Saturday, January 20, 2007

Pay or Praise ??

Every time I be to a restaurant, after having my meal, I've always wondered as to whether should I pay the person - his/her tip - who had served me?

The answer which I used to get was always 'no' as I thought that why should I pay one, as one might anyways be getting the salary. And moreover, what if the person feels bad about it, as he/she might take it as if he/she is given something in kind?

But I've now come across this short story, and I wonder as to what should I be now doing? Read on, and you'll come to know,

In the days, when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 years old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see he couldn't have the sundae, because he wanted enough left to leave her a tip.

Always remember those who served you!

And now, I am even more confused as to what am I supposed to do, should I remember him/her by paying or just go up to his/her's manager's desk and praise?

4 comments:

Poster said...

You should remember the server by paying. There livelihood is dependent upon tips. They don't get paid enough to live on what the restaurant pays them.

dangiankit said...

Well Batscout, I really doubt on it, as by merely paying the server would only support one as in terms of monetary benefits, but what if the server has his/her own self-respect and denies its worth and would rather be happy when the server would get a pat on the back?

parwana said...

I must say, a very thoughtful and inspiring blog.
Keep it up.

dangiankit said...

Thank you, Parwana!