I feel it necessary to touch on the hospitality industry specifically an issue regarding tipping, and the overall guest experience that is associated with the employee experience and how customer service bridges the two. I have worked in the food service industry (more widely referred to as the hospitality industry) since I was 14.
I am going to be a huge nerd and quote Drake but I really "Started on the bottom." My first taste of the industry was cleaning dishes and working banquets at a golf course. Believe it or not, it was a really fun job. After a couple months, I was 'promoted' to the outdoor BBQ, where I cooked and served burgers to golfers during tournaments, this was my first taste of tips! I eventually worked my way up to serving and driving the beer cart around. At that very moment I was addicted to working, making my own money, and having the power to control what I made.
My next job in the service industry was at a bar, I started off as a server, and 5 years later when it was my time to quit, there wasn't a job in the restaurant I didn't know how to do. I guess I should have been considered a manager, but since I was moving, I opted against pursuing that opportunity.
Right now, I work at one of the busiest restaurants in downtown Toronto, not only do I serve, I also am the Brand Ambassador. I am the face of the brand, and make sure that the service, and the restaurant as a whole represents the brand that we have created.
I have 10 years in the industry, I consider myself to be extremely knowledgable in how things should be run, what makes a restaurant successful and what would make it flop. I have dined at a number of fantastic restaurants where my guest experience has been INCREDIBLE, and also at 'dives' where my experience has been extremely poor. Because I work in the industry and understand how tipping 'should' work, I always leave my server far more than I should and rarely based it on my experience from a guest perspective.
As a guest, the things that are the most important to me include:
1) Cleanliness - If the floors and windows of a restaurant are not clean, it can be assumed the staff and management do not care enough about the place to keep it clean, and the disappointment will continue. Best advice, go somewhere else immediately. (Side note: Make sure to check the washroom, that is the clearest indication of how well the restaurant is looked after)
2)Service - The style of service will differ from place to place, and even from night to night. However, a good server will always be timely, attentive, friendly, helpful and organized.
3)Food- Food needs to be of high quality, this means fresh, cooked properly, delivered in an appropriate amount of time, and be substantial for the price that it is being advertised for.
4)Bill- This one is simple, but when the bill is delivered, is it correct? Are the prices right? Is how it is delivered appropriate for the restaurant? And did I have to ask for my bill.
This is how I evaluate my overall guest experience. I am more critical of things especially because the standards of the restaurant I currently work, being very high. I know that when I go out, my expectations are high because I deliver a superior level of service to my guests, and I deserve the same level of service when I have a chance to go out.
BUT here's the thing: it puts pressure on both the guest and employee of a restaurant when dining out because tipping has become a common conversation piece and social media has made the percentage expectation well known. No body wants to be known as a 'bad-tipper' however if service is not great, or even good for that matter, is there a reason to leave a 20% or even 15% tip?
Here are the facts: in Canada a server's wage is $8.90/hr, assuming the average server is working 30 hours a week and 50 weeks a year, that would mean the restaurant is paying the server just $13,350 for the whole year; depending on the restaurants sales and price points, the dollar amount a server will average during a given shift fluctuates a great deal- for my examples sake, say the server who is being paid $13,350/year averages $7,500/week. Bases on 50 weeks, that means the server is brining in $375,000 in revenue for the restaurant. The server is an integral part of the service industry.
The overall guest experience may increase if the concept of tipping was eliminated. The guest would be able to enjoy an incredible meal, and have outstanding service, without having to worry about how much to tip at the end of their dining experience and would be able to enjoy the atmosphere, the food and their dining company without stressing over how much their server deserved.
In the perfect world, this would mean a restaurant would pay the servers enough to compensate for the removal of tips, and enough to motivate them to give outstanding service every time. Unfortunately, it is not possible for a restaurant to pay a server enough, on the average night a server can make upwards of $80/hour. No restaurant could afford to pay that.
One thing that is great about a server receiving tips, is the self motivation from employees of the serving industry. Being able to determine how much one is going to make based on sales, encourages staff to work longer and harder. In addition to serving tables and taking orders, a server is a huge part of the maintenance of the restaurant. If a server is making a substantial amount of money, they are motivated to care for their restaurant, because they view it as an investment in their "personal business" (which is serving.)
Tipping is a topic that is rarely talked about and is something that should be discussed among diners and employees alike. I want to open this up and see how others feel about tipping and what the appropriate amount is to tip a server based on average, outstanding, and terrible service.
I will tip 15% for terrible service, 20% for average service and upwards of 60% for outstanding service. I am slightly biased because I have been in the industry for such a long period of time. I would like to see how others base their tipping structures, out of curiosity and research.
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