Good Check Piece Small Tip Feel Server Business

In American restaurants, it is "customary" (typical; normal) to leave a small "tip" (extra money for good service) for the "waiter" or "waitress" (person who takes your order and brings you your food). The tip is usually 10 to 20% of the total cost of your "meal" (food). Most people believe that the tip is related to the service: If the "waiter" (male server) or "waitress" (female server) does a good job, he or she will get a bigger tip.

"Research" (studies; investigations) on tipping tells us, however, that this is only partly true. "Good service" (taking care of the customer) improves the amount of the tip a little, but other "seemingly" (apparently) unrelated "factors" (influences; things) do, such as the following:

- Writing "thank you" on the check. We like people who are polite, and saying "thank you" makes us feel important and appreciated.

- Writing a kind message on the check. This could be anything positive or encouraging, like "Great to see you here!" or "Have a good day!"

- Drawing a "happy face" on the check. This sounds a little stupid, but if the server draws a smiley face on the check, the average customer will give that person more money in his tip. Smiling has a very powerful influence on us, even when we see it on a piece of paper.

- Greeting the customer and introducing himself or herself. Servers in American restaurants often come to your table and give their name: "Hi! I'm Sally and I'll be your server tonight. How's your evening going so far?"

- Leaving a small piece of candy with your check. When your bill comes with a small piece of candy, you probably feel like the server has given you a special, extra "gift." One of the strongest influences on our behavior is "reciprocity," meaning that when someone does something good for us, we feel the "obligation" (necessity) to do something good for them in return. That one-cent piece of candy can be worth several dollars in tips.