PeopleareParked.com

I’m all for tipping for good service. In fact, when going to restaurants, I usually tip at least 20%, especially where I’m a regular. I also believe people in the service industry have to deal with a lot of parked people and deserve all they can get.

I’m struggling to pay the bills too, so have to watch where my money goes. Now I do afford myself the luxury of a Dunkin’ Donuts cup of coffee most days in the work week. Granted they work hard standing on their feet all day, but when did it become OK to put a tip jar out? I might get a lot of backlash for this, but I am walking in to the store, waiting in line, and go along my way. It’s not like I’m there for an extended period of time getting waited on. Yes, they greet me with a hello and make my coffee as requested, but I don’t feel it’s necessary to leave a tip for it, although sometimes I do leave the extra change. Part of me feels guilty because the jar is there and I feel obligated and part of me wants to give because I know they don’t make much of an hourly wage. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not rich either, so there is my struggle.

So when is it appropriate to tip? Should I tip just because there is a tip jar present? Did Dunkin’ Donuts start a new trend and we will now see tip jars at McDonald’s? Am I parked for not tipping here or is Dunkin’ Donuts parked for allowing it?

In a previous post, I mentioned the lack of German beer at Oktoberfest. Well, that was nothing compared to the waiter we had that night. He was one of those people who thought he was doing us a favor by being there and that his job doesn’t include an ounce of customer service. I have worked in a customer service job for many years and yes, we all have bad days, but try not to take it out on undeserving people.

I really don’t think that his bad attitude was the result of a bad day or being “busy”. I think he is just a bad waiter with a chip on his shoulder.

OK, so what did he do?
He never smiled, even when greeting us;
Gave us quick, emotionless responses to our questions;
Made us wait for our drinks too long - we could see them sitting on the bar, waiting to be served - twice;
Everyone around us was served their entrees first, even if we arrived before them. When asked about it, this parked waiter said they were coming out now - no explanation or apology;

Here’s a tip that I’m sure most waiters are aware of - if the food is not coming out as quickly as expected, don’t make customers wait for drinks also. This keeps people happy!

Speaking of tips, the worst part after the bad service, was that the waiter had hand-written an 18% tip into the bill. When questioned about it, he said that yes he did that and no, it was not a required amount for a party of five. I usually tip at least 20%, even if the service is not exceptional, but when someone is rude without provocation, they will not get anywhere near that amount.

We later heard from another worker there that our waiter was just chatting away with someone in the back, so he was a slacker. She felt bad for our poor service and said she would mention it to the management. I also wrote an email to them. That guy was beyond parked and needs to learn customer service or get another job.

The other day, five of us went to a restaurant that turns their menu into an Oktoberfest celebration for the month of October. They had live German music and even had chefs come from the motherland for this special occasion. Needless to say, the food was fantastic, but where was the German beer? Silly me, but I was looking forward to a nice frothy mug of beer with my meal. I enjoy trying beers from different regions or countries (When in Rome…).

First of all they had no German beer on draft, although they did have the other popular everyday brands. I prefer draft beer anyhow to cans or bottles, but would settle for German beer in a bottle. Ordered Spaten, then was told they were out, so ordered Paulaner. It was pretty good, and looked forward to a second, but they also ran out of that one.

Of course, I could find other types of beer that I like, being a bit of a beer connoisseur, but it was Oktoberfest and there was another whole week of it! Poor planning, but the food and music gave us something to Oom-Pah about.  Ein Prosit!

Don’t get me started on the waiter that night. Will save that for another post…