I walked into a little ice cream shop this weekend with the woman of my dreams. The shop was quaint, opened in South Haven, Michigan as an ice cream parlor and soda fountain in 1958, and has blossomed into a local treasure, served in restaurants and shops across the southwest Michigan landscape.
As we walked in, an over-sized blue bovine stood majestically on the roof of the building, heralding the milk-based confectionery treats inside. The place was bustling with smiling children, young lovers, and courteous high schoolers in aprons and blue shirts that proudly bore the name “SHERMAN'S ICE CREAM”
As we strode from side-to-side, peering hungrily into all the cardboard buckets that stood deliciously behind neon-lit glass cases, these modern day soda-jerks truly impressed me. Instead of the ever-frustrating, disinterested rapport that I get from most attendants at eateries and shops I engage, these three ice cream-doling attendants were thrilled to help us make our decisions on dessert.
Let me share the way I approach my waitstaff. I enjoy engaging my servers. If I can glean an honest and enthusiastic response from a waiter or server, their chances of receiving not only gratuity, but also my heartfelt respect, increase exponentially. If, when I ask my server for a recommendation, they make an earnest recommendation, it truly impresses me. When you add value to my experience, rather than merely taking my order, you've immediately earned my respect as a person who cares about the service they provide.
This is a perspective that I gained as someone who's worked in a tip-driven industry. So when these folks at Sherman's offered this top-notch service, it was the least I could do to tip them each a buck or two. But as we walked out, I said to my wife,
"Someday, I'd like to be able to walk into that ice cream shop, receive great service, and hand each one of those kids twenty dollars. Not because I want to flaunt my wealth, but because I truly appreciate the zeal that they show for their jobs."
Some people may see that as a waste of money. Some may see it as a a silly way to spend ones hard earned cash. But I see it as true appreciation. I see it as commendation for a job well done.
That being said, I am not afraid to leave a sub-par tip for a server who is snooty, bored, or treating me like I'm an inconvenience to their evening. But more often than not, I am a sympathetic tipper.
I have this mentality because I have been tipped well after working my ass off. There's nothing that keeps you going like someone walking up to you, palming you a handfull of bills and saying,
"Thank you."
Then again, there was the time that a centenarian woman with false teeth slipped a twenty dollar bill in my apron pocket, kissed me on the cheek, and pinched my ass.
That was OK too. But I'll stick to tipping.
~CW
That was OK too. But I'll stick to tipping.
~CW
