What We Can All Learn From Tip Employees

The Generous And The Few

Wherever you go in Los Angeles, I either worked there or got lost there.

That’s one of my running jokes.

But that’s also the truth.

Decades ago — when I first moved to L. A., I held many a waiter and hotel front desk position in various restaurants, hotels, and private country clubs in the local and surrounding counties. I was trained on how important it was to offer my service with a smile and enthusiasm. “The bigger the smile,” I was told by more than one supervisor, “…the bigger the tip.”

Today, at the other end of the spectrum, I find myself dining out a lot…entertaining clients, vendors, and business associates during various meetings for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I always try to pick up the tab, which means I’m also the one who leaves the tip, both because I always try to be a generous guy, whenever I can.

(Yeah, I believe in karma.)

Anyway, because I frequent certain establishments (specifically in the Cerritos and Burbank areas), I am familiar with a plethora of waiters and waitresses and vice versa. However, some, not…