Another dissappointing weekend. Well, Sunday I was sick so that was understandable. Fridays, however, are just not what they used to be.

In one of my moments of standing around bored I got to thinking about this guy I work with. He is this adorable goofy guy who only started working there a month or so ago. But, he keeps getting put on the best side, in the best section, and rolling out at the end of the night with more money than anyone else, even the closers.

Why?

Sure, he is pinch-your-cheeks-cute, funny, and sweet. But he, like the rest of us, finds diners occasionally irritating and gets angry and weeded and flustered. Why, I ask again, is he sometimes making twice what I do?

I was browsing the web and I came across this CNN article called Waiter Tip Tricks. The writer discusses a study conducted in 2004 that addresses the habits of servers in restaurants like mine and what they did to increase their tips.

Now, I do pretty much everything on the list down to the thank you note on the bill. So too does this guy I work with. There was one difference, however, between the two of us and our serving styles: the act of squatting next to the table. He does it. I don’t.

Few servers I work with do this, actually. In fact, I can only recall one other girl doing it and she usually only does it when there is a kid at the table.

Now, this is something you would never do if you were working at a fine dining establishment. But, somehow, with these “low- to mid-priced casual dining restaurants,” as the writer calls them, the rules change.

Whatever.

I watched this guy at work. He walked up to his tables, greeted them the same way I do, said the same things I do, but he squatted.

He makes more money.

Is this all it takes to make people happy? Squatting? Think about this for a minute. I mean, really think about it. Squatting. Squatting next to a table seems to make people tip more.

People are ridiculous.

I guess I’ll have to stick to making less money. Or, I can put some smiley faces on the bill next to my thank you and throw my tables some extra candy. Maybe that will compensate for my lack of squatting. Happy dining!