Top 5 Tips to Get Tips

Ya girl has made plenty of tips in her day. It took awhile, and started with some trial and error. I want to preface this with the fact that this listicle is more geared towards women, as that is my personal experience with these tips and how I made my money. Please still feel free to read though, as not all the tips I have for you are gender specific.

1. Make sure you look good.

There are actual studies out there that tell us that humans respond better to well-groomed individuals. I decided to do my own anecdotal study. I chose the same night a week apart. One night I was more relaxed, and by relaxed I mean that I had my hair up in a simple ponytail, no make up, my uniform was clean, but my pants were baggier. That night I made $50 in in tips. A week later, where most of everything was the same except for my appearance. I wore a push-up bra that makes my boobs look bomb, simple make up, my pants were tighter and my hair was in cute bun instead of a ponytail. I made closer to $80 that night. Since then I've always made sure to look a little more attractive, and give myself a little more boob for when I am making tips.

2. Try to be as funny as possible.

This works like a charm, if you are able to make your customers laugh, you're going to make bank. Show interest in their life and make jokes along with them. A side note, but also make sure to laugh at all of their jokes, even if they aren't funny at all. This worked especially well for me when I worked the Renaissance Festival this past summer. When you are handing out sausages on a stick and giant turkey legs, you come up with quite a few jokes. I made about $100-$300 in tips A DAY working there, and my jokes were definitely a part of that.

3. Show them that you're human.

Us people in the teaching career call this "selective vulnerability." But way before my classes taught me how to do this for my career as a teacher, I learned this in waitressing. It is very easy to forget that the people who are helping us in our daily lives are human. We all have lives and reasons for the jobs we're in. So showing your customers that your human by being selectively vulnerable can actually lead to better understanding and therefore better tips. Admit your mistakes with grace and apologize. Tell that funny story of how you spilled stuff all over the floor, talk about your life a bit (boyfriend, girlfriend, friends, family), and it makes a world of difference in both how much you make in tips and in the treatment you get by your customers.

4. Be friends with the cooks.

I've always found it odd when there would be animosity between the serving staff and the kitchen. I have always made sure to be good friends with the cook staff. Then because of that, I've always had great support and everything works a lot smoother. Tip out your kitchen well if that is what's expected, and always show them you appreciate the work they do, because they work hard. Then if something comes up they are always happy to help you and everything works like a well oiled machine. Which leads to better tips because everything moves faster and the customers can feel the vibe too.

5. Stay in the best mood you can.

Happy you equals happy customers. Like I said above, the customers can feel your vibe. The better your mood, the better your customers' mood. So try to keep your chin up and not get too frustrated. And definitely don't let some bad customers get you down. So always try your best for your wallet's sake to stay positive and hold out, because you customers will feed off your mood and it will lead to their perception of you and what they tip you.

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