The “holiday celebratory season” for the StingyTipper household (when the waistline expands and the bank balance contracts) is a long one, stretching from mid-November with ST’s spouse’s birthday, through Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years, to both of ST’s sons’ birthdays at the MLK holiday, to the end of January when StingyTipper turns another year older. (Thank goodness friends hold an at-home Super Bowl party in February—by then we’re broke!) Along the way there are many opportunities to dine out, enjoying the company of family and friends over a multitude of meals at various eating and drinking venues. Here is a partial list of some of the area’s dining establishments (meeting the criteria for inclusion in the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. review rating system*) where StingyTipper and entourage enjoyed the holidays:
The Bleeding Deacon on Chippewa, The Stable in Benton Park, the Buffalo Brewing Company by the SLU campus, Joey B’s on the Hill, Lafayette Fire Company No.1 in Lafayette Park, and Pi Pizzeria in the Delmar Loop area.
Maybe StingyTipper was just in a generous holiday mood, but most of the service staff at these establishments received gratuities that may have ruined StingyTipper’s reputation for being “overly frugal” (translate: stingy) in the tipping department. ST was particularly impressed with the service at The Bleeding Deacon where a young lady (who looks amazingly like Taylor Swift) twice earned a S.E.R.V.I.C.E. review score of 21--and thus a 21% gratuity on both visits. (ST’s companions stated that “just because she looks like Taylor Swift is no reason to lose your objectivity!”) At Buffalo Brewing Company (yes, it’s a locally owned establishment—I checked), though the overall service was not up to par with what was given as a gratuity, the waiter worked so darn hard in the room packed with pre-game SLU basketball fans that ST felt compelled to stretch into leaving a “Gracious” tip rather than a “Not-too-stingy” one.
StingyTipper was not impressed, however, with the waiter at The Stable who made the choice to watch the action on the big screen TV rather than deliver our food to us hot—he earned a score that translated into a 14% tip. Nor was ST overjoyed with the servers at Joey B’s who, admittedly working a very busy room, chose to cram our delectable pizza onto an overly crowded table replete with dirty dishes from prior courses. ST’s recollection is that a 12% tip was the most honest reflection of the service that particular night.
We especially enjoyed the service at Pi Pizzeria where we got “two for the price of one”—a server-in-training worked our table alongside the main waiter for double-duty (yet not over-bearing) attention. Unfortunately, we had to deduct from the gratuity because of the Comfort* factor: our table was up against a church pew used for seating and kept coming off its wall anchor, thereby giving us a “rock the boat” dining experience. As ST’s son commented: “What’s up with that?” At Lafayette Fire Company No. 1, the staff all seemed to be in such a good humor that it became infectious tableside. While StingyTipper became concerned that the waitress was pushing boundaries by getting “overly friendly” with our table, she backed off in the nick of time to preserve a still solid 16% tip.
Like that song from the (original) Alfie movie (first sung by Cher, coincidently), you might be asking yourself: “What’s it all about, StingyTipper?” What have you learned or gained (besides a few pounds) through your holiday season dining excursion in St. Louis? First of all, ST learned--yet again--how hard dining service personnel work for their living. StingyTipper was reinforced in the belief that waiters and waitresses should never be taken for granted or overlooked; for without them, obviously, the restaurant industry would not exist nor could the dining public’s appetite for good food and service be satiated. StingyTipper also became convinced more than ever of the need for the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system. There are some tremendous servers working out there in our area’s eating and drinking establishments, and hopefully the rating system will reinforce the concept of providing them “Gracious” gratuities in a deliberative, discriminating and discerning manner. Just as importantly, there are many individuals in the service industry who need to improve upon their service delivery—“get their act together” as ST’s son would say. StingyTipper is equally hopeful that the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system will raise the quality bar for these folks as well, so that they can truly maximize their remuneration potential in the noble profession of providing dining service.
7-10 = Tip Same % = "Stingy"
11-14 = Tip 15% = "Not-too-Stingy"
15-21 = Tip Same % = "Gracious"
Holiday Season Rankings
The Bleading Decon = 21% (twice)
Pi Pizzeria = 18%
Buffalo Brewing Co. = 18%
Lafayette Fire Co. = 16%
The Stable = 14%
Joey B's = 12%
Gratuity Scoring Guidelines
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