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Restaurants are running out of money, which means more of them are trying to lure in new customers with coupons. Even the ritziest eateries are starting to run clippable promos in newspaper circulars, promising free appetizers or two-for-one entrées to any penny-pincher with the sense to cash in on the restaurant's miserable financial fortunes.
I have no beef with coupons, and hope they work to resuscitate some of the restaurants that seem in serious danger of shuttering due to the recession. But, for whatever reason, coupon users tend to be among the most impolite diners. Here then, a guide to using coupons – without making an enemy of your server (which, as outlined in previous columns, is never a wise thing to do).
- Don't create a little coupon shrine on your table. Many coupon-carriers, terrified their server might accidentally charge them full price, make a point of prominently positioning their coupon as soon as they're seated. I've seen coupons folded and set on the edge of the table, propped up by the salt and pepper shakers and balanced on candle holders. All that conveys is cheapness, which is what all servers dread. Try your best to keep your coupon enthusiasm in check.
- Know your coupon. Coupons are incredibly generous right now, but that doesn't mean there isn't any fine print. Some coupons can only be used on certain days. Other coupons require you to order a specific menu item. If the coupon says it's only good for entrees under $20, it may not cover the porterhouse steak. That's not your server's fault. A coupon is a gift from the restaurant, not a negotiation tool.
- Ask coupon questions at the appropriate juncture. There's rarely a reason to even discuss coupon use at the start of a meal (unless the fine print dictates otherwise); servers will know just what to do when you slide the coupon into the check presenter with your credit card. But if you're wondering about a coupon's terms, ask at the outset rather than fuming when the bill arrives.
- Tip accordingly. It's not uncommon for a coupon to stipulate an 18-percent gratuity on the pre-discounted check. But if your coupon doesn't cover service, remember to tip on the items for which you didn't pay: Your server works just as hard to bring you a free meal as one purchased without a coupon.
What do you think? Do you have other suggestions for making the most of dining experiences underwritten by coupons?
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1-27-2010 @3:40PM ESC said... Most of the coupons I've used in restaurants say something like PLEASE PRESENT THIS TO YOUR SERVER AT THE START OF YOUR MEAL! Hence, the leaving out on the table. That being said, most servers will look at that coupon, shrug, and tell you to keep it until they bring the check. OR they will take it back with them and then at the end of the meal, bring a check that does not include the coupon. Fortunately, the latter situation is rare, but the former is the norm. So it's tough for us bargain-savvy people to know - present the coupon at the start, which means, yes, setting it on the table propped up so it doesn't get blown away by the fan, or soaking wet from the condensation from the water glasses, only to be told no, keep it until the end. Which means it stays on the table through the whole meal.
If restaurants are going to have the "present coupon immediately" policy, then the waitstaff should be informed and stick to it!
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2-01-2010 @9:38AM Voice O Reason said... What a snobbish attitude the author has! It is ALWAYS a good idea to let the server know in advance you plan on using a coupon! Some items must be entered in the POS in a certain way to get the discount, or there may be caveats that the diner may have over-looked. Better to avoid misunderstandings at the onset than to risk an unhappy guest at the conclusion of the meal!
1-31-2010 @11:54PM lenny said... Esc ,looks like you got the same opinion of the slant of the article that I did. But to throw in my 2 cents worth. No ,not everyone that uses coupons is cheap,but if a restaurant is going to give me a discount to get me to visit their establisment I'm going to use it . How stupid would I be not to? And I wouldnt appreciate someone looking at me like I was cheap because I used it. To the writer,if you saw 5 dollars on the ground would you pick it up? I'm assuming you would. But if you wouldn't,please next time do pick it up and give it to someone who could use it.
1-27-2010 @4:14PM dtm said... i think it's reasonable to ask the server at the beginning of service -- along the lines of, "is it possible to use this tonight?" ask this with the drink order and then consider your food options.
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1-27-2010 @5:04PM Cyn said... If the resteraunt is using a POS system, doesn't it make it easier to give the coupon when you order? Enter the order, enter the coupon.
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2-01-2010 @2:24AM YourCocktailWaitress said... I'm glad you asked--no. They payment happens at the END of your time at a restaurant or bar, not before. Since the coupon is part of the payment, it also goes at the END.
However, it would be nice to present it at the beginning and make its existence known so the server can do the 10 things you'll never see needed to make it work. It is more time efficient for everyone.
And please, PLEASE remember to tip according to what your bill would have been sans coupon. The coupon is for free food/drink. The company can offer that because it is their product. The server is not property of the company and their services are never discounted. Therefore, they should be tipped according to normal protocol.
1-27-2010 @4:21PM Rt said... My take on this is, don't eat out.
That servers would like to be paid (even if under the table) so they can afford 'a lifestyle to which they would like to be accustomed' is a different issue entirely.
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1-31-2010 @11:49PM erik said... HUH? HAVE ANOTHER DRINK AND COMMENT AGIAN.
1-27-2010 @4:48PM Amanda said... I'd like to share this with patrons of box offices everywhere. People are crazy with their coupons, and the Entertainment Book in particular might be the death of me.
If coupons have taught me anything it's that people will go to ANY means necessary (even insulting or being manipulative, or even yelling) JUST to get $3 off....
ridiculous.
Thanks for sharing. Glad other fields have the same problems :)
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1-31-2010 @11:55PM lenny said... Amanda, I was in retail for 30 years. Coupons are just part of the problem. Customers have just become plain old rude,coupons or no coupons. One of the reasons I retired from the retail business.
1-27-2010 @8:35PM uGotta B Kidding said... Seriously -- there are waitstaff that actually remember to discount a ticket when a coupon is presented? There's nothing quite like having to remind (re: hunt down with a dog) a server that's lost interest after the check folder has hit the table. I just don't have THAT much time left on this Earth to play their game.
I've had coupons and/or gift certificates LOST by the staff as well, and it didn't matter when I presented it.
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1-28-2010 @1:52AM megan said... "I've seen coupons folded and set on the edge of the table, propped up by the salt and pepper shakers and balanced on candle holders. "
"But, for whatever reason, coupon users tend to be among the most impolite diners."
I do that so I'll remember to put the coupon with the bill. Also, you have a very poor attitude towards customers.
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2-09-2010 @11:04AM Nathan said... I agree, how many times have you walked out of a restaurant and slapped yourself in the forehead because you forgot the coupon in your wallet. The last time my wife and I presented a coupon to our server, she took it, forgot to put it on the bill, and when the manager of the joint picked up our check off the table with our card, he also missed the coupon. It was a humerous fiasco that left them a bit embarrassed, but the service and food was excellent. If a restaurant puts out a coupon, they want it to be used. Ours happened to be one we got in December and it was to drive business in January when most people cut back on their eating out. They should expect to see them, and not think the diner is cheap. But I also think some "couponers" are beyond rude.
1-28-2010 @7:58AM tracy_molly said... It amazes me how general and bitter you can be toward the customer. After reading several of your posts I have to say I look at servers in a new light now. This post just adds to my wonder why you don't get a different occcupation after all you have to complain about. Isn't there anything you like about your job? If not life's too short.
When offered for a place I would like to try or otherwise wouldn't give another chance to I use a coupon. It works for me and the restaurant that I had otherwise written off as not worth wasting money on to see if it isomething I like. Many of my favorite restaurants were found after I used a coupon on my initial visit. A coupon not only benefits me, the diner, but the restaurant and the server who would otherwise have an empty table and no tip at all. They bring in business and as a person who gets commission (or tip) you should be happy for the business in this economy.
That said I have always been a heavy tipper. When I use a coupon I always tip at least 20% on what the whole meal would have cost unless the server is terrible. I know it is the kitchens fault when the meal is cooked wrong, not the servers. When our children eat with us they are very polite and well behaved and don't cause a mess. I try to be polite and not demanding but apparently no matter what type of customer I am being a woman, who occassionally needs a refill or sometimesdrinks water with her meal, using a coupon will lump me in a category that leaves me cheap, an annoying customer and a bad tipper. Nice to know servers dread people like me sitting at their tables. Guess I be really grateful to get good service since I fit into all the servers hated categories.
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1-31-2010 @10:50PM Akuin said... I agree on the kitchen's fault only -sometimes-, My family likes to eat at Denny's and my mother asks that the Bacon and Sausage be -well done- like thoroughly cooked because she's got stomach problems and if it's under cooked she gets sick. Every server we get the meal is cooked properly except for when we get this one Waitress (We no longer let her serve us it's a waste of money). She's more interested in moving fast then hearing what the customer says, if you complain about the doneness of the meal she'll argue with you until you finally tell her "fine it's cooked." so she'll go the hell away. Needless to say that woman doesn't get a great tip because she's a pain to deal with, she's either not there, not paying attention, or arguing. with it being a small town they likely haven't fired her because it's hard to find employees for places like that.
1-31-2010 @11:55PM lenny said... well said Tracy. I'm thinking about now this writer is thinking twice about his slant on this article. Maybe his next article will be the terrible service you get from waiters and waitresses,whether you use a coupon or not. Remember the kids that got arrested for not tipping their waitress (after receiving bad service). I think that pretty much tells it all.
1-31-2010 @8:39PM Thanos said... I agree with you Molly.
Your a server your probally uneducated and have no skills just shut up and bring me the stuff i ordered. I mean really your at a dead end job that requires only one thing shut up and bring me my order. And whats this attitude towards tipping. Tipping is a gift not a right. I already paid my two bits as they say for my meal. Your you better tip me or else attitude makes me not want to tip at all.
Do I tip the cook for doing his/her job? No do i tip the guy who bags my groceries no.. so why do you feel you need a tip?
If you want better money get a better job wait people are on the low end of the pay scale cause its unskilled labor. Yes someone has to do it and thats all good but dont get a holier than thou attitude just shut up and do your job.
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1-31-2010 @8:58PM K.C. said... Before you imply that servers are uneducated or that serving requires little skill, you should learn basic grammer. You incorrectly used "your". The correct spelling is you're, as in "you are". It seems that you're the one that is uneducated.
1-31-2010 @9:16PM ignorant said... Your argument about the under-education of waitstaff would be much more credible had you used the correct spelling of the words you're and your correctly throughout YOUR response! or atleast bothered to check the various other spelling errors. As a server by night (teacher by day) it is unbelievable the lack of respect people treat me with, until they hear I teach as well ( as if this makes me a better person!)
1-31-2010 @9:30PM dmm810 said... Let me just say that I am a server and almost every single server I work with is a student either in an undergrad or master's program. It is a job with flexible hours to get by. How dare you insult our intelligence. If we were paid a regular hourly wage, you better believe that the restaurant would MORE THAN raise your bill to compensate. You have no idea the amount of money you would be paying per entree. I work for Darden and for the thousands and thousands of servers they have, you would be paying $40 an entree. For you to say the job is skill-less, I wish you horrible dining experiences from here on out so you can really appreciate it when a server does a fantastic job in taking care of you.