Today at work, I had a small party of teenagers. They were probably about 16 years old . . . 17 tops. At first there were going to be 11 of them, then it was just 4, but eventually it was 7. However, three of them didn't order anything.
They all ordered waters to drink, an appetizer . . . and four entrees. I didn't really pay as much attention to them as my other tables because something told me they weren't going to leave me much for a tip. Maybe that was wrong of me, but I couldn't help it.
While they were eating I overheard one of their conversations. They were trying to figure out if Bulimia or Anorexia was better. In the end, I think they came to the conclusion that Bulimia was the way to go because you still got to eat food. . . they seemed very intelligent.
When the bill was given to them the total was $51.42. They had some problems with this. They had ordered a quessadilla, but apparently I charged them for the wrong one. When the change was made the new total was a WHOLE dollar cheaper at $50.42. They continued to analyze the bill to make sure I hadn't over charged them for anything else. Then a girl asked me if she still had to pay for the chicken in the Chinese Chicken Salad she had ordered even though she ordered it without chicken. I said yes . . . and maybe I was a bit rude about it, but I couldn't help it . . . it was a stupid question. Everyone know's that restaurant menu items can only go up in price, not down. I don't make the rules, I just follow them.
Finally they gave me 60 dollars and waited for their change. I gave it to them, said Thank you and walked away thinking "there's no way they are going to leave me anything".
To my surprise they did leave me a tip! It was a WHOLE dime! I don't know what to spend it on, perhaps half a piece of gum, or maybe I will make a wish in some nearby fountain. All I know is that somehow teenagers are oblivious to the fact that tipping a server in a restaurant is normal. I might not have tipped well when I was younger, but I knew about it. Who knows, maybe it was my fault.
Oh, and just to be clear, their waters were always full, I checked on them at least twice, and except for the Chinese Chicken salad question I was extremely polite. I even kept my mouth shut about how dangerous eating disorders are . . . but, oh well.
4 comments:
You should have returned their dime. It might have embarassed them.
I would have, but they had already left.
Teenagers are dumb. They don't think things through. Like with bulimia. That's not a very effective way to lose weight. And the damage it does to the body hardly makes it worth the trouble.
well, if they're seriously considering being bulimic they obviously don't have enough sense to tip.
i thought we were bad in high school when we'd order coffee and sit for ages, but we always gave a generous tip (even if it was in coins once in awhile). kids these days!
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