If you are new to the table waiting game, you might be wondering how you can increase your earnings by increasing your tips. Believe it or not, your biggest asset when it comes to increasing your tips is your smile. Studies suggest that a smiling, happy server earns more in tips. There are other ways that you can increase your tips as well. Read on to find more of these \”tips of the trade.\”

When You\’re Smiling

An outgoing personality without going over the top is one way to improve your personal bottom line. Introduce yourself by name and respond pleasantly to any questions posed to you. A little interaction between you and children at the table is always appreciated by parents. Be your happy self and treat people with polite respect. Customers of a good restaurant will tip better if you are personable as well as professional. With a little practice, it will not be long before you find just the right mix.

Let Me Read Your Mind

You do not have to be a psychic to pull this next trick off and increase your tips. Try to anticipate your customers with common sense. If you serve a spicy meal to a customer, make sure their water glass stays full. If you notice a customer drinking coffee avidly, provide a carafe of coffee, or at least ask if they prefer one. Being intuitive to your customer\’s needs becomes easier as you go along so do not worry if you guess wrong a time or two. You will improve.

Cop A Squat

During research and studies by the Cornell Quarterly, a Hospitality research group, it was found that squatting down by the table while taking the order actually increased tips. While it is not known if this is due to the customer believing this is a friendly, personal gesture by the server, or if they believe the server must be overworked and tired, thus, they need to squat for a moment while they take the order. In either case, it works in theory. I do not suggest this and only quote what the research claims to have found.

Mr. Happy Face

Another huge tip earner is the drawing of a happy face along with your name or some other pleasantry on the back of the check. This simple action was shown to increase tips by more than 15%. It is amazing what that little smiley face has been able to accomplish. Imagine what he could have done with a stick body!

Touched By An Angel

Now let\’s look at the psychological tricks that have been proven to increase tips. The mere touch has a magical power to increase the tip of any given customer. When the server touches the customer\’s hand or arm very lightly and briefly, tips improve. This is a kind of personal connection that makes it very hard for the customer to leave anything but a great tip.

Trick or Treat

When you give your customer a piece of candy after their meal or with the check, that customer suddenly feels obligated to leave a great tip in reciprocation of your kindness. That makes sense and I have actually done this one myself. I was especially moved when I learned that the server had purchased the candy from her own pocket. It was my favorite, an Andes chocolate mint, which are relatively expensive compared to a mint or other hard candy that she could have purchased.

Keep On Smiling

Bear in mind that these tips have been researched but that does not mean that they will work every time or with every customer. You will still get those surely customers who never tip and are a little mean so that you will know in advance. You will also have the customers who are digging into the rent money just to enjoy a little time on the town and really cannot afford to tip, although they usually do anyway. Just keep smiling and drawing Mr. Happy face.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our restaurant inventory website.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: psychological tricks ,Hospitality,customer,Smiling,waiting,personality