A local restaurant makes a small adjustment to turn huge rewards for their wait staff.

First, I’m trying something new. My quirky template doesn’t allow for headlines any longer than a couple words, so I lose out on my initial impact. I’ve decided to add a makeshift subhead to see if that gets attention. If anyone reads this (which isn’t likely these days), let me know what you think. On to my story.

Tonight, Leslie and I took a drive down the coast to visit Gulfstream restaurant, the location of one of our first dates. They have this great outdoor patio with huge fire pits and comfortable Adirondack chairs that’s perfect for enjoying a cocktail and conversation. We shared some shoestring fries over drinks and enjoyed some people watching (never boring in Newport Beach).

We finished our fries and cocktails and handed over the credit card for the check. The waitress brought back the check to sign and it included the smartest thing I have ever seen on a bill, a tip chart. I’m pretty good about figuring out tip amounts. In fact, I usually give 20% or more because 20 is easier to figure out than 15 and I used to be a bartender, so I know how tough their job can be. I’m sure there are others who prefer to give 15% exactly, which is perfectly fine, but not always something you can do in your head. Gulfstream saves their diners the trouble by including a note right in the tip section that automatically calculates a 15%, 18% and 20% gratuity. There’s absolutely no way to get it wrong.

The best part is how the restaurant managers give tremendous support to their wait staff with this simple element. It saves the servers from getting short changed and perhaps even helps them take home more tips each night. The guest is happy for not having to think too much, the waiter his happier because they got more money in their pocket and the managers look like rockstars just by making a few adjustments in the computer.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!