http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000...printable=true
Friend linked me to that at work, simply amazing. I would not have thought that to work these days, but I guess "Money talks" isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000...printable=true
Friend linked me to that at work, simply amazing. I would not have thought that to work these days, but I guess "Money talks" isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
that is... a really cool article. hmm.
Interesting read, thankyou.
Money talks. Thanks for posting this. Was a good read.
More interesting than I thought, although some of those wait times really were not bad or exuded "exclusive" at all.
I will keep this in mind for when I have enough money to tip a maitre d' $100
That was fascinating. I've never thought to try that - mostly because I certainly don't have the money to even go out to a fancy restaurant, let alone tip that much just to be seated. I wouldn't have thought it would work, though.
Cool article. The part that hit me like a punch was where a friend of his asked for advice on how to tip her building superintendent. The idea that you have to tip a fucking building manager in new york in order to get shit done (like...fixing faucets or appliances, etc.) makes me fucking sick.
the tl;dr:
this sorta thing is going to work anywhere a doorman/bouncer/maitre'd controls access to the establishment for regular people.For as little as $100—that’s $25 each for a meal that would ultimately cost close to $375 per head—I had jumped what was rumored to be a 2,700-person waiting list and gotten into the hardest restaurant in the world that week. And I had done it by following a set of rules so old-fashioned that my grandmother could have written them: Dress properly, act dignified, be polite, smile. And spend a little extra for good service—it will pay you back in droves.
I thought this kind of stuff was common sense.
It's not so much tipping people throughout the city to get it done, as motivating people to go the little bit extra. Understandably, I'd probably complain to the appropriate city department if my super failed to respond to a problem I was having, but if you're looking for a job well done, and getting someone to spend maybe extra time doing something they normally wouldn't do themselves, then I can understand it.
Money talks. Great artcle and here are the notes for people that don't wanna click the link
I've done the folded $20-$50 bill at clubs, raves and restaurants when circumstances are required. I don't do it all the time because i ain't no baller. XD1. Go. You’d be surprised what you can get just by showing up.
2. Dress appropriately. Your chances improve considerably if you look like you belong.
3. Don’t feel ashamed. They don’t. You shouldn’t.
4. Have the money ready. Prefolded, in thirds or fourths, with the amount showing.
5. Identify the person who’s in charge, even if you have to ask.
6. Isolate the person in charge. Ask to speak with that person, if necessary.
7. Look the person in the eye when you slip him the money. Don’t look at the money.
8. Be specific about what you want. “Do you have a better table?” “Can you speed up my wait?” A good fallback: “This is a really important night for me.”
9. Tip the maître d’ on the way out if he turned down the money but still gave you a table.
10. Ask for the maître d’s card as you’re leaving. You are now one of his best customers.
This is pretty standard tbh. The only point I slightly disagree with is the whole under 40 / over 40 distinction. It's almost entirely based on the person. I've had bad experiences with both old and young. The smartest rule is the fallback. Just saying "I'm sorry, this is just a very special night for me." alleviates almost every situation.
The customer is always right,
The customer who slips you a 20/50/100 is actually right.
It's all good advice, especially for people who don't go out a lot and get discouraged going to the nicer places. I mean you don't have to have a million dollars on you to get what you want, just be assertive and grease the wheels a bit.
I like this guy's writing style. Excellent article.
Indeed.
Our culture says "bribes r bad, mmmkay?", and so people tend to be really, really bad at greasing palms when the situation calls for it.
The easy warm-up for folks too timid to properly get things done is to find a nice, small bar where the same bartenders are there consistently. Get used to tipping outrageously on the first round or two and at the end of the night, and start adding up how many free drinks you get (and if you're not getting any, you're doing something wrong). It's a natural progression from there to tipping in advance, which is really all a bribe to a maitre'd is.
That was a really cool article! I was a bit sad to find out it was from 2000, so long ago, but still obviously, shared it with some friends.
I bet this would also work on things like haircuts and hotel rooms.