Do you ever wonder why restaurants need to charge gratuity automatically for groups of 6 or more? It's not because the staff have more work to do than a deuce or a four-top. In fact, it's marginally less work for the front-of-house and back-of-house team. Also, it's not because customers are more demanding when they're dining among a group...well sometimes.
Winterlicious is upon us in Toronto for the next two-weeks and some restaurants have a disclaimer on the menu that every table, regardless of size, will be subject to an "auto-grat!"
In a culture where tipping is expected in the service industry, it is ludicrous that the customer-server dynamic is not more symbiotic, especially when both parties have "worn the other shoe."
Perhaps we can learn from Uber - a taxi app in North America. I like Uber because of their two-way rating system between the cab driver and customer. Upon leaving, the customer rates the driver and the driver rates the customer (out of five stars). When you order a cab, the customer can see the driver's overall rating and vice-versa. This keeps everyone accountable for their own actions. As a result, the majority of Uber cab drivers are nicer, more caring (not talking on the phone while driving) and polite. Cab driver's like Uber for the same reason, that is, Uber customers are nicer. Oddly, Uber started in Toronto under two-years ago and the customer-driver relationship is already in balance.
If you want great service, you need to be a great customer. Service can be defined by how you'd want to be treated when you go to a friend's home for dinner. In this scenario, are you not on your best behaviour as a guest?
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