We get it. Some days, being a server doesn’t feel worth the effort. You know the days when they’re happening—every check you pick up has a disappointingly small tip, and you’re constantly doing the math to see how much you’re earning for every hour you’re working.
We’ve all been there. And we’ve also been on the other side of that—those incredible days when every table has a big tipper with an even bigger wallet. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just have those days?
You can. With the lessons below, you can learn how to make more tips as a server and leave work with more in your pocket each day. Read on to learn (and earn) more.
1. Understand the Psychology of Getting Better Tips
Some people may think being a server is easy. You just go in, take orders and bring out the food, right? Wrong… You know it’s much more than that, and there’s a fair amount of psychology involved in keeping your customers happy.
And while much of the psychology of getting better tips is related to your customers’ happiness, there’s actually more to it. What we’re saying is that you might want to do a little reading.
Believe it or not, there is academic research on how to make more tips as a server. If you read it, you’ll have a leg up on your fellow servers.
For example, one study conducted in 2018 found that tipping in restaurants is often a function of social pressure and that diners are more likely to tip more when they believe others in their party might out-tip them. Separate checks, anyone?
2. Use Qwick To Maintain a Flexible Schedule
Anyone who has worked more than a week as a restaurant server can tell you that the shift you get matters a lot when it comes to how much you’re going to make in tips. It’s not just about the day, either—it’s about the time of day.
But how do you control that when you’ve got a manager making your schedule and a bunch of other servers competing with you for the prime shifts? In a typical restaurant setting, you really can’t. The good news is that there’s an alternative: Qwick.
Qwick connects servers with open shifts at restaurants all over the country, and you get to choose the shifts you want to accept. That means you can select the shifts that earn tips and accept the ones you believe will yield a lot of tables and, by extension, a lot of extra cash. Tips aside, Qwick also ensures that businesses offer shift wages at or above a liveable wage. It’s hard to come up with a faster or better way to get bigger tips as a server. Sign up for Qwick to get started.
3. Learn the Menu Backward and Forward
Tipping has a lot to do with the quality of service, but that’s not the only factor that determines the tip you get. In fact, dozens of smaller factors can add up to much bigger tips.
One of those smaller factors involves your knowledge of the menu. You need to be a scholar of the menu—study it and learn its intricacies; form opinions about the best foods and drinks, as well as ideal pairings. That way, you’re not just taking orders, you’re serving as a guide on a food safari that creates a more memorable and enjoyable experience for your tables.
That’s inevitably going to lead to bigger tips. And it might even create some repeat customers who ask to be seated in your section.
4. Maximize the Giveaways
If you have coupons to give out, use them. Don’t hold back. Why? Because people love getting something for free. And if you give your customers a coupon they can use to get something for free, they’re going to perceive your service to them as more valuable. And that’s likely to encourage them to increase your tip.
5. Read Those Orders Back
Here’s a hard number on how to make more tips as a server: 68%. That’s how much higher tips were when servers repeated orders back to their customers after taking them, according to a series of psychological experiments meant to study tipping behavior.
It’s not only a simple tactic that’s proven to increase tips, but it’s also a way to make sure you’re not making any mistakes or misunderstanding anything. This allows you to stop tip-destroying errors before they happen and drive those tips even higher.
How To Get Bigger Tips As a Server? Take Control With Qwick
Much of the advice surrounding how to make more tips as a server is about one thing: taking control. Whether it’s taking control of your tables’ experience or taking control of the shifts you work, when you’re in control, you have more power over the tips you receive.
The first step in learning how to get bigger tips as a server is taking control of the shifts you work. And Qwick can help you with that. With Qwick, you work only the shifts you choose at a wide variety of hotels, restaurants, or event venues in your area. It’s easy, free, and it pays fast.
Want to learn more about how Qwick can help you make more tips as a server? Sign up for Qwick today.
