Comping

At restaurants, servers deal with coupons and having food comped on a daily basis. As I described in my previous post, comping is when all or part of a guest's meal is given to them for free. Usually, this is done by a manager when food is cooked incorrectly or the wrong food is rung up by the server. It also is done if the guest is generally displeased with their experience and they complain.

First, when food is cooked incorrectly it is not your server's fault. They have no control over the kitchen staff or how they cook the food. All servers can do is try their best to describe exactly what you want so the kitchen will follow their instructions. However, mistakes happen and steaks are often overcooked or food is prepared poorly. Since I work at Outback, a steakhouse, I have at least one steak comped for a guest each week. This is due to kitchen error but also to the fact that most people really do not know how they like their steak cooked. At Outback, we have a description of each of our steak temperatures to help guests choose the one they prefer the best. Our description of a medium steak is, "warm pink with a red center." However, people still will order a steak cooked medium, yet be extremely upset when it comes out with a thin line of red in the middle. Guests also have difficulty when ordering salads because they will not ask exactly what comes on our house salad, but will find out they dislike one of the toppings when it is brought to them. At Outback, our house salad comes with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cheese, and croutons. People often times get their salad and send it back because it has onions or tomatoes, which they dislike. However, they did not ask for their salad without that item. *As a side note, when eating out please be as specific as possible when ordering.* So, errors happen when cooking food and any time there is a problem (at least at Outback), a manager will go to the table to see what we can do to fix the problem and satisfy the customer. Sometimes, we can quickly recook a steak or get them a dish they like better, but when a compromise cannot be found we will comp the guest's item so they do not have to pay for a meal they did not enjoy.

The reason comping is such a problem for servers is that often times a table will not tip on the original price of the meal. If a customer's filet, for example, is comped their bill just dropped $20, which can be a significant price change for a server's tip. The server had no control over how that steak was cooked, yet they probably just lost $5 because of it. Customers need to keep in mind that when an item of theirs is comped for a mistake that the server did not make, they should remember to tip on the original price. This is an extremely fair idea because usually that guest ate a meal they got for free. Even if your steak is slightly overcooked, you received it for free and usually you receive a free dessert too. How bad can that be? Occasionally, an a guest's entire ticket will be comped. In these cases, guests MUST remember to tip. If they do not, the server literally paid to wait on your table and received nothing (see previous blog on tipping for a description of tipping out).

To better describe this situation, I will give an experience I had recently with food being comped. First, last Sunday I had a family at my table consisting of a husband, wife, and their three young children. It was only 11:30 so we were still not very busy and the kitchen should have not been behind yet. I put in their order of a quesadilla and three children's macaroni and cheese, yet their ticket took 20 minutes to come out. After I discovered this, I rushed their food to their table and informed the manager. He talked to them and even though they were not that upset, he comped their entire meal because it was not very expensive and they were very understanding about the situation. I investigated why their ticket too so long and it was due to the fact that someone had mistakenly taken the macaroni and cheese dishes that were meant for my table to another one. Before the family left, the husband handed me $3 and thanked me for being a good server. Their bill had originally been around $30 so he really only tipped me 10%. So this family considered me a good server, got a meal for free (due in large part to me informing the manager of the situation), and left me only $3. Their meal was free and they could only leave $3. This should demonstrate how much comping can mess with a server. I gave them good service and there was a kitchen error which cost me a good tip.

As a note to people whose meal gets comped completely. You just received a meal for free and are walking away with much more money than you were planning. 75% of the time, your meal was comped due to the complaints of your server and because they got the attention of the manager and pleaded your case. Leave them at least $10 before you leave, depending on the amount your bill is you may need to leave more. Leaving a restaurant with your wallet only $10 lighter is a wonderful situation. Remember to tip on the pre-comped price! And you should tip even more if your meal was completely comped and your server did a good job.

Lastly, I would like to address proper etiquette when your server makes a mistake that results in your food being comped. Mistakes happen and servers are only human just like you. If a server makes an honest mistake, you should of course bring it to their attention so they can fix it, but please be understanding. Especially if it is something that is simple to fix, like they rang in the wrong side item. Often times, you are going to get extra food and it will only take a couple minutes to fix things, so try and understanding. In the rare times that a server really messes up and rings in a totally incorrect item for you, be firm, but do not be rude. If the server doesn't fix the situation, that is the time to ask for a manager. However, if they are doing the best they can to fix things, understand and be patient. This all depends on how severe a mistake is, but a server will not mess up something just because they do not like you. They try their best to make their guests happy, that is the way they make money!, so they will never intentionally ruin your meal. You should always bring mistakes to someone's attention, but just be polite and the situation will be handled a lot more smoothly for everyone!