Sandrina's Review

The Classic Gratuity Dilemma: Who Are You Tipping?

StingyTipper recently realized that ST had driven by the same corner pub in the city for nearly 20 years and had never stopped in to check it out.   That changed Friday night when ST, eschewing the local parish Fish Fry, decided to enjoy dinner with spouse and son at Sandrina’s, located at the corner of Arsenal and Brannon in beautiful South St. Louis City.  Why did StingyTipper wait so long to stop by?  Perhaps it was the nondescript façade of the building, or maybe the impression it gives as being just a bar--dispelled by going on-line to check out their dining menu.  Whatever the reason, StingyTipper enjoyed the experience and will definitely put Sandrina’s on the recommended list, despite some flaws in the service.

Before proceeding, ST must acknowledge that ST’s own rules have been broken in conducting a S.E.R.V.I.C.E. review of Sandrina’s, because ST has committed to reviewing only locally owned establishments which have not been granted an exception from the St. Louis ban on smoking in dining venues.  ST promises to redouble efforts to follow this prescript;  but, unfortunately, the smoking situation was not known until we entered Sandrina’s and realized smoking was allowed.  

The service at Sandrina’s was certainly interesting, garnering a total S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating score of 13 out of a possible 21.  Upon arrival, we wandered around the place, with no greeting or assistance on seating, until we settled ourselves at a table in the large bar area.  This prompted a one (1) rating for Salutation (despite the fact that our wandering enabled us to check out a really cool mural in the dining room depicting several St. Louis luminaries.)  Equity and Informed criteria both were fine, rating the requisite two (2), while Responsiveness and Value criteria rated a respectable three (3).   The Comfort score was closing in on a three (3) as we were  really feeling cozy and comfortable in this unique space;  but then the hammering started late in our meal.  Someone thought it would be a good idea to hammer new gliders onto the legs of the bar stools during dinner time, rather than waiting until customers were not present. Too bad, as it changed ST’s Comfort rating to a one.

But the criteria that drove StingyTipper the craziest was the E factor-the overall Experience.  We were waited on by a team of four to five (ST lost count!) different servers,  and by the end of the evening Stingy Tipper was clueless as to whom ST should be leaving a gratuity.  Was it the nice man from behind the bar who eventually greeted us warmly and took our drink and appetizer order?  Or was it the blond woman who then took over, reviewed the menu, and placed our order for entrees?   Or maybe it was the person who then-- after we were at least informed of the next “hand off”--delivered our food to the table and ensured our satisfaction?   Then, after eating, we were waited upon by the first gentleman, the blond waitress, the person who delivered the food, and some additional person whose role ST still   can’t figure out.  StingyTipper understands, appreciates and values the concept of “teamwork” in getting a meal on the table, especially in (family-owned?) dining establishments.  But this was ridiculous!  StingyTipper was so flummoxed by the number of people providing service that ST forgot the parameters of the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system. The total score was 13 (see below), and ST left a 13.6% tip.  The correct “not-too-stingy” tip should have been 15%.  Sorry Sandrina’s, but ST will try to make up for it on the next visit—particularly because we really enjoyed the food-- if you can just get your wait service team down to an acceptable two persons.  

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                       =  2

Comfort                         =  1

Experience                     =  1

            Total Score:                   13 = 13.6%

(tipped 13.6%, but should have tipped a “not-too-stingy” 15%)

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10 = Tip Same %          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-14 = Tip 15%               

                   "Gracious"                   15-21 = Tip Same %

              

StingyTipper's Tip of the Week

When you find yourself dining out in a large group where someone else is figuring the gratuity and dividing up the amounts people owe (as happend to StingyTipper recently at the Shaved Duck restaurant), don't be shy about offering your opinion about how the service was and what you think would be an appropriate and fair tip.  Though it may not be possible to formally use the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating system in these situations, you can still rely upon its rating categories to guide your recommendation.
 

McGurk's Irish Pub Review

Because StingyTipper was in Chicago on a work trip for St. Patrick’s Day, ST decided to treat the family to dinner at McGurk’s on Saturday, March 19. Though it was technically St. Joseph’s Day, the atmosphere at McGurk’s—as you would expect--was still decidedly Irish-focused.  We had a waitress who shared with us—at ST’s spouse’s instigation, thereby not compromising the Comfort score—that she had worked McGurk’s on Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s downtown parade day, and March 17^th and, understandably, was now quite exhausted.  Her comment about tipping was interesting, remarking that people were not very generous with gratuities during these recent days of St. Louis revelry because of the over-refreshing that was taking place.   Despite these comments (designed to wrangle a higher tip from ST??), StingyTipper left a 15% “gracious” gratuity based on the  S.E.R.V.I.C.E. rating score below.

The 1 rating on responsiveness was based on needing to repeat our request for water service, and the fact that ST’s soup was served prior to the appetizer arriving, which had been ordered some time prior to ordering our entrees.  ST’s sense is that the waitress had forgotten the appetizer. Similarly, the dessert that we ordered took an unusually long time to arrive and only appeared after ST prompted the waitress regarding its whereabouts.  Its consistency and temperature when finally served led ST and guests to ponder whether the item in question had been sitting for some time waiting for delivery to its intended consumers.

We topped off the evening listening to the first set of live Irish music, which was absolutely terrific.  Perhaps ST was feeling guilty about only leaving 15% for dinner, or perhaps ST wanted to show appreciation for not having to pay a cover for such top-notch music, or perhaps ST had just had one too many, or maybe ST was in a good Irish mood….whatever the case, a $5.00 tip on a $21.00 bar tab was left for the extremely attentive and responsive server we had—a 23.8% gratuity!  StingyTipper’s reputation for being stingy is once again in jeopardy. Erin Go Bragh!

Scoring Key

1 = Unsatisfactory    2 = Satisfactory    3 = Commendable

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

Salutation                     =  3

Equity                            =  2

Responsiveness            =  1

Value                             =  2

Informed                       =  2

Comfort                         =  3

Experience                     =  2

            Total Score:                   15 = 15%

Gratuity Scoring Guidelines



                   "Stingy"                        7-10 = Tip Same %          

                   "Not-too-Stingy"      11-14 = Tip 15%               

                   "Gracious"                   15-21 = Tip Same %

              

StingyTipper's Tip of the Week

On St. Patrick's Day and other major dine-out "holidays," S.E.R.V.I.C.E  standards may slip because of large crowds.  Don't rely upon the "luck of the Irish" to get good service on 3/17; rely upon those places where you know you'll get good service despite the crowds.  And don't be too stingy with the gratuity--wait staff work especially hard on St. Paddy's to please their "overly refreshed" customers. 

-Have a great St. Patrick's Day!

StingyTipper's Tip of the Week

Despite what Charlie Sheen says, "winning" is not about beating out the competition; it's about doing your very best in whatever you do, including providing quality service to others.