Increasing Servers' Tips

Tipping is generally regarded in the industry as more of a server concern than a managerial one. For this reason, it is the rare restaurant executive or manager who tries to actively influence the level of his or her servers' tip incomes. I believe that is a mistake—that restaurant executives and managers can and should increase their servers' tip incomes. First, I present several tactics that servers can use to increase their own tips. Then, I describe the role that executives and managers can play in encouraging servers' use of these tactics. Finally, I explain how executives and managers will benefit from encouraging servers to try these tactics.