Message 14307 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

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>I like the idea of buying a drink now and then 
>for a good customer (tipper) more than pouring a 
>little extra. Seems like it would come across more 
>generous, especially if they realize that it's 
>coming out of my pocket.

Exactly. It shows that you DO appreciate them as 
a solid customer, and encourages them to come back.

The act of overpouring only gets him over-served 
faster. Making it so he may have to leave sooner than 
he normally would. Or worse, you might end up with 
a poorly trained crowd that gets out of hand easily.


But -- Don't buy drinks ONLY for the "good tippers". 
Do it for all the good PAYING customers.

Think of it in these terms.

Man A is sitting at the bar and only tips 15¢ on every 
drink, But has spent upwards of $30+.

Man B comes in and tips you $1.75 per drink, 
But only spends $10.

Which is the better customer from the bar's perspective?

If you buy man A a drink now and then, he might just begin
tipping better. You never really know what will happen. 
But there's a chance. At the very least, he'll come back.

If you buy man B a drink but not man A, man A might 
begin to resent you and never return. Now you could have 
possibly lost a customer that is valuable to the bar. 
Which makes nobody happy.

Customer service is critical in this industry. You have 
to be able to take the good with the bad and let it all 
roll off your back. Heck, use customer B's tips to buy 
one for mister A.

My biggest customer service rule, is that the customer
might not always be right, but the customer is always First.


-- 

-- There is no spoon