Tip Yourself Off with Tipping Tracking

The size of tip a consumer gives a restaurant server is commonly thought to be directly related to the degree of quality the consumer judges the service to have shown. This suggests that monitoring the amount of tips a server receives—relative to what other servers receive and correcting for the number of hours worked—will give a measure of that employee’s job performance.
     Beyond this, studies at Drexel University, Fordham University, Iona College, and Korea’s Soongsil University found that the size of the tips provides information about the consumers—how empowered they feel themselves to be. People who perceive themselves as having little power leave tips more out of desire to avoid embarrassment than to reward good service. Given enough data on tipping to the wait staff, restaurant management and the servers themselves can identify repeat diners who feel little power. They are the ones consistently leaving tips higher than the overall average of tips to that server.
     Researchers at HEC-Paris and Northwestern University concluded that when the large size of a product or package implies power, consumers craving more power go for the large. A set of study participants were offered a choice of different-sized bagel pieces. Those participants who felt powerless in the face of threats chose bigger pieces. But when small size implied status from exclusivity, consumers who felt relatively powerless would forgo the large.
     Other studies have identified ways a retailer can influence a shopper’s sense of power. In a Northwestern University project, it didn’t take much: Some of the study participants were asked to imagine an actual episode in the past when they possessed high power in a situation. You could adapt that to discussions you have with a frequent customer.
     In a dining situation, the customers usually feel more powerful than the servers. This can be influenced by words the server uses. “Here, you’re the boss” and treating with deference raises perceptions of power. “Here, we take care of you” and treating with authority does not. Strangely, even the colors worn can make a difference. Waitresses working in a set of five French restaurants were instructed to wear the same design T-shirt in one of six assigned colors. Those wearing red received tips that were 27% higher than with other colors. The difference was largely attributable to males dining alone and to how seeing red makes men question their sexual power.

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