There is a way to earn more working in a restaurant, make more tips. . Many servers and bartenders would love this instantly. Making more money? Who doesn’t love that? However, there is a caveat, action must be taken. Especially as prices have risen and getting to work alone now costs more.
The good news is that there are plenty of resources out there to help people make more tips. A few are fun such as sampling/tasting (always a good time), others are more of a reference (see books entitled encyclopedia), while some combine a little of both (see 1,2,4 and 7 below as examples).
Immersing deeply into these topics is not mandatory, however, taking the plunge can usually bear fruit to make more tips. Everyone needs to start somewhere and do not compare yourself to others as well. Learning is a journey, the somm might be way ahead in learning about wine, however that doesn’t mean the douchebag knows anything about Bourbon. Learning is a mindset that needs to be properly framed. Get int he habit of comparing progress after 2 weeks of learning to today. That is the best comparison of all to make more tips.
Resources/Actions to make more tips
These resources and tools are generally free and available to anyone. There is very few barriers to entry, the only thing required is dedication. This dedication doesn’t have to be learning, but framed as making more money, getting promoted or even a different reason to drink besides the 7-top that ruined Wednesday’s dinner shift.
Be open and try new things, the worst that will happen is you will find out likes and dislikes. The best thing that will happen is more $$$ in your pocket. Working in a restaurant is a journey, be a part of the ride.
Cheers friends
- Windows on the World Wine Course by Kevin Zraly. This book reads easy, provides a list of wine to sample and tells the great story of wine through the eyes of a man that worked at the top of the world trade center for over 20 years in the wine program.
- The Wine Bible by Karen Mac Neil. Fun, informative and explores the culture of both and wine and food around the world.
- Winefolly.com. Generally short (less than 800 words) informative articles with infographics on everything wine!
- Wine Library TV: Long before Gary Vaynerchuk was an investor, social media marketer, hustle God and crypto/nft commentator he worked at the liquor store his father owned and made 1,001 videos tasting and talking wine. Search for these on YouTube.
- Beer Companion by Michael Jackson: Not the dead King of Pop, This Michael Jackson is from the UK and wrote some of the most well-regarded beer books. This one is a classic.
- Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink by Randy Mosher. Gets into great detail and is newer than Beer Companion.
- Beervana Blog: This blog is tilted toward craft beer in the USA, however covers the larger world of beer from Portland, Oregon. Bonus, they have a podcast and taste a lot of beer.
- Tasting: The best way to learn after filling the head with knowledge is to taste it, and figure out likes and dislikes. Understand what the tasting notes mean. Tasting is best enjoyed in the company of others and with a plan.
Plan on tasting/sampling (drinking with friends/coworkers) and having a good time doing so. - Take the tasting a step further and create a sensory tasting. In short, a sensory tasting would be trying a wine such as merlot and then eat some blueberries with it, since blueberry is a classic tasting note in merlot. Be creative and have fun.
- Not old enough to drink? Ask if you can take a whiff of the wines, beers and spirits (especially aged spirits), and learn what the nose is all about. 90% of drinking wine and spirits is smelling anyway.
- Field Trip anyone? Visit local breweries, distilleries and liquor stores (with knowledgeable staff, hard to find these days). Near a winery making wine using Vitis vinifera grapes?
- Taste with a pro! Ask whomever orders the stuff if you can sit in on tastings or if suppliers are offering any classes. Most distributors offer tastings for those in the industry, these are an opportunity to drink with like-minded people and possibly learn more…mostly try cool stuff on the distributor’s dime though.
- Get to work early. This one is painful, however true. Show up early to work and ask to taste wines or beers. It shows initiative and gets a little drink in to ease the trauma of work. Thinking of #1 sometimes pays off.
- Spend time with someone that knows more than you! Have a friend that is really into tequila, but you had a bad experience drinking gold (not real tequila)? Tell them to pick a bottle and then offer to pay for it. Someone will always be up for that, give them a budget though, it can get expensive.
- Be fearless. The weakness most “professional drinkers” have is that they always drink the same thing! Stop being boring, always try new and different beers, drinks, wines and spirits. Liking all of them is not mandatory. Knowing how to sell them is. Take this hard truth into account; for many sommeliers, wine is not their preferred beverage, it is usually beer or brown spirits (think bourbon or whiskey). In my time selling wine as a sommelier, manager and server the #1 wine I sold was Napa Cabernet. One of my least favorite wines to drink is Napa Cabernet. That is all I have to say.
- Read magazines: Yes magazines are still in circulation, especially the industry-specific ones. Readily available at bookstores and even liquor stores, these are great resources as well. Industry publications are still one of the top 5 ways to learn more or what is new and exciting. Even more so in the digital age, magazines can publish hourly instead of monthly and even include videos!
- Mindset: Every day in this business in Monday! Having the proper mindset is paramount to being successful in anything one does, especially in the most stressful business on the planet. Being in the right frame of mind can have a huge impact to make more tips.
- Nomoresidework.com and youtube.com/nomoresidework: Shameless plug! Never stop checking us out and on social media.
The Proverbial Bonus to Make More Tips!
It sounds crazy, however, pool with a co-worker and cover two sections. Work as team and upsell like crazy, more sales=more tips. Many of those reading about pooling and think it is crazy are justified. The service world has become dominated by single-servers. Team service is a way to show guess an incredible experience and constantly being able to sell. Now, some managers will not like the idea of pooling, but they don’t always have to know. Anyway, they have no business getting involved with tips anyway!
Make Money
Cheers Friends