Waiter Training Newsletter

Great Tips or Theft?

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Desperation is the mother of invention."

Any more cliches out there?  I'm sure someone out there can give me some more.  No need - I'm sure my point is well-taken.  These economic times are trying all of us and our reserves of patience and budgetary sense.

Let me get right to the point:  servers who modify their tips on credit cards not only hurt the customer, they hurt you, the owner.  When it happens, I'm sure the server is counting on guests not really keeping track of their credit card purchases.  For many, that may be a safe bet.  Not this guest!  It has happened to me personally more than once.  And just for the record, I'm a generous tipper.  There really is no need for a server to steal extra money from a guest; and make no mistake - it is theft.

I check my receipts against my bank daily and, when I receive my statement, I go over it item by item.  I confess that I do this because I tend to be a "math idiot" - especially with my own bookkeeping skills.  So I'm constantly vigilant over credit/debit card purchases vs. my data entry skills and the bank's statements.  This is unfortunate for the sneaky server who thought $1 wouldn't matter to me.

I have noticed that when this happens, it is usually only added onto by $1 and one time it was by $1.50.  Not a big amount - agreed.  Having been a server and worked with all kinds of people over the years, I feel confident in identifying what is happening.  The server may count on the fact that many people don't check their statements and, if they do and they discover a "minor" discrepancy of $1, they will probably let it go rather than appear cheap and miserly by contacting the restaurant.  So if they can boost their tip by $1 on 10-15 guest checks per shift, that's potentially an extra $10-$15 in their pocket, per shift.  Mind you, this is money they haven't rightfully earned.  They have stolen it.

Theft is theft, no matter how small or large.  And when a guest discovers it, they may not ever tell you about it; they just won't go back to your restaurant.  And they'll tell 12-15 other people not to go to your restaurant.  Because theft is theft.

Earlier this year I was training at a restaurant with approximately 40 servers between two restaurants.  While I was there, it was discovered that a server I'll call "Rob" (pun intended), was doctoring his tips by quite a large amount.  Not funny to the unsuspecting guest yet absolutely ridiculous and hilarious to us was the fact that Rob was oftentimes changing the amounts in a different colored pen AND, in some cases, giving himself a 50% tip!  I have no doubt more than one person had to have discovered those substantial additions.

Needless to say, Rob is no longer employed by that restaurant.  One more unfortunate detail about Rob - everyone liked him and he seemed to work well with everyone.  It was hard to believe he was doing it, yet they had done their detective work and finally had enough proof to catch him.  They said they were going to prosecute; I never found out if they actually did.  They would have been well within their rights to do so.

Here is a question for you to ponder on this topic:  If a server is bold enough to steal $1 - or more - from guests, what else and how much is he bold enough to steal directly from you?

There is one big tip-off as to who might be guilty of this activity:  a mediocre server consistently making more money than a fantastic server.  It isn't luck and it usually isn't their terrific personality that is earning them more cash.  Start taking a closer look at the tip line on credit card receipts.

Training and information is the key!  Contact me, Susie, at Waiter Training, either by phone or email.  My business number is 720.203.4615, and email address is Susie@waiter-training.com.  Web address is http://www.waiter-training.com.

 

Hey!  I know I promised an interview in this newsletter; due to scheduling conflicts and issues, that article is being temporarily delayed.  Thank you for your patience!

 

Excellence is an act won by training and habituation.
We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence,
but rather we have those because we have acted rightly.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
                                                                                - Aristotle

 

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