The Tip Tray Question
Tweet Follow @MyAchingHeadEveryone has been there, that strange moment where you have your hand out waiting for the change and the barman has your change on a tip tray putting it down on the bar where you are standing. The barman inevitably then breaks any sort of eye contact with you and goes about doing something else. What are you thinking? Why can’t he just put it in my hand? What’s wrong with a bit of conversation? Why on earth is the money on a strange little tray? Is this what they call hospitality around here?
This same thing seems to be happening in drinking establishments across Melbourne (the world?) As with many things in the hospitality industry, the rationale often isn’t shared by management and the service staff are following the orders blindly — perhaps missing the point?
There are a few options when handing over the change in a bar, placing the change directly in the customers hand, placing it directly on the bar or putting it in a tip tray. In the past, I have alternated between the former 2 options deciding on which is better on a case by case basis and certainly wouldn’t have a problem with using a tip tray instead of putting the money directly on the bar. At my current job, I’m made to use a tip tray for each transaction, never placing the change in the customer’s hand.
Table service is a case where using a tip tray is always better. Without a tray, the transaction regularly becomes a jumble of change, drinks and hands. Yet with a tray, it allows the server, present the drinks and the change in one fell swoop and leave the customer with a convenient place to leave any gratuity.
When table service isn’t involved, what is the point of the tip tray? Is it to encourage people to tip or to give a vibe of more professional service? If it is the former, I think it does help, but somewhat losing your credibility. The same way begging on the street would garner more change for the tip jar. The case for the latter is not so rosy, the uncomfortable moment where the customer has their hand out and the tip tray is placed on the bar kills any impression of improved service quality. As far as I’m concerned it is far too impersonal to be considered good service.
What are your experiences? How do you feel about the tip tray?
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April 3rd, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I think the whole use of a tip tray is very impersonal. I find, especially in larger bars, that your change is often dumped in a tip tray and placed in front of you basically as the barman is already walking away. Why would you then tip the guy? If you are going to tip I really don’t think that you aretipping based on the drinks you get (although this may be part of it) it is more about the service. And if you are being ignored at the crucial moment of the transation then you’re going to feel the service wasn’t that great and as a result leave no tip.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Maybe the for some bars, a tray is just a compromise between messy fumbling of change into someone’s hand and not having the change/notes get wet on a bar or pushed off?