[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Nothing wrong with professional. But servers are people too and waitstaff are apt to be young. As in teens-or-early-20s young. Not all, of course, but quite a few it seems.

But tips can be used for more than showing appreciation (or not) for the quality of service. A couple of years back my wife and I were dining at Cody's in LSL, and our waitress was obviously NOT having a good day. I overheard her talking to a co-worker, saying that she had been called in to work ON HER DAY OFF because the place was short-staffed. The coffee she brought was barely warm so I asked her if she could bring me another cup, which she seemed to think was an imposition by the way she exhaled exasperatedly and headed for the kitchen. The hot cup never came, so about 10 minutes later I asked another server passing by if she could get the coffee for me, which she did. Our waitress saw that and said that the reason she was slow was that she was helping out in another section in addition as well as waiting on us. All in all, not a good experience.

Came time to pay the bill (about $25, as I recall). I made it a point to tip the waitress in person ($10) and told her that I hoped that her day would get better. I recall she had a shocked look on her face, followed by a BIG smile.

Made both of us feel good.

Good for you! You did something nice. You were generous without the expectation of generosity being forced on you. Giving anything that is not expected is a blessing to both the giver and the gifted! When gratuities are expected/demanded then the blessing becomes a curse and the joy is eliminated.