signs that someone is about to stiff you

about a month ago i started working at a pretty classy, (somewhere in between casual and fine-dining) Italian place. it’s very authentic, and i actually really love the food. tonight i made about $200 in tips, (5pm-9pm) and i tipped out $19 total to the host/bar. so, i still had a pretty good night in spite of one table stiffing me.

the table in question was my second to last table of the night, younger couple, probably college students. i was super nice, accommodating and friendly. the guy asked me if we did free refills on lemonade, i told him no but i’d be happy to grab him a soft drink. when people ask me cheap questions like that, it’s a sign to me that they aren’t going tip. he then asked if we had ranch, we do not, but we do have an onion sauce which is pretty similar. i’ve noticed people who ask for ranch tip less, i have no idea what the correlation is, but it has proven true time and time again.

i wished them a merry Christmas and happy holidays, they said it back, and after they left i noticed a big fat zero in the tip line. we have the option to add auto-gratuity to checks, but i normally don’t do it unless it’s a party of 6+ or a bill over $300.

so, i guess this is a long winded way of asking, what are your signs that someone is going to stiff you? 😆