Understanding Reality After COVID! RAY BRIDGEMAN BRIDGEMAN STRATEGIC CONCEPTS & NETWORK MAGAZINE We are all ready to get back out there and do regular things, movies, concerts, vacation, hell just going out to eat without temperature checks, hand sanitizer at every corner along the way, and being able to sit at a bar without the bank teller sneeze guard in front of you. Can we all please try to remember how we should act when going out in this new "Normal World"? I mean, come on, airlines are having to stop serving alcohol because apparently, we forgot we can't get blitzed out of our mind during our flight and abuse the staff? Remember, our favorite restaurants and bars have been just as anxious for us to come back as well. I thought this may be a good time to remind the public of some things. This comes from someone with over 20 plus years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. I absolutely cringe when I hear someone make the comment, I don't tip for bad service. Especially when the reason for the bad service is the steak was over or underdone, I didn't like the cocktail, or the food took too long. Most people won't even inform their server of these issues, oh, and guess what, the waiter or waitress didn't prepare your food or mix your drink. Nine times out of ten, customers won't complain, so their server 50
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has the opportunity to fix the issue. They will just stiff them! Server wages across the country are about $2.85 or so an hour on average. Standard practice is a 10% tip for subpar service, not $0. Come on, $2.85 an hour, and we turn into the professional restaurant critic. This industry has been really impacted especially hard during the pandemic. You are going to experience a shortage of staff now, so can we all turn off the expected perfection meter. If you are happy with your service, 15% is the minimum tip, and nothing wrong with a 25% plus tip for outstanding service. Please, please, please, notify your server if something isn't to your liking and let them make it better. Don't be that person that takes out their frustration when the bill comes, and you didn't say anything. If you have never been in the service industry, it's not as easy as it looks, and if you have experience and you are stiffing servers, not cool. There is no excuse for being cheap, so if you don't want to tip appropriately, go to your nearest fast-food establishment. Can we all not be so quick to be the online food critic too. There is a saying with the social media electronic world, think before you press send. Our local favorite drinking establishments are trying to get back on their www.MyNetworkMag.com
