Cool Springs and good service

For memorial day weekend my family headed over the mountain to visit more family. We had a great time together and our 1 year old made the trip remarkably well. There were several things about the trip that got me thinking but, for now I only want to share one.

Over the course of 4 days, we stopped at 5 different restaurants in three different towns. One of the five was a fast food drive-thru. I am not going to name the restaurants because I realized good service has very little to do with the brand and nearly everything to do with the right employees. I concluded that Cool Springs/Franklin/Nashville, overall provides really good service in the food industry. I didn't say perfect, but compared to the other cities we stopped in, hands down, I would get reliable service at at least 1 out of 5 restaurants in Cool Springs.

It makes since I suppose. As a server in a more affluent part of town, you can be more confident that good service equals a really nice tip. In small towns...well...good service might get you a great tip every now and then, but not enough to incentives people.

Thoughts?

Tip to the Service Industry

Last night my wife and I went out on a little date. Our first stop was dinner. We were feeling a little hungry so we decided to splurge and get an appetizer too. It was good. Except here's the problem.

The meal is going to cost us at least $35. That means if I tip the standard amount - well let's just say I am going to be generous - 15-20%, I am looking at $5-7 for two people. It's not outrageous, but I'm tired of the service expecting it, when they only refill my drink once and that one time, I had to ask for it. I am going to get my $1.50 worth of diet coke one way or another.

I rethink my tip at that point - "Do you you really deserve 15%?" Regardless of what happens during a meal, if you can keep my drink filled without me asking or even noticing, you always get 20% from me. That's the first thing I think about when I get the check. Am I the only one who thinks this?