We’ve all been there at some point. You go out for dinner and the staff appear to forget your very existence in the restaurant – they might even get your order wrong or leave you waiting with finished plates for 30 minutes.
If you’re Irish you are less likely to complain in this instance but you are probably not going to leave much of a tip.
Well, one couple in US, who faced a similar situation, took a decidedly different approach to bad service. Despite the waiter taking “20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour for our entree” they left him a $100 (€75) tip on a €66 dollar meal.
Makenzie Schulz and her husband posted their receipt on Facebook and explained their reason for offering such a generous gratuity – and it’s received 1 million likes and 120,000 shares.
Makenzie writes: “People all around us were making fun of the restaurant and how bad the service was. Yeah, it was pretty terrible. But, it was very obvious that the issue was being short staffed, not the server.
“He [the waiter] was running around like crazy and never acted annoyed with any table. At one point we counted he had 12 tables plus the bar. More than any one person could handle!
“As I sat there and watched him run back and forth and apologise for the wait, I said to Steven... ‘Wow, this used to be us. Waiting tables. I don't miss it at all and I never loved that job. I did it for the tips.’
“Steven and I agreed it would feel good to make this guy’s night when he would probably be getting minimal to no tips due to slow service.
“We walked out before he saw this and I'm not posting this for a pat on the back. I'm just sharing this as a friendly reminder to think of the entire situation, before you judge. And always, always, always remember where you came from.”
