Two lessons I learned from my father — tip well, and tip with cash. Additionally, be polite to service people.
Growing up, I remember Dad would take the family out to eat once a week. He wanted to give my Mom a break from cooking as well as giving us kids a treat. We lived in a working class neighborhood in Queens, New York and my parents had to be frugal, so we weren’t going out for expensive meals.
Despite the tight budget however, Dad always tipped well. He also tipped with cash, rounding up so he could leave dollars, not cents. And he was always polite to the wait staff.
Unsurprisingly, since we frequented the same handful of restaurants on a regular basis, the waitresses all seemed to know him and were always friendly to our family. If we wanted something special they were happy to comply.
My father explained this to me at one point.
“They don’t make any money,” he explained. “And they work hard. They are always on their feet.”
The wait staff at the places we went to were usually middle-aged women who looked like life had treated them shabbily. I imagine they needed the income they got and didn’t have a lot of options, particularly decades ago when women had less options.
Looking back, I find myself respecting my father even more because of his compassion.
And it taught me a valuable lesson.
When I was in graduate school, I was on a tight budget. I remember going out to lunch with my roommate. When the bill came, she put down a quarter tip.
I was appalled.
We were both broke, but I chose to order water instead of a soda so I could leave a proper tip for my waitress. I felt I needed to pad my tip a bit to make up for my roommate, which did not endear her to me.
However, it was the right thing to do.
That was another lesson Dad taught me — always do the right thing, even when it costs you. While I’ve paid the price for this several times in my life, I’ve also found that people tend to trust me. I am a person of integrity, just like my father was.
I am fighting stage IV cancer. If you can help with medical bills, I would really appreciate it. Or if you enjoy my writing and would like to buy me a cup of coffee, that’s great too. Maybe someday I can return the favor.
—
This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
***
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
 |
 |
 |
 |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock.com
