Ok. The first thing to understand is that the job of the waiter is not to provide 'good service'. That can (and probably should) be part of it. The job of a waiter (valet, doorman, bartender, chef, busboy, etc), is to get people to come back.
Now, consider the amount of stuff out there for foodies. The Food Network just launched a second network, The Cooking Channel. Of the top 25 bestsellers on Amazon, 5 are foodie books (*not* cookbooks, but food related things, by the likes of Michael Pollan).
By *default*, the best way to get the highest percentage of returning butts in the seats is to cater to the people who are jacking up the food culture books to the top of Amazon's bestsellers, as they are a majority of people, regardless what you want or need. If you're going to tip them 15%, on a food only bill, and someone else is going to tip them 20% for providing a good recommendation that suited the food well, on a bill that includes a bottle of wine, then simply put, next week they want that guy back. Heck, even if the guy only tips 15%, his meal had the wine, and his tip will be bigger.
A waiter trains in wines, tastes the food, licenses to serve alcohol, gets ServSafe qualifications, studies the history of food so that they can simply earn more money. All of these services and skills that you have no interest in get learned because for the *average* mindset of the customers, this is what gets them better wages. Legally, as a tipped employee, they can be paid as little as $2 an hour. There is very little 'extra cost' to the house to have the 3-year waiter who took a wine class at the CIA two months ago and a guy who started last month and spends his non-working hours stoned in his friend's apartment.
I am serving a table of 4. They want a wine with dinner, and order something off the low end of the scale because they don't know much about wines. If I know what they've ordered, and how it tastes, I can say, "That wine is a fairly light, fruity wine. Since you've ordered the schnitzel, can I suggest ($german_wine), which is bolder and pairs better with the heavier flavours." If they take me up on that, they're likelier to tip better (even if the suggestion was crap, it *looks* like I'm interested in their experience), and if the wine costs an extra $10, that's an extra $1.50 to $2 in my pocket at the end of service.
If I can do that with 4 tables in an hour, over the course of a 6 hour shift, that's an extra $36-$48 in a night. $180-240 a week, and over $9000 a year; because I have that training in wine, and can sound knowledgeable.
*that* is what tipping is about to waitstaff, and the end result is a waiter, a good one, is going to be looking for those opportunities to increase their tips. Alcohol is *such* an easy way to upsell that of *course* they're going to get certified, licensed, and get some knowledge crammed into their head. They're doing it because when they have that knowledge, they earn *thousands* more a year. They can control that part of the exchange - the cheesecake is always going to cost $6.50, but the glass of wine someone has with it is in the waiter's hands.
(continued, as apparently I can only make a 4300 character comment)
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Date: 2010-08-16 04:45 am (UTC)Now, consider the amount of stuff out there for foodies. The Food Network just launched a second network, The Cooking Channel. Of the top 25 bestsellers on Amazon, 5 are foodie books (*not* cookbooks, but food related things, by the likes of Michael Pollan).
By *default*, the best way to get the highest percentage of returning butts in the seats is to cater to the people who are jacking up the food culture books to the top of Amazon's bestsellers, as they are a majority of people, regardless what you want or need. If you're going to tip them 15%, on a food only bill, and someone else is going to tip them 20% for providing a good recommendation that suited the food well, on a bill that includes a bottle of wine, then simply put, next week they want that guy back. Heck, even if the guy only tips 15%, his meal had the wine, and his tip will be bigger.
A waiter trains in wines, tastes the food, licenses to serve alcohol, gets ServSafe qualifications, studies the history of food so that they can simply earn more money. All of these services and skills that you have no interest in get learned because for the *average* mindset of the customers, this is what gets them better wages. Legally, as a tipped employee, they can be paid as little as $2 an hour. There is very little 'extra cost' to the house to have the 3-year waiter who took a wine class at the CIA two months ago and a guy who started last month and spends his non-working hours stoned in his friend's apartment.
I am serving a table of 4. They want a wine with dinner, and order something off the low end of the scale because they don't know much about wines. If I know what they've ordered, and how it tastes, I can say, "That wine is a fairly light, fruity wine. Since you've ordered the schnitzel, can I suggest ($german_wine), which is bolder and pairs better with the heavier flavours." If they take me up on that, they're likelier to tip better (even if the suggestion was crap, it *looks* like I'm interested in their experience), and if the wine costs an extra $10, that's an extra $1.50 to $2 in my pocket at the end of service.
If I can do that with 4 tables in an hour, over the course of a 6 hour shift, that's an extra $36-$48 in a night. $180-240 a week, and over $9000 a year; because I have that training in wine, and can sound knowledgeable.
*that* is what tipping is about to waitstaff, and the end result is a waiter, a good one, is going to be looking for those opportunities to increase their tips. Alcohol is *such* an easy way to upsell that of *course* they're going to get certified, licensed, and get some knowledge crammed into their head. They're doing it because when they have that knowledge, they earn *thousands* more a year. They can control that part of the exchange - the cheesecake is always going to cost $6.50, but the glass of wine someone has with it is in the waiter's hands.
(continued, as apparently I can only make a 4300 character comment)