gritty on coupons, separate checks and tipping.......

Okay, just like the heading says, let’s get to the nitty gritty of things…..

We’ll start with coupons. (Many people don’t need to hear this, but then, many do) The idea of the coupon is to get in the door. Judging from the number of coupons we are getting, apparently this is working. The value of these coupons ranges anywhere from $5.00 to $75.00, and you must spend a minimum amount of money in order to use them. One coupon even states that 18% gratuity will be added to the original amount of the bill.

Let’s say you just got $25.00 subtracted form your dinner for 2. That’s a significant savings. HOWEVER, it does not give you license to rip off your server. Don’t go cheap on us, (we have bills to pay, too) tip on the full amount of the original bill! Let’s look at it this way….suppose you work at a department store, they are having a huge sale, and then inform you that since they lowered prices, they are also lowering your pay for the week since they won't be bringing in as much revenue.  (Not a happy thought)

Now for the separate check thing…..one day last week, me and another server split the dining room at lunch…..between a table of 11, and 2 tables of 12, we had to figure out 35 separate checks! This takes time, folks! Our tipping policy for groups of 8 or more, allows us to add 18% gratuity to all checks. Some people seem upset by this, so I always tell everyone, “Normally we add 18% gratuity on groups of 8 or more, however, I didn’t do this, I’m going to leave it up to you.”

Again, not a license to go cheap on us. Please realize we did a lot of extra work for in keeping track of who had what, and then separating and printing 12 checks. Not to mention, it is busy, and we are in a time crunch.

We’re glad you saved money, everyone likes to save money, but the line between tipping on the original bill and tipping on the discounted bill is not a fine one. It’s a big fat statement that you don’t want to hear.