The Secrets to Making More Tips for Waiters, Bartenders, and Baristas

how to make more tips

When it comes to a career in the service industry, no matter how short or long-lived, one of the most advantageous things you can learn to do ASAP is how to pull people’s emotional and unconscious heartstrings.

But before you think I’m some manipulative monster just trying to turn the world upside down to objectify patrons, guests, and customers for your own selfish, worldly gain- just hear me out.

If you plan on waiting tables, serving drinks, or tending bar, then you already know that the key to making money is in the extra stuff you do to stimulate all who cross your path and pull out their wallets to pay the check. Therefore, it becomes a must that you start to understand human psychology right away for not only your own benefit, but for the enjoyment of the guest as well.

There’s Nothing Selfish About Making More Tips

First, let’s get the idea that money is bad out of our heads. In these days and times of crony capitalism and rabid politicians talking out of both sides of their mouth about social programs, while selling out to big corporations to stay in office, the concept of having more as being a positive thing gets drowned out by all the social justice static.

You don’t think that’s by coincidence, do you? After all, what if most people bucked the elites attempting to program us all to accept less in life?

how to make more tips as a waiterWhile the answer to that question is beyond the scope of this article, it’s important to accept that money is a means of exchange, and when people spend more, and tip more, they are merely exchanging value for value.

You provide value to a guest when you make their coffee taste great, bring that sizzling steak cooked to perfection on time to the table, and when you make that specialty cocktail that makes them do a backflip and believe that good times are here again.

When you “go the extra mile” (I know, it sounds terribly cliche), what you are doing is adding value to the guest experience, and believe it or not, most of the time humans will reciprocate more value when they perceive they themselves are receiving added value.

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Examples of Adding Value to the Guest Experience

There are literally an infinite number of possibilities and ideas that you can come up with on your own to enhance the guest experience and wow them into pouring out their wallet as if they are anointing you as the new emperor of hospitality, but let’s drop a few solid ideas right here and now to get your own creative juices flowing.

1. Artistry is always appreciated.

I was once at a Starbucks in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the 2nd biggest city on the island, walking across town and having a pretty abysmal day. When I ordered my drink that day, the young ladies working behind the counter were not only super nice and polite, but when I sat down upstairs to sip my beverage I noticed a drawing on the side of the cup.

Check out this picture.

how to make more tips

Not only was it hilarious and heartwarming to me, it really made me appreciate the cultural experience of being a guy with a strangely massive beard in a land of scarce beards having his own self-portrait scribbled with a Sharpie on the side of a plastic cup of tea. Is this how they viewed me? I felt kind of like a zoo animal, but in a good way. The resemblance was uncanny, and I have to admit I will never forget it.

2. What’s in a name?

Finding a way to use a person’s name, whether audibly or by writing it on the guest’s check, is a great way to increase the psychological closeness the guest has with you, while at the same time without being too creepy.

As human beings with feelings, we all want to be validated, even in the smallest ways. For those of us who live in large metropolises (metropoli?), we may not get the deep emotional connection that people in smaller towns who see each other regularly do.

That’s why when you can call someone by their name in a kind, loving and respectful manner, they will unconsciously feel more connected and special. The hardest part is finding out their name without being too obtrusive, but I knew servers who were good at this when I waited tables. I myself would get their name from their credit card, write their name with a smiley face saying a big “Thank you!”, and then usually try to drop the check and say their name and thank them.

I regularly got 18% – 20% tips just from my style of service, and I am a pretty introverted, procedurally minded kind of guy at the restaurant.

3. Do you want fries with that?

The practice of fast food workers asking people if they’d like fries or to upsize has no doubt made people fatter, and corporate food chains wealthier, but there’s something we can learn from this.

When you ask a guest if they’d like to add something, often times they will say no, but imagine you work at a nice restaurant and they order a steak, and then you ask if they’d like it “Oscar style” i.e. topped with jumbo lump crab meat. Now you are giving them the opportunity to have more when perhaps they were unaware they could even have a steak topping, or maybe they were unsure and just needed that extra gentle push to overcome their inner objections.

Remember, most of us are creatures of habit, and while we want to try something new and improved, we may require a little encouragement from an outside source.

Be yourself, but if you’re having a bad day, be someone else.

“Be yourself” is fine if you are having a great day, but what about when your day is a disaster and you feel like a cup of warm dishwater?

It’s simple, you “fake it ’til you make it”. Remember, we all have bad days, but just like you don’t want to be the recipient of someone’s emotional venting just because you need to send a package at FedEx, the same goes for the person patronizing your place of work.

What can you do? It’s simple, try and forget you for a while. Stop thinking about your feelings and the problems in your life and focus simply on putting on a smile (even a forced one will eventually relax into a real one), and keep the guest’s experience your top priority.

If you really want to get creative, you can come up with an alter ego like “Sasha Fierce”, the concept Beyoncee uses before she performs at a concert or big show.

The last word on making more money as a bartender, waiter, or barista


It’s easy to assume that the most successful people are extroverts, naturally charismatic, charming, and lucky, and, to a large extent, that’s true.

But even if you are a naturally quiet, shy, introverted person like me, you can still find ways to make your guest feel special and cared for, and this will logically lead to more money for you as you continue to provide the very best service to everyone who walks through your establishment’s doors.

