Frank Bruni Will Be Happy to Take Your Order
Having ourselves spent a summer waiting tables, we absofuckinglutely love Frank Bruni's article in today's Times, in which the restaurant critic spends a week waiting tables in a busy Boston establishment. It's the sort of class reversal that makes the world a better place, really. And the idea of a beefy Bruni zipping between tables, demanding cooks prepare monkfish on the fly, is potentially hilarious (and optionable, ahem). The article also gives some insight into the sad reality of evil customers; on his first night following various servers, Bruni witnesses the following:
During a later stretch, Bryan has a man and a woman at L-3 and two men at L-4. The tables are adjacent and the diners receive the same degree of attention. The men at L-4 leave $85 for a check of $72 - a tip of about 18 percent.
L-3's check is $58, and Bryan sees the man put down a stack of bills. Then, as the man gets up from the table, the woman shakes her head and removes $5. The remaining tip is $4, or about 7 percent.
We don't know who that woman was, but we'd mug her if we ever had the chance. But Bruni's observation of the incident has us wondering: How much does he tip? Surely someone out there must know his tipping style. Is he a strict 15-percenter or does he dole out the twenties? Any guesses?
