TIPS PART ONE: How to generate good and consistent tips

When working for tips, I generally know what to expect. A statement such as this may seem odd to many, but as tips are the most unregulated form of payment, there are some general rules that a majority of people abide by and as a server-you can control it to a degree.
For those working in the business and looking for new ways to improve your service style, I have some good ideas on how to create consistent income. Or you can read Eric Ripert's On The Line which includes a dos and donts of service that is wonderful. But as none of the restaurants I have worked in have a Michelin star-my advice may be directed toward the vast majority of staff who hasn't either.
My Top 10 Dos and Don'ts of service with direct impact on your tip:
#1.THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT: Know your menu.
Know what the restaurant makes, what it doesn't make, what it has outsourced (if anything), request to learn how to do a line check (I hope your store does these). You should know the food so well-you can tell me what is off about the refried beans just by looking at them. You should be able to describe the sauce as well at the guy who makes it. Your customer CAN TELL if you know your menu-you don't think so? THEY CAN! You wear it all over your face when you stumble over the words 'sauteed' and 'chipotle'. And yes, you look like a schmuck every time. Especially, when you shuffle your feet as you talk and look everywhere other than at your guest.
Are you reciting specials? Do you have a specials card that your manager gave you (if your manager does not give you a specials card-ask for one!). Did you get to try the special? You may not have the specials memorized in the first five minutes of your shift, but that is NO excuse to deliver the wrong information to your guest. Reading off of a card does not look nearly as bad as delivering misinformation.
The menu is the first and most important piece of ammunition you receive when you begin working at a restaurant. If you know it well it will save you time and time again. If you don't know it it will be the ONLY reason you don't make as much money as the other guy, get the good sections, or get the respect from the kitchen staff. Most of all-it will be why you do not have REGULARS. I will talk more about regulars in another entry, but you want as many as you can get. Trust me.
#2. Do NOT pass tip-judgement on your table.
If anything, pass tip empathy. It is much less stressful to be empathetic than judgmental plus, it will ruin your entire day. Yes, I knew more-often-than-not I was sat a table who were less likely to give me a good tip. And yes, I have been given the tables of people who are looking for the free tab. And yes, I have had people dine-and-dash on my watch. You know what? There isn't dick you can do about it-most of the time.
My advice? Give them the best service. Go out of your way to schmooze. Never at the detriment of a tipping table, but enough for them to be completely unable to complain about the service. I know its exhausting, but it works. And to give yourself a little edge-when your 'spidey-senses' begin to tingle-go straight to the manager on duty and let them know you're getting a 'weird vibe' from the table and request they keep an eye on them. These actions will help two-fold. First, by both the manager and yourself giving stellar service and attention-you are taking away their potential complaint ammunition. Second, if you do get a service complaint and the manager isn't in the loop until the end-you additionally get in trouble for not making them aware of the situation-right? So giving the manager a 'heads-up' gives them the opportunity to head a complaint off at the pass AND gives you a second pair of eyes on this table and a little help. When/if the table does become predictable your manager will look at you and say something along the lines of, 'we did everything we could.' As opposed to reaming you for trying to take care of it yourself. See, the tip is secondary to a potential domino effect tables like these create. You almost gave bad service, didn't tell the manager, got your ass handed to you by ONE table AND got a crappy tip/stifted. Instead, you had help, you had support, no service complaint and possibly a bad tip/stifted. A few times, I even had a manager throw me a few dollars of his own or buy me a shift drink because when it was all said and done-I did my job exactly how it should have been done. So I ordered a big margarita and ended up ahead of that mess.

#3. Write it down!
I don't care if you can remember what you had for breakfast on March, 22nd 1984. Write down every detail of their order and keep it consistent with the seat numbers. Feel free to develop your own shorthand, for example: chicken=cx, beef=bf, sour cream=sc, monte cristo=monte, etc. Its usually easiest to utilize the shorthand on the kitchen printer. I was to the point that I could hand off my orders to anyone and they knew where I was and how to follow them. If God-forbid I had an accident (which has happened) the guest doesn't suffer as well.
As you're writing down their order, keeping the guests' drinks and food together and organized. (see photo) Also, repeat the order back-not with the likeness of a McDonald's drive-thru, but in acknowledgement of what they're saying (You: 'Excellent, the tilapia, with rice instead of the beans.'). It will amaze you how many times people hear what they said and realize they said the wrong item or they were not even be paying attention to what they ordered.
I haven't told you why its important to write down your orders yet, have I? This is why: in the restaurant business Murphy's Law ALWAYS applies! When you do not write down the order will be the moment the little girl at the next table spills her milk all over the floor, or the kitchen tries to send out your overcooked steak and you catch it on the pass, or another table decides its their birthday and needs a tutorial on what your establishment provides. There will always been something happening to distract you from the order you have tucked away haphazardly in your brain. Save yourself the mental strain, anguish and lower tip (for when you f*ck up the order) and write the damn thing down.
#4. Keep your guests in the loop.
How many times have you babysat another server's tables unintentionally because the guest had no idea where their server went or when they were coming back or if the server was bringing the guest what they had requested? You HAVE to give your tables the play-by-play. 'Ok, Im going to go enter your order and bring back drink refills. Is there anything else I can get while I'm away?....Sure, I'll bring some extra napkins along with the refills. Thank you.' This is hand-holding. This is good service. The guest knows what is coming, not to panic and waive down the next goober (with your luck the bitchy manager) for a refill-making you look inept, and they get to relax and enjoy the people they are with. My favorite is when the shift manager or that server who always tries to take over everyone's tables presumptuously comes up to one of mine and my guests tell them where I'm at and what I'm doing. I feel like a proud puppetmaster at that moment and it might be evil if it wasn't so genius.
Do this every single time you walk away from your table and it will make your job easier, your guest more relaxed and your tip increase.
#5. Pay attention to your volume.
Your volume is to reflect the environment not you. You need to be loud enough that your table can hear you clearly, but not the next table. Pretend there are walls around you and your table and only speak as loudly as that tiny room permits. Oh, and the tiny room echos-account for that. Servers who are too loud embarrass the guest, too quiet make you look new and nervous and make the guest uncomfortable. Your job is making people feel welcome. Alienating them with your volume is the road to not only a bad tip, but the guest not coming back period.
*To Be Continued...