Thursday, September 14, 2006

A Dirty Story of a Dirty Man

So, its been a while since I've updated this thing. But who really reads this anyway. Well, just in case there is someone I thought I might share a little with you. For the last several years I have been questioning the restaurant Chili's. Kristi and I eat there from time to time. The walls are covered with signs and pictures from various chili cook offs and there are signs warning of hot chili. In other words, chili seems to be a major theme their. Well, this has troubled me for some time now seeing as how there is no chili on the menu. I found myself at a chili's on Tuesday. Once again I began to question the lack of actual chili. I asked the server about it and he informed me that there is chili in the building. As it turns out chili is one of the soups they offer. However, they do not mention there soups on the menu. This stands out it my mind for two reasons. The first being that he brought me a sample of it and it was like hormel straight out of the can. Its not very good, it may be best that they don't tell anyone about it. Second, the olive garden(that's where I work) advertises their soup on the menu and on television. Soup and salad is the cheapest thing for the OG to produce and is where the have the greatest profit margin. $5.95 for soup and salad that probably costs $1.00 per customer. Now I'm all in favor of capitalism and if people are willing to buy it at that price then let them. But hold on my friend. I support my family by making tips. 15% of 5.95 is much lower than 15% of an entree that costs (typically) at least twice as much as soup and salad. Not to mention that people love the fact that it is unlimited which means they ask for more than one bowl. Ask any server what they hate most and they will tell you its the soup and salad. Why because cheap people come in to get it, they run you to death, and then they leave you a 10% tip on a $6.00 bill. Perhaps I can learn something from chili's, hide the soup. If you love the soup and salad that's fine. Eat it, eat it all. Just remember that the nice young man who has four other tables and a wife and dog to support is paying his rent and tuition with the 60 cents you just left on the table.

ps. If you pay with your credit card and your bill is $15.23 give your server a 5.00 tip, don't write the tip in as $4.77 in order to make it an even &20.00. its tacky and makes you look cheap and petty, uh, I mean thrifty.

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