Why is tipping service providers important to me? Because I’ve been on the other side of the table my friend!

I’ve always over tipped! Constantly amazed that anyone would under tip or, worse, fail to tip a service provider at all is sadly, a sign of a week economy. Sadly, since these same folks rely on your generosity to pay their bills they are struggling to make ends meet these days.

Cindy Daniel, my twin (and sidekick) and I lied about our ages at 15 to find work in the food industry to ensure we never starved.

Our first position at Pizza Hut in Azle, TX was perhaps one if the most memorable for a number of reasons but mainly because we quit and walked out in our bras after the manager demanded his work shirts back!

What happens when you are hired for a server and instead wind up washing dishes for servers wages rather than minimum wage? You get a set of twins who, after three weeks of asking to be “put on the floor” are continually given preposterous excuses as to why no one is available to train us and, washing dishes requires no training!

One Saturday night with a packed restaurant, I (again) asked why we were not on the floor making tips only to be told “I don’t have time to train you or your sister- wash those dishes, we’ve got a full house!”

Apparently, the pompous manager assumed that we were never going to challenge our pay scale or, quit. He made an inaccurate assumption with the Texas Twins ya all. A few minutes later with the song “Cocaine” playing loudly on the juke box- I walked up and informed him to go wash the dishes himself, we quit!

Shocked, this manager begged us not to leave and, failing that, demanded his shirts back. Perhaps he had assumed we wouldn’t leave in our bras? Inaccurate and certainly unaware that we were fed up with being treated as slaves in a kitchen with scalded hands- Cindy and I caused an uproar when we walked through a jam packed restaurant in Playtex bras, our store bought work pants and no slip sneakers!

You see, sometimes leaving a job for us has been under stressful conditions but, leaving opened the window to better opportunities.

I took a position at Red Lobster working doubles and, making 6 times the money that I made at Pizza Hut. Cindy took a position at Ole South Pancake House making 10 times the money we made at Pizza Hut by working the midnight shift. You see, the midnight drinkers were BIG TIPPERS! Generous to a fault, these folks helped us get and furnish our first apt.

We’ve never forgotten the generosity of these strangers and, whenever we are somewhere today, we intentionally overtip the staff in remembrance of the days when we heavily depended on the kindness of strangers to pay our bills.

Working with the public is often highly unpredictable when you have no idea what you will be taking home at the end of a shift.

This holiday season, we ask that you reconsider when planning to “cheap out or stiff” a service provider and understand that your kindness can not only change a persons day- it can also help their family!

Red Lobster was a three year place of employment for me and, along with Cindy, offered many interesting stories of customers at the end of a shift. Working waitress jobs and modeling for side jobs was how we managed to get ahead in life. We have never been afraid of hard work and still take on numerous tasks to enrich our household incomes.

Sadly, the All You Can Eat specials brought in clientele that often stiffed the staff after running your ass off for refills.

One evening after a double shift and waiting on a party of 18 with no (normally required for parties of 6 and up) required gratuity, I had a customer leave me a quarter. Following him to the cashier, I informed this idiot “hey pal, you must need this worse than I do” and, have often wondered what he was thinking when I did.

My motto is, if you can’t afford to leave a tip- eat at home buddy!

Remember, these folks have kri lend just like everybody else and, they are trying to earn a living.

There’s a reason folks “perk up” when Cindy or I enter a Fort Worth or Dallas restaurant and the reason is, we tip we and are good customers.

Kindness is free and, treating people fairly in the food service industry is something that everyone should take to heart.

Believe me, if you had been on the other side of the table at any time during your life, you would too.