Column 52 for August 27, 2000

Fireworks last Sunday evening announced the beginning of another school year for the State University of West Georgia. Thousands of students arrived in Carrollton, many of them away from home for the first time. Full of promise, and yet in many ways socially naïve. Most have had little experience in "dining out" beyond their local fast food emporiums. It seems that this is an area overlooked by our Quality Core Curriculum… Maybe I can give them a little tip.

The bill for my first dinner in Aruba last month brought me a surprise. I knew it was expensive, but there was also a 15% "service charge" added to the food total. I found that this was the customary practice, with the restaurant splitting this amount among the waiter and the other employees. An additional 5% to 10% for the waiter was expected if you felt the service was especially good.

I remember a time here in the U.S. when tipping was quite optional, and given only for exemplary service, usually 10% of your bill. Over the years this has grown to 15% or more, and there have been other changes as well. For a restaurant owner to maintain a stable cadre of good waiters and waitresses, they’ve go to make a decent living. I’ve never met one who was waiting tables just for the fun of it.

Our economy has changed. Wages are up. On an hourly basis, how much do you make? Did you know that most restaurants pay their waiters little more than $2 an hour? A 13 year old babysitter does better than that. To reach a "living wage" waiters and waitresses must depend heavily on tips. You can bet that they are going to provide the best service possible to earn these tips from you.

Time after time, I hear the same stories from local waiters and waitresses. Large groups of young people running up a large tab, only to leave a dollar or two as a tip, if anything at all. Not even thinking about it. Not to mention that they may have occupied their table for a couple hours. Time is money, and that counts as service too. If we’ve kept the restaurant from "turning" the table, we have cost the waiter the opportunity to make tips from new customers. If we stay, we should pay.

These "tip-misers" could be trying to "save" money, but from what I’ve seen, much of the time it’s just thoughtlessness. I’ve seen too many groups of young folks, all dressed in the latest styles and sporting cell phones, order dinners and $4.50 drinks, pull out a credit card at the cash register, and then proceed to the parking lot where they get into a nice, usually expensive, late model car. It’s sure a far cry from what I remember about being on a "student" budget… Peace. tomiswho@mindspring.com