# weirdest gratuties.....



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

a few months ago one of my regular clients just got back from Michigan and gave me a 10# box of incredible tart dried cherries.....that we are still working through and LOVE>

Last night I catered a hockey dinner for a new hall of famer (go figure, out of all the people)....anyway one of the hosts gave me a Al Maginus signed hockey puck. okey dokey....well, guess it'll go on the wall next to the Beard shtuff.

The question is what have you gotten as a gratuity that has seemed unusual?


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## alongcame (Sep 24, 2007)

Shroom.. I have only ever gotten cash and a big hug.. but I will definitely take that Al MacInnis signed puck from you though


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

Yeah, now that is one cool gratuity. And folks, despite what you may think verbal complements do not pay the bills.


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## pgr555 (Aug 3, 2007)

Hugs, Thank you notes, earrings and a necklace (2 different clients and jobs)
Have never gotten a cash tip in this market.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Gotten a fish platter that I admired.....same sweet client who gave me the cherries.....

Catered a local chef's wedding in Sept, he gave me all the 1000's of plates, napkins, glasses, bar stuff he had bought......really really have come in handy.

2gallons of wild blackberries

A jar of fresh from NM chipotle


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## bombayben (Aug 23, 2007)

I was given a whole bunch of lotto scratch cards and I won £30 on one of them! Also some exquisite hand blown (pale blue) Venetian wine glasses - they were gorgeous and did not last five minutes with my husband and teenage son around!


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Most unusual? Cans of Fancy Feast cat food..

And, while I don't consider it unusual, I've received fresh picked tomatoes, peaches, squash, a few pounds of walnuts, olive oil, fresh, home-roasted coffee, and a box of fir needles which were used to make tea.

I have given apples and pears from the trees in my back yard, Hass avocados from a "secret" tree that grew in Berkeley, figs from a similarly unknown tree that grew at the foot of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, olive oil, vinegar, and a recipe book that I created. 

shel


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

MacInnis...figured you guys from the North icey, snowy, hockeyland would recognize the puck writer.


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## jjbbqguy (Jun 23, 2007)

I had one of my employees come up to me and tell me that the grooms uncle just tried to give her a bag of weed for a tip. At first I was like then I was like:smoking: and then I was like:crazy:. Just joking, she did not except.


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## harpua (May 4, 2005)

I don't know if this counts as gratuity, but I was bussing a table that had some young people sitting at it and I found a pill bottle filled with weed. They never came back for it.


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

Roy Halliday autographed baseball. Sigh! Couldn't care less! 


Opening bid starts at $10 000 please...


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## lentil (Sep 8, 2003)

The way people tip (or don't tip, which is more accurate) around here, and in Maine, from what pgr says, I consider a gratituity of cash strange.:lol:

Actually, I delivered a small 6 person apps party on Friday after Thanksgiving, and got a $30 tip and a good bottle of wine. They helped me bring in the food and wanted to open a bottle of the wine they gave me to make sure I liked it first. The delivery was only about 100 yards from my shop too! I wish that happened more often...


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Do you ever consider putting, "gratuity not included" or "industry standard gratuity is 15-20%" on your contracts, printed info?

Do they tip cabs, pizza delivery guys, hotel staff, hairdressers? 
What happens during the holiday month?
What if you send a currier with the food, and ask if they'd like to include a gratuity onto their credit card, or invoice?

WHO is Ray Holliday? $10k?


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## pgr555 (Aug 3, 2007)

Lentil reminded me... twice after weddings the hosts gave us the centerpeices to distribute among the staff and ourselves. They were beautiful potted, flowering plants so lasted a while and were appreciated (yeah not as much as cash would have been!). One of the times, they also gave us 2 cases of wone that were left - now that we appreciated!
pgr


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## lentil (Sep 8, 2003)

Shroom, I normally put "gratuity not included" , but don't suggest what the industry rate is. I think people find it hard to tip the owner, but I end up doing the deliveries most times.

Last year, we delivered a Thanksgiving meal for one of my pc clients. She tipped the delivery person $5 on a $100 bill. This year, I delivered it to her and added on $20 for delivery. She said that I told her $10. I said, "No kidding? My delivery rate is $20. I must have been in an exceptionally good mood that day." She agreed, and stuck with her $10. To top it off, the check was written for $5 less than it should have been for the food alone. I told her not to worry that I'd add it to her next order. I've already made note of it!

Cheapskate!


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Last 2 wedding bbqs we did there was squat for the staff, I ended up giving them extra myself cos they worked damned hard and gave really fine service. They deserved more than the paultry wage i pay them. I think the "no gratuity has been included" could be a winner in future. We get lots of hugs full stop. We're best freinds on the night ie. " Oh my god Fiona That was fantastic"= no tip. We do get reccomendations though so it's not all bad, so long as they dont pass on the dont bother tipping thing.


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

Pitcher for the Blue Jays.


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## morcheller (Jan 11, 2006)

I was left a big bag of morels once and another time a regular left a paper grocery bag full of basil. All went on the next days specials!
Shroom, I detest adding statements like you suggest about tipping. Tipping is not a requirement. It is a "Gratuity" for services well rendered. If you feel like they owe it to you they probably do not!


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## brooklynchef (Nov 26, 2007)

$2900 on a $1500 event - she must have been drunk
Cassoulet in a jar, Foie Gras Terrine, Black Truffle Salt - All smuggled in from france by a client of mine last year.
20# of New Mexican Hatch Green Chilies from Santa Fe.

I cannot believe that the client actually packed a 20# bag of chilies in her luggage just to give to me. It was awesome.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

I detest adding statements like you suggest about tipping. Tipping is not a requirement. It is a "Gratuity" for services well rendered. If you feel like they owe it to you they probably do not!


Interesting. So, you would not bring up gratuities for a catering job at all? 

Many caterers usually have a service fee for staff....ie, waitstaff pay, 18% service fee for insurence/workman's comp/etc....then they have suggested gratuity statements. And as to "if you fell like they owe it to you they probably do not!" that's an interesting statement. As owner of a catering business if I felt like I was underpaid I'd raise the rates...period....if it's not worth my time why would I be catering? Gratuities are sometimes overlooked by newbies, or forgotten by others....some do not know what "standard tipping is".......for my company it is not automatically added, it is a gratuity.

Welcome Morchella....love the pig.

Brooklyn...
$1400 tip....yep, I'm thinking inebriation has something to do with it.
Love the special treats. We are still totally enjoying the cherries.


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## brooklynchef (Nov 26, 2007)

No Shroom, the tip was 2900. The woman actually gave me almost 3 grand on top of the price of the party. Maybe lots of booze.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

WHOOO HOOOO!!!! 
so long ago and so far away....1979 Memphis to be exact I was waiting on tables and a 4 or 6 top left $100 bill as tip, probably as much or more than their food/bev bill. I acutally ran after them to make sure they knew what they left......they meant to leave it. There was probably drinking after work on my part.

Sometimes I share the wealth with unsuspecting recipiants.....last year I had VIP tickets to the Food and Wine Show. One of the young twenty something checkers at the grocery store I shopped at was chatting with me about the show. To his shocked amazement I gave him 2 free tickets. Really made me feel great too.


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## brooklynchef (Nov 26, 2007)

That is very nice of you to spread the wealth. I used to be a cook in a NYtimes 2-star Austrian restaurant in NY. There was this one customer who would come in once a month or so, and drop a $1000 tip whether he had a salad or a 7 course tasting menu. The tip got distributed...even to the kitchen. That was really nice.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Gotta love it.


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