Rick Leslie is a Chicago TV producer who lunches out on his company credit card. At a popular sports bar one Friday, Leslie was impressed with the service. “I felt that a 20 percent tip wouldn’t say enough, so I scribbled a little note on the check.”
With a few beers fueling an expansive nature, he wrote, “You were so thoughtful and pleasant, you made this meal the high point of my day!” A bit effusive, perhaps, but his heart was in the right place.
Next time he ate there, the waitress saw him across the crowded room. She is a buoyant type who would remind anyone of a Charlie’s Angel. She wore a baseball cap and low-rise jeans, fashionably revealing a glimpse of tattooed belly. She hurried toward Leslie, signaling for the manager to accompany her. Leslie thought, “Am I in trouble?”
Just the opposite. “She wanted to buy me a drink!” The manager agreed. This made Leslie a bit uncomfortable, and he almost wished he hadn’t done the pen pal bit, but “after all, I did enjoy her service.”
Another day, another restaurant. Leslie wrote again and got the same reaction. The waitress “loved the note,” he said. “She told me that nobody ever wrote anything but numbers and that I was a teddy bear.” The teddy bear reference bothered Leslie. “I’d have preferred adorable, something less cuddly, more dashing.” Still, Leslie realized he’d hit upon something. “We don’t just work for money. We want acknowledgment that we’re good at our jobs.”
Now Leslie frequently leaves notes on checks. He has been tempted to write a critical review if the service is bad. “But I haven’t and probably won’t,” he said.
And Leslie can’t help but wonder, “What if I weren’t happily married?” But he is, and this has inspired him to start leaving notes of appreciation at home. How are they received? “Well,” Leslie said, “I think my wife is finding me more adorable, maybe even a little dashing.”
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On the radio
Should you plop down a few words with the tip? Join Kathy and Judy as they discuss this innovation in tipping between 9 a.m. and noon Monday. Tune in WGN-AM 720.
