Settling in

We've made a move.
I've graduated with a journalism-print diploma from Niagara College.
I left my internship with fantastic contacts and a firm idea of what I want to be doing with my life.

The last month may have been hellishly busy, but it's been worth it.

And now?
Now I play the waiting game. And enjoy the summer with the girls. And put myself out there for the career of my dreams.

Now, I take some time to fine tune my plans and I start to put them into action.

Think Twice Before Ditching the Tip

I wrote a column for school about tipping. It's a non-issue for so many. For others though, I think it's a lot more about them not understanding the system than it is hating the service.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I set out to rectify that a little, anyway.

Here it is:

When I set out to write this column I knew what I was going to say; tip your server, it’s that simple.

I hadn’t realized how controversial that statement would be.

As a server/bartender in the industry for more than seven years, the issue seemed straightforward. Servers work for tips. Gratuities are an expected expense when dining out. Tipping is common etiquette.

I asked around at local chain restaurants for some quotes and insights on tipping. I was specifically looking for statements about tipping trends with college students, because, let’s face it, you’re my target audience.

They didn’t want to go on record talking about tipping, especially about their college patrons. During our conversation though I was led to believe, in general, that tipping trends vary across the board. College students, families, business professionals; tipping practices are hit-or-miss. You can’t tell what kind of tipper someone will be until you open that billfold.

People offer different reasons for not tipping. Service was slow, food quality was poor or restaurant atmosphere was unpleasant; they are all valid reasons. In my opinion though, they’re not valid enough. There are other factors to take into consideration before checking the no tip option.

Take a look around. If the restaurant is packed and there are only a few servers running around expect slower service. These people are only human, after all. If it’s a smaller establishment there are likely only a few cooks working, so it might take some time to prepare the order. Simply not liking the food shouldn’t reflect on the tip. That’s a matter of personal preference, not poor service.

Tony Wong, staff reporter for thestar.com, in Tipping: servers dish up their best and worst experiences, says restaurants are encouraging patrons to tip 15 to 20 per cent.

“It has created heated discussion by foodies, some holding that servers should be compensated fairly by their employers, others saying that diners should determine the tip based on service.”

Jason, a server in Niagara Falls who preferred not to give his surname, says the North American practice of tipping does improve service. He says “the service was lackluster” in England and New Zealand, where tipping isn’t practiced.

“Servers are not necessarily friendly, and they aren’t likely to go the extra mile. In short, it sucks. And having worked on the other side, it’s a minimum wage job that is a pain in the ass; you get none of the financial benefits. I quit my serving jobs in New Zealand and England after one week. It was not worth it to put up with the bologna.

“Even the worst servers know on some level they are working for tips and have to do a good job or they’ll make no money.”

In an industry where employees earn $8.90 an hour, less than the general minimum wage of $10.25, tips are crucial, and encourage servers to go that extra mile.

Servers tip-out on their total sales for the shift. That means for every dollar you spend, your server is paying out three, five, 10 per cent to kitchen staff, breakage and other expenses. It’s essentially costing your server to wait on you when you leave nothing.

That’s not to say you should stand for poor service. Jason says the tip is only as good as the server. He says after working in the industry in three countries for over seven years, he knows when poor service is the fault of the restaurant and when the blame is on the server. Usually, he says he leaves a standard 15 per cent.

“I’m also not ashamed to leave nothing if the service was terrible. It’s like anything, if you’re bad at your job you will not make that commission, or quarterly bonus, or maybe even keep your job.”

I say leave the bare minimum and take your frustration to someone who can do something about it. Respectfully talk to management. Or, likely more effective, turn to online review sites, such as tripadvisor or urbanspoon, and leave a review about the experience and service.

You also have the power to not come back. Stop torturing yourself in restaurants with consistently poor service. Returning to the same place and repeatedly leaving no tip is a slap to the face of your servers.

I go by the mantra, “If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to dine out.”

A lot of people still think the tip should directly reflect the service - my opinion remains firm; tip without exception. 

How much to tip is your call.

Article was originally published by Niagara News, 

the community paper of Niagara College.

 

Knocked Out and Loving it

School is kicking my ass.

I thought I would lead with that.
It has been knocking me out physically and mentally; and I've been loving every second of it.
I don't know what I expected, but a few moments of spare time seemed likely. (They're not)

It is so great going back with renewed drive for the coursework. I started shortly out of high school, choosing journalism because it was the closest writing-related full-time course I could find. I stopped going for several reasons I'm not going into detail about. Except that back then I hated it. Well, I hated the reporting aspect of it.
That's starting to change.
I now look forward to getting these interviews done and writing the concise, informative pieces I've been producing. It's rewarding.

It's helping me in more ways than one. Most importantly it's paving the way to a career I'll be happy with. Not only happy with, excited about. It's finally something I'm confident I'm great at.

That's the other way it's helping me. I'm doubting my work less. It could be the encouragement from teachers or my personal pride in the pieces I've written; it's something I'm skilled at. That pride is good for me, and anyone, really.

I didn't expect the physical exhaustion. It could be something to do with trying to go to school full-time while juggling the she-monsters and working part time. Though I haven't been doing much working lately.
The flu from hell has taken its toll on us. I'm finally starting to feel better, and so is the rest of this house. Thank god.

I'm nearing the half-way mark to the end of classes and beginning of the 140 hour field placement. By May I'll be finished and finally able to cross the first item off my 30 before 30 list. Honestly it's probably one of the most challenging items on the list; one I'll be happiest to complete.

Going back to school after six years, with two kids, was terrifying. Though not likely as frightening as my oldest starting kindergarten September.

Thirty Before Thirty - The List

Everyone seems to have a list these days.
This is mine.
I've set out to make my very own bucket list; my 30 before 30.

I know it's entirely possible I won't complete all off these things by the time I'm 30, but if I have this list in front of me it'll encourage me to try.  

1. Go back to school to finish my Journalism program
2. Be happy with my body
3. Gain 100 blog followers
4. Complete making my 30 books before 30 list
5. Read that list
6. Buy a house
7. Take an all inclusive vacation with the man, sans kids
8. Take another one
9. Take a nice vacation with the kids
10. Get married
11. Complete a great DIY renovation project (to be proud of)
12. Sew a (wearable) item of clothing. 
13. Sew one for each girl.
14. Host a classy dinner party
15. Take a cooking class with the man
16. Continue going to the gym regularly
17. Start up a second side blog
18. Join a team sport
19. Do a wine tour
20. Learn a new skill
21. Write a book (not necessarily published)
22. Grow a successful vegetable garden
23. Learn web design
24. Get a job in the writing/editing or social media field
25. Volunteer with the girls
26. Take a road trip
27. Take the girls camping
28. Have houseplants that survive more then a couple months
29. Have a clear financial plan for the future
30. Adopt a healthier lifestyle

So there it is; my 30 before 30 bucket list. Some of these things may be mundane. They are my smallest and largest aspirations. As it stands, I have just over 3 years to cross as many of those items off my list as I can. I'm well aware it's going to be tough. I can accept that I may not get them all done.

I just figure if I'm not striving for something, I'm aiming for nothing.

I hope you follow along. I'll be writing about each item I cross off when it happens. I sincerely hope you make your own list; we can do this together. It doesn't need to be 30 before 30, of course, but any bucket list of sorts will work.


xo.