SOHA Hideaway Pleases Greatly

Onesto's Pizza and Trattoria--at 5401 Finkman in an out-of-the-way corner of St. Louis City’s South Hampton neighborhood--made StingyTipper so happy on a recent visit that $30.00 worth of gift certificates were purchased on the spot so that others could be introduced to this establishment and its great S.E.R.V.I.C.E. experience. That’s a first for StingyTipper, as ST usually prefers to take a few days to reflect upon the experience before providing a S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating.   But in this instance, the service was so good that no time for reflection was needed—ST wants everyone to know what great service looks like and looks forward to giving the gift certificates as holiday presents.

Upon entering Onesto, StingyTipper’s party of four was warmly greeted by a very helpful  hostess who said that though it would be a 45-minute wait, we could make ourselves comfortable either inside or outside (in a heated tent) while enjoying cocktails.  Her friendliness, casual attitude and reassuring comments that we would not be disappointed with the wait beaconed us to make the commitment to stay, even though StingyTipper’s son was on a very tight schedule and “threatened”  to abandon the group to meet his next commitment.  But after settling in for a quick drink, the bar waitress brought us complimentary appetizers which convinced ST’s son to relax and stay.

Once seated in the main dining area, the waiter (Dan) for the table was most pleasant and very accommodating to our needs.   Though the place was quite crowded, with a great deal of energy emanating from all the service staff, Dan made it seem like making our party happy was his only concern.  As this was StingyTipper’s first time at Onesto and pizza is their specialty, the group decided to stick with pizza, with the waiter giving some terrific suggestions for splitting the pizzas to thereby try more toppings.  We were not disappointed in our choices!  All were yummy (except the BBQ chicken which was a bit on the too-spicy side for ST’s tastes).  A terrific large salad served family-style for four complemented our pizzas.    

At one point in the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. experience, StingyTipper had an overwhelming sense of contentment (on only one glass of wine!), feeling like our group was actually relaxing in someone’s personal kitchen or dining room, that’s how intimate, friendly and responsive the service was.  At one point, StingyTipper dubbed the place out loud “My Uncle’s Kitchen” (because most of the service staff was male), reflecting overall enthusiasm for the service. Though the pizza was delivered before StingyTipper could finish the salad course, and the amount spent seemed a bit high for basically a pizza night-out, nevertheless, the overall S.E.R.V.I.C.E experience was so positive that a 20.5% gratuity was gladly left.  

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  3

Equity                            =  3

Responsiveness            =  3

   Value                             =  2.5

Informed                       =  3

Comfort                         =  3

Experience                     =  3

            Total Score:                   20.5 = 20.5%

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10%          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-15%               

                   "Gracious"                   16-21%

Earning One’s 20% Gratuity Versus Accepting It

With the approaching one-year anniversary of launching the StingyTipper Service Rating system and blog site, ST thought it was time to celebrate and dined out twice around the Thanksgiving holiday, once for lunch and once for dinner, both times at local St. Louis establishments (no chains’ service reviewed here).

For ST’s spouse’s birthday, the Field House Pub and Grill (on north Theresa just off the SLU campus) was selected for the celebration, prior to attending the Paul Simon concert at the Fox Theatre.  The service (provided by, ST would surmise, a young working co-ed from SLU) was very good--friendly, efficient, conscientious. Though StingyTipper may have felt a tinge of guilt (or nostalgia?) in determining the gratuity for a “struggling college student” and thereby probably left more than necessary ($23.00 on a $115.00 bill—20%), at least the service experience was quite positive.  The Salutation dimension was nothing special, but all other service domains (Equity, Responsiveness, Value, Informed, Comfort and Experience) were rated a two or three.  Some examples of the quality service rendered included extra attention to the needs of the table because of the birthday celebration, expeditious service in response to our need to get to the theatre on time, proactively providing set-ups for serving the cake we had brought into the restaurant for dessert, and the provision of warm (but not overly obtrusive!) birthday well-wishes from the serving staff.    Although the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system numbers didn’t add up to 20 to justify a 20% gratuity, it was close enough and the self-imposed “guilt factor” pushed ST over the limit.  

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, StingyTipper enjoyed lunch with extended family members at Lafayette Fire Company #1, a unique spot in Lafayette Square with a fireman theme and décor.  StingyTipper had a very similar service experience here as at the Field House: friendly, courteous, responsive, timely.  The difference though was in how the gratuity was being handled.  At both dining venues, there was a party of six to be served. At the Field House, the tip was not automatically added to the bill, while at the Fire Company, a 20% gratuity was tacked onto the food/drink subtotal.  So it gets one to thinking:  Who worked harder at delivering quality service, the one who had to earn it or the one who got to just collect it?   From ST’s perspective, though the waiter at Lafayette Fire Company #1 was fine (although probably not 20% fine!), the waitress at the Field House Pub and Grill was hungrier for a good tip and thereby rendered higher quality service.  This is quite a dilemma: what do you do when the restaurant policy is to automatically calculate the gratuity at a fixed amount but you are not satisfied with the service experience?   Since you’ve been stripped of your “power” to send a message about service quality through tipping, how do you get that authority back?  Two things…..either you can make a deliberate point not to go back to that establishment or you can write the owner or manager of the restaurant about your belief that the fixed gratuity amount did not match your service expectations.    

 

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

Field House Scoring

 

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

    Salutation                     =  1.5 

Equity                            =  2

Responsiveness            =  3

Value                             =  3

Informed                       =  3

Comfort                         =  3

Experience                     =  3

            Total Score:                   18 = 18.5% "Earned"



Lafayette Fire Company 

 

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  doesn't matter

Equity                            =  doesn't matter

Responsiveness            =  doesn't matter
Value                             =  doesn't matter

Informed                       =  doesn't matter

Comfort                         =  doesn't matter

Experience                     =  doesn't matter

            Total Score:                   20 = 20% "Accepted"

A Surprise and a Disappointment in the Same Week

StingyTipper dined out twice in the last week (a recent record!), experiencing a pleasant surprise first, followed by a service experience so disappointing that ST walked out of the restaurant after waiting over an hour for service that never materialized.

First the good news….

What more can one say or write about O’Connell’s Pub at Shaw and South Kingshighway that hasn’t already been expressed?  (Best Burgers….Best Irish Pub….Best Atmosphere….Best--i.e., Most Curmudgeon--Waitresses….Best Value….Best Transplant from Gaslight Square ….etc., etc.)  It must be one of the most written about establishments in St. Louis.  On a recent dining excursion there with two family members, StingyTipper was reminded once again why this establishment garners so much attention.  The surprise of the evening was that the service—traditionally known for its brusqueness because of the large crowds craving their food—was actually good, even by the serving host who gently kept us apprised of our expected wait in line and politely seated us after offering a choice of tables.  Particularly noteworthy was the table server’s commitment to check-in with ST (after she noticed ST’s hesitation in ordering a hamburger medium) after biting into the burger to make use it wasn’t too bloody for ST’s tastes.  Though she waited a bit too long (the hamburger was already half eaten) she actually did return and check in on ST’s satisfaction. (It was actually more medium-well than medium, so no complaints.)  All-in-all, a fine service experience, with five S.E.R.V.I.C.E. dimensions receiving a two score, while Value and overall Experience received a 3, translating into a 16% score/gratuity.  However, ST rounded up to $7.65 (17.25%) because of the overall Value quotient—O’Connell’s continues to be one of the most economical places to dine in the city.

Now the bad news…..Just a short distance from O’Connell’s, Spaghetteria Mamma Mia on Vandeventer is where StingyTipper attended a recent non-profit fundraiser with ST’s spouse. What a S.E.R.V.I.C.E. disappointment!  Even though the restaurant knew that there was going to be a large crowd for a Tuesday night after a holiday, there were only two servers assigned to wait on the entire restaurant.   After waiting over an hour to be served (during which we received no menus, no bread, no water refills, no set-ups, no acknowledgement, no apologies) StingyTipper had had enough and left the place before the surly waitress could take the order (and before ST could create a scene!), leaving poor StingyTipper’s spouse to continue supporting the fundraiser alone.  Much to StingyTipper’s avengement, ST’s spouse came home about an hour later with further service horror stories that eventuated in leaving only a 10% gratuity.  Normally I would say that this was a situation where management--for not scheduling enough workers--was at fault and not the individual server.  However, the server made no attempt to appease our table or offer apologies, actually becoming accusatory and hostile (she actually yelled her disapproval at ST’s spouse when she saw she only received a 10% tip). Inexcusable for anyone making a living by providing service!  (This might be a good time to re-read the preamble and philosophy of StingyTipper, contained elsewhere on this blog, to reaffirm what ST is trying to accomplish with this S.E.R.V.I.C.E rating system.)     

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

O'Connell's Scoring

 

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  2

Equity                            =  2

Responsiveness            =  2

Value                             =  3

Informed                       =  2

Comfort                         =  2

Experience                     =  3

            Total Score:                   16 = 16.0%

(But 17.25% was left due to overall Value making gratuity-leaving more affordable.)

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

Spaghetteria Mamma Mia

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  0

Equity                            =  0

Responsiveness            =  0

Value                             =  0

Informed                       =  0

Comfort                         =  0

Experience                     =  0

            Total Score:                   0 = 0%

(StingyTipper left the restaurant after receiving no service for over an hour.  ST’s    spouse, who remained with other guests, left 10% reflecting the same experience with poor service. )

         

 

Trattoria Marcella Review

 A Bad Case of “Salad Envy” Turns Instructive

For a special evening celebrating the college graduation of Jenny, StingyTipper’s son’s long-time girlfriend, ST turned toTrattoria Marcella at 3600 Watson Road in beautiful South St. Louis city.  StingyTipper chose this establishment specifically because it is the place where, over the years, ST has most often celebrated special occasions.  And, once again, it lived up to its reputation of being a truly magical place to enjoy some of life’s special moments.  When you enter Trattoria Marcella you feel like you have arrived at one of the great dining spots in St. Louis--from the crowds awaiting tables, to the wonderful aromas in the air, to the sophisticated bar service with soft lighting over the pictures, to the whispered conversations of the patrons, you feel like this place is IT!

Perhaps because the place is indeed so special, it is also enormously popular, making it difficult for a reservation (which are taken) to be honored on time. ST’s party arrived at 8:20 for an 8:15 reservation and we were not seated until close to 9:00 PM.  This reservation time slippage, coupled with a pretty perfunctory greeting from the hostess and table escort (we were just one more group in a sea of people), unfortunately put StingyTipper in a bad mood, reflected in the score of 1 that was given for Salutation on the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system.  Even our table server was not particularly welcoming, ignoring the two young adults at the table in asking whether we would like another round of drinks. In sum, the ambience made us feel special at Trattoria Marcella, but not the staff.

Fortunately, all other dimensions of the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating scale (see below) were scored a 2 (Satisfactory) or 3 (Commendable), resulting in an overall score/tip of 18/18%.

At one point in the dining service experience, ST was feeling slighted again, when the waitress did not ask whether we wanted to order salads.  We had ordered appetizers, and when those were consumed and she took our entrée orders, there was no prompting about whether we wanted to order salads.  ST got the sense that she was “too busy to bother” with salads.  This eventuated in StingyTipper developing a bad case of “Salad Envy” when it was noticed that many other diners around us were enjoying lovely salads before their main courses.  However, in further examining this perceived oversight, StingyTipper’s feelings have been reconciled (i.e., a two Equity score was given instead of a one) by coming to the following conclusions:  

• The waitress assumed that we had read the menu and would order salads if we wanted to, operating under the assumption that we’re all adults here and are capable of making our wishes known without any prompting from her.
• The waitress assumed that with the very generous appetizers and the large entrée portions we were ordering, we would not be in need of salads--at least not from a hunger perspective.  And she was right!    
• The waitress did us a favor in not asking us if we wanted a salad because, as ala carte items, they would have added another $25 or so to the bill.  (Don’t you just hate it when you’re prompted to order salad only to discover later that they weren’t included in the price of your meal?)  

(At this point in the service review, you may be thinking: “Why don’t you just relax and enjoy yourself and stop obsessing over salad!”  Sorry, that’s just not the way StingyTipper operates.  It’s in ST’s DNA to obsess over service.)

The most impressive thing about the service experience was the Responsiveness of the wait team and the fact that the waitress was highly Informed. Examples of the former include prompt and efficient water refill service, attentiveness to bread and butter (actually humus) needs, refolding of napkins during restroom breaks, timely removal of used serviceware, quick response to any special requests, and nicely spaced “checking back” inquires regarding our needs and satisfaction.

As for being Informed, not only did the waitress display a high degree of knowledge about all of the options on the menu, but when ST’s spouse seemed puzzled about what to order, the server gently probed about what the dilemma was and guided ST’s spouse to select just the right main course entrée.

Couple Responsiveness and Informed with a menu that is reasonably priced (Value), a lovely setting (Comfort) and equitable service (Equity), and you have an overall

dining Experience that was worthy of an 18% gratuity.  Had the Salutation dimension been up to par, a 20% tip would have been provided.   All-in-all, once StingyTipper got over “Salad Envy” and the reservation time slippage, a really fine dining service experience was had by all; and ST will definitely return again to Trattoria Marcella to celebrate yet another of life’s many joys!

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  1

Equity                            =  2

Responsiveness            =  3

Value                             =  3

Informed                       =  3

Comfort                         =  3

Experience                     =  3

            Total Score:                   18 = 18.0%

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10 = Tip Same %          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-15 = Tip 15%               

                   "Gracious"                   16-21 = Tip Same %

              

Syberg's Review

Sorry to have been out of circulation recently.  It’s not that ST doesn’t “get around much anymore” (thanks Duke Ellington).   It’s just that between weddings, graduations, funerals, back-yard parties, out-of-town travel and other special occasions, StingyTipper’s dine-out quotient has been more than met without stepping foot in a St. Louis area restaurant.

Recently, however, ST had the occasion to stop in at Syberg’s Gravois restaurant in South County following attendance at a wake/visitation service for a wonderful young man (only 22) who died tragically in a vehicular accident in Kansas City.  Perhaps StingyTipper and companions were just in a sour mood because of the sad circumstances, but the service experience at Syberg’s that particular evening was truly a nightmare.  It was so bad that ST feels compelled to dust off the laptop and get back into writing about the experience using the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system.         

Everything that could go wrong with a dining service experience did go wrong at Syberg’s Gravois:  No set-ups available; not clearing the table of appetizer or main course dinnerware; needing to constantly chase down our wait staff for service; forgetting to bring items that were requested; not providing the basics like salt/pepper, condiments, napkins; not checking back with us regarding our needs and satisfaction; etc, etc.   The server was pleasant enough; it just seemed like she didn’t particularly want to wait on us that evening.  Maybe she too was having a bad night!

Here’s how the gratuity ($15.00 on a $106.50 pre-tax base) was determined:

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  2

Equity                            =  1

Responsiveness            =  1

Value                             =  2

Informed                       =  2

Comfort                         =  2

Experience                     =  1

            Total Score:                   11 = 15.0%

(but ST left only 14% because of the overall

 usatisfactory experience)   

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10 = Tip Same %          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-15 = Tip 15%               

                   "Gracious"                   16-21 = Tip Same %

              

Stingy Tipper's Brazie's Review

Why 17%?

Besides being stingy, why would StingyTipper leave a 17% gratuity instead of rounding it up to the more traditional and expected 18%?  Why couldn’t StingyTipper find it within ST’s inner being to stretch towards leaving an 18% tip?  What would compel StingyTipper to mince a 1% difference?  Such was the dilemma faced when dining out recently for a wedding anniversary celebration at Brazie’s Italian Restaurant, located at Watson and Arsenal in South City. 

Perhaps the answer lies in expectations.   Before relocating from its storefront position on Hampton Avenue a few years ago, Brazie’s was one of StingyTipper’s favorite dining establishments, not only because of the food, but also due to the exceptional service rendered.  After finally making it to the “new” location, StingyTipper was looking forward to encountering the same great service that was a Brazie’s trademark.  And, indeed, ST was not disappointed.   The Salutation was commendable (score of 3), as were the Equity and Value dimensions of the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system.  All other areas scored a 2 (satisfactory), for a total score of 17.  Thus, a 17% gratuity. 

But somehow, however, Stingy Tipper perceived a subtle slippage in the overall quality of service to which ST had grown accustomed at the old location.  Examples include:   insufficient attention to the need for a wine chiller and lack of attention to wine pouring service, waiting too long after the arrival of entrées to check back on our needs and satisfaction, and not offering any “treat” in acknowledgement of spending our wedding anniversary at their establishment.   Sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference between leaving an 18% (or higher) gratuity and a lower one.   StingyTipper wanted to send the message that these types of little things do indeed make a difference (in this case only a 1% difference) between good service and great service.  StingyTipper’s fondest hope is that on the next visit to Brazie’s these little things will not recur so that ST will feel compelled to leave a full 18% tip, if not higher.    

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

S.E.R.V.I.C.E. SCORE

Salutation                     =  3

Equity                            =  3

Responsiveness            =  2

Value                             =  3

Informed                       =  2

Comfort                         =  2

Experience                     =  2

            Total Score:                   17 = 17.0%

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10 = Tip Same %          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-15 = Tip 15%               

                   "Gracious"                   16-21 = Tip Same %