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Techniques for Increasing Tips and Sales: TORO Article Summary
- TORO
- Jul 27
- 6 min read
Lynn & McCall (2009) Techniques for Increasing Server ’s Tips: How Generalizable Are They?
In his 1996 paper, Michael Lynn reviews several common techniques for increasing service staff tips, examines them empirically, and draws conclusions and recommendations for restaurant managers. Some of the relationships identified in the study were found to be the opposite across different types of restaurants (fine dining, casual dining, etc.). Therefore, in a later paper published in 2009, Lynn & McCall revisited the conclusions of the original study using questionnaires completed by more than 1,000 service staff across different states in the United States. Their aim was to understand whether the techniques previously suggested to increase tips actually proved effective in practice.
Here we present the key recommendations from the paper for increasing our team’s tips, along with, as always, our own perspective.
By the way, the paper addresses the need restaurant managers have for experienced, skilled, and capable staff. According to the author, restaurants constantly struggle with a shortage of experienced employees and high staff turnover. He therefore proposes increasing tips as a tool for retaining experienced and skilled team members. If you would like to read more about staff retention and reducing employee turnover, we have an article on that as well.
So, what are the tactics for increasing front of house tips, and to what extent are they actually used?
A server who introduces themselves by their first name is likely to increase the percentage of tips they receive. However, the paper also found a negative relationship in certain types of restaurants. In other words, when service staff introduced themselves by name, tips were negatively affected. The researchers believe that this effect was mainly driven by casual restaurants and below, where introducing oneself by name may be perceived as an impersonal scripted interaction. Our recommendation is that in restaurants where personal connection is part of the experience, such as fine dining restaurants but also many casual restaurants, staff should introduce themselves by name. In most cases, this creates a stronger connection with both the restaurant and the server, while increasing both tips and sales.
An outstanding appearance by service staff increases tip percentages. However, every restaurant has its own character. The dress code suitable for Herzl 16 would not suit restaurants such as Toto or Hotel Montefiore, and what works for them would not necessarily suit Claro. The appearance of the entire team, not only servers and bartenders but also shift managers, chefs, and cleaners, is an essential part of the guest experience we strive to create and a major part of defining who we are. It is therefore important to maintain the team’s appearance according to the standards you have established.
Providing recommendations and using sales oriented descriptions improves both tips and sales. The most important recommendation here is to teach the team how to describe dishes and drinks effectively, using persuasive language alongside personal recommendations. It is also important to ask staff how they sell different items, what challenges they encounter, and which sales phrases have worked best for them. This allows the organisation to remain innovative while encouraging curiosity and knowledge sharing. In addition, managers should ask staff questions. This is the only way to truly understand what they know and how they present the menu. Good questions include: How do you present this dish? Who would you recommend it to? Who would you recommend this wine to? Which wine would you suggest as an upgrade? Remember that the first attempts are rarely perfect, so it is best to practise these conversations as much as possible during the briefing.
Leaning towards the table and speaking at eye level creates a greater sense of closeness with guests, which may increase the tips they leave. However, a negative relationship was found in fine dining restaurants, so Lynn recommends this approach only for casual dining managers. In our opinion, eye contact is the key point. Eye contact makes service feel more personal and should be maintained throughout the guest’s visit. Guests communicate their needs with their eyes long before they raise a hand or stare at a staff member. If we can anticipate what guests want before they ask, our service becomes both more personal and more professional. It also creates more opportunities to sell.
Touching guests is a complicated issue. Lynn’s 1996 study found that casual, unintentional touch increased both tips and the guest’s personal connection with the restaurant. We recommend avoiding this practice.
Joking with guests and sharing personal stories was found to increase tips. This was one of the techniques most commonly used by experienced service staff. They probably know what works. We also recommend supporting conversations with guests through personal details and creating genuine rapport.
Repeating the order may actually have a negative effect on tips. The paper does not elaborate on this point, but it is obviously essential to verify every order. We therefore recommend discussing with the team the importance of confirming the order briefly and professionally. Staff should also know the menu thoroughly. When servers are unfamiliar with the menu, taking the order already takes longer, making the order confirmation feel like another unnecessary delay.
Calling guests by their names may increase both the sense of closeness and the guests’ feeling of personal commitment, resulting in higher tips. It is worth noting that among servers in the fine dining and upper casual restaurants included in the study, this technique was used less frequently. We always prefer a personal approach and using the guest’s name. In fact, The Ritz Carlton, renowned for its exceptional service, requires staff to use the guest’s name whenever possible. If it is good enough for The Ritz Carlton, it is good enough for us. And if possible, avoid generic expressions such as “bro”, “guys”, and similar terms.
Drawing a picture or writing a handwritten thank you note on the bill showed a positive relationship in certain types of restaurants. In our opinion, this is easy to implement in well lit bars and casual restaurants. However, it should be noted that this variable did not have a particularly strong impact on tip percentages.
So after reviewing the main findings, how do we decide which behaviours are worth adopting in our own restaurant to increase both tips and front of house sales?
Interestingly, four of the five variables with the strongest effect on tip percentages were already widely practised by the experienced service staff who participated in the study. In other words, experience clearly matters, and successful servers naturally develop behaviours throughout their careers that consistently increase tips. This is hardly surprising, but it is important to identify these behaviours so they can be taught to younger and less experienced team members.
These behaviours are:
• Calling guests by their names.
• Providing recommendations and sales oriented descriptions.
• Having personal conversations with guests and sharing personal stories.
• Leaning towards the table and serving at eye level.
The fifth most influential variable that was not commonly practised by experienced staff was smiling at guests. Not surprising, is it? Some people may simply say they are tired. Either way, this is something we can improve very easily.
The fine dining restaurants examined in the paper generally avoid leaning towards the table, introducing staff by name, dressing in a flashy manner, or writing thank you notes on the bill. We agree with everything except avoiding staff introductions. This characteristic demonstrated a strong effect, and in Israeli restaurants, where service is highly personal, there is no reason to give it up. What else should fine dining and upper casual restaurants focus on from the list above? Smiling, personal stories, recommendations and sales oriented descriptions, professional communication at eye level, and consistently delivering highly personal service that exceeds guests’ expectations.
Casual dining and fast food restaurants can probably skip introducing staff by name, as it may have a negative effect. Instead, they should focus on recommendations and sales oriented descriptions, personal conversations with guests, smiling, calling guests by their names, creating a distinctive team appearance, and communicating at eye level.
Finally, one important point. There is no cumulative effect. As managers, it is enough to select only a few behaviours that are relevant to your restaurant, according to its concept, location, and style of service, and ask your team to implement them. Once you have introduced these behaviours during your briefings, you should begin monitoring daily service percentage reports, reviewing changes, and tracking trends. Remember, it is not enough to teach and discuss these behaviours. They must also be reinforced throughout every shift.
You can find the papers we reviewed here:
Lynn, M. (1996). Seven Ways to Increase Servers’ Tips. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 37(3), 24–29.
Lynn, M., & McCall, M. (2009). Techniques for Increasing Servers’ Tips: How Generalizable Are They? Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 50(2), 198–208.
Notes
[1] For further reading: Lynn, M. (1996). Seven Ways to Increase Servers’ Tips. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 37(3), 24–29.
[2] It should be noted that Lynn assumes in his paper that there are additional intervening variables that may influence how well the study’s findings apply to