If you would like to learn all my secrets to making more money and tips, visit and read all my free blogs, or take a look at reviews for my Waiting Tables Video Masterclass program.

Good luck, and here’s to you making more tips!

The Next Recession is Here and It’s Going to Make 2008 Look Like a Feel-Good Disney Movie

Treasury Yields Invert: Recession Indicator for the Ages

A historically accurate indicator of a coming recession was triggered on Friday, as the 3 month T bill interest rate exceeded that of the 10-year Treasury bond. What this means is that short term government bonds are producing more return on investment than longer term instrucments, showing that investors have a weak view of the economy long-term.

In other words, the yield curve inverted.

What’s Driving this Stock Market?

The Federal Reserve recently admitted they had no plan to raise interest rates any further for 2019, basically admitting defeat in a plan to raise rates at least 4 times this coming year. After raising rates in 2018 several times to a nominal rate of only 2.5%, the stock market began a long-term dive starting in October, and had a spectacular price drop on Christmas Eve in 2018.

What this means is that the Federal Reserve is confessing that the economy is not that strong after all, and without near zero % interest rates to guarantee more free money injected into the equity and bond markets, the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and S&P 500 don’t have a leg to stand on.

Federal Reserve Buys Time… for Now

After reversing course during the Christmas holidays on future rate hikes, the Federal Reserve has shown their hand, and if you read between the lines you can see that they’re not against dropping rates back to zero, if not going into an area of negative interest rates- charging you money for simply holding your money in a bank.

But this is the result of 10 years of quantitative easing, money printing, tax cuts for the rich corporations resulting in no more than their own stock share buybacks- events which have occurred in a time where consumer, corporate, national, and worldwide debt have soared to a combined $250 trillion which at this point, everyone admits can never be paid off.

So as we sit and wait for the global debt default, it will be interesting to see what happens while housing markets around the world continue to slide, the student loan bubble rises to new heights, and now record retail location closures and people missing their car payments for 3 months straight.

Gold and Silver are About to Skyrocket in Price

Indeed, the economy is not as strong as the “experts” have been saying, and central banks around the world are quietly buying up and hoarding gold. Gold and silver are at all-time historical lows, and many think precious metals are the last undervalued investment available since BitCoin crashed in 2018.

A great way to invest in gold and silver is to simply buy it yourself from If you have a 401K or IRA and want to take out a significant position in metals, a Gold IRA rollover could be beneficial to your overall portfolio, providing tax benefits, allowing for physical possession and ownership of real gold, and enabling investors to take delivery at a time of their choosing.

Gold IRA rollover info

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Restaurant and Hotel Managers Need to Beware of Bed Bugs

get rid of bed bugs right freaking now cover

On top of staffing issues, dealing with suppliers, and answering to corporate, many restaurant and hotel managers are also finding themselves having to overcome a new set of problems in their day-to-day operations- bed bugs

But with all the private parties and constant inflow of seasonal travelers comes a higher risk of a little-known but major problem that managers of restaurants and hotels need to be aware of.

Learn more about how Defensive End gets rid of bed bugs at this website.

Bed Bugs Can (and Will) Hide Anywhere

Yes, many restaurant GMs are looking at this and scratching their heads right now. Bed bugs? My restaurant doesn’t even have beds!

The problem is, bed bugs don’t care. Most of the time, they’re just looking for a place to stay, which means if you have a restaurant with carpet or seats upholstered in fabrics, you are on their radar for the bed bug version of a bed and breakfast.

And with the expected higher volume of foot traffic into restaurants and hotels, you’re going to have people coming into your hotel or eatery carrying them, usually unknowingly. Hopefully unknowingly, or else that would just be weird.

An Airport in Phoenix, AZ Had to Remove Entire Rows of Seats Infested with Bed Bugs

You may have read the news story from last year where a Phoenix airport was forced to replace giant sections of seating in the waiting areas after bed bugs were discovered hiding in the seams and crevices of chairs and seats.

But it’s not just Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor Airport that’s susceptible to these unwelcome guests. Bed bugs can literally show up in city council meetings, at movie theaters, on airplanes themselves, at schools, and of course, 5-star hotels (and 1-star motels just the same).

No surprise then that bed bugs are also a national emergency level problem in France, as bed bugs exercise their frequent flier miles in an effort not to lose them.

Restaurant Managers Need to Maintain an Emphasis on Cleanliness

One of the top complaints among restauranteurs is that the restaurant is not clean, and has issues with unsanitary conditions. While this is immediately off-putting, it shows that restaurant managers still have to maintain a constant vigilant eye on the details which many who have been in the business for decades would view as mundane or beneath them.

Remember, all it takes is one guest getting bit and looking down at their seat, seeing little creepy crawly bed bugs running around after they themselves enjoyed a meal at the expense of one of your patrons, and then leaving a 1-star Yelp review that turns your restaurant into a haunted house.

So even if you have to roll up your sleeves and check seating sections yourself, or send lazy servers home and give the lesser servers a chance at greater responsibility and larger sections, then you must do what needs be done to ensure that your restaurant does not become the next thing on the menu for bed bugs.