Mychoyce.com San Francisco Restaurant Blog

As you have probably noticed, the world of restaurant dining requires certain things from an etiquette point of view. One of these etiquette tangos has to do with gratuities.

A general rule of thumb is to leave a gratuity of 15% of the total bill for good service. This is why wait staff often try to add to the amount of your bill by suggesting appetizers, desserts, or pricey alcoholic beverages. The bigger the amount of the bill, the bigger the amount they expect to receive.

So what is good service? Obviously you want the server to be prompt and attentive to your needs. They should pay attention to detail and get your order and special requests correct. They should bring drink refills quickly and efficiently. They should be friendly and know the menu, being able to suggest options. However, the wait staff should not be punished for things they have no control over. If food is not cooked as desired, or takes longer than normal, it is not necessarily the wait staff who is to blame. Neither is the condition of the bathrooms or how long it takes for you get seated. Although these contribute to the overall dining experience, it is not the fault of the waiter or waitress.

In some restaurants, the waiter or waitress keeps the entire tip. Other establishments either require or recommend that the tip is shared with other employees - such as the bartender, cook, or bus boy. In the places where tip-sharing is only a recommendation, it is a guarantee that the wait staff who diligently splits the tip with other employees will get their drinks made quicker, tables bussed cleaner, and food prepared with more diligence.

Bad service is another issue altogether. If the server is inattentive, rude, or otherwise causes you to have a negative experience, this should be reflected in the tip you leave. There are several ways to go about showing your displeasure with the service. You could just simply leave only a dollar or two. An alternative would be to leave nothing at all. It is also said that a penny left tail side up on a table is a sign of bad service.

If your waiter or waitress left something to be desired, but you really enjoyed the taste of the food or the atmosphere of the restaurant, you should let the manager know. Send compliments to the chef if your food was superb. If another member of the wait staff was especially helpful, ask if you can leave a tip for that person instead. If you plan to return, you want to make certain that you get good service the next time around.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about restaurants across the country for BestDowntownRestaurants.com

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