[A Quiet Boom]

I'm a former chef, server, bartender, manager and maitre'd. I tip a lot! What LubeMaster said is true, bigger tips means better service 99% of the time. Once I took the wife out for our anniversary to a very nice restaurant. When the server came around I laid $100 in his hands and told him my needs. We did not want to be interupted, we wanted to take our time, keep our ashstray empty and our drinks full, I'll have the best steak in the house and make it rare, my wife will have whatever the chef recommends. We want appetizers, you choose, same with desert. I'd like an expresso and the wife a latte with desert. We don't want wine so don't even bother. The server who was already at the top of his game instructed his bus staff of our needs and we had a dinner that was absolutely fabulous, the maitre'd didn't seat any loud tables near us, the drinks where great even thought I wasn't having any alcohol, I could tell the bartender had just freshly cut the lime for my tonic, the salad freshly torn, everything to perfection. At the end of the night our bill was close to $200.00, I gave the waiter $300.00 and told him to keep the change, tipped the busboy $20, the bartender $40 and the maitre'd $40 and told him I'd be back. He smiled and told me he'd be happy to take care of me. I think I even sent money back to the kitchen!

I'm sure I have you all wondering why I would tip so ridiculously. The fact is I can make any meal they had on the menu, bake just about any over the deserts, and I might great drinks. I can do all of this at home but what I can't get is a nice romantic dinner with my wife with transparent service. That night we were treated like royalty and it made our anniversary very special. This year we were out of town and didn't get back to the restaurant but we definately plan to go next year. I wish we could afford to do it every week.

My rule of thumb for tipping is simple, if you think you should tip, then tip. 20 percent is the minimum unless the service is very poor. I even tip at gas station drivethru's and a little extra if it's winter. I picked up a pack of smokes for a co-worker today at the drivethre while I was at lunch. When I gave him his change he asked me where the rest was and I told him it was a tip for the attendant. He told me that was crazy, I told him to walk to his car in the rain and get them himself next time. I go to a hairdresser rather than a barber, I don't tell her how to cut my hair, she cuts it in a way that she thinks will look good on me, she get's $15-20 everytime. Sometimes in life it's worth it to spend a little extra and be pampered, especially if your job/life is stressful. I might be crazy but I'm also happy and satisfied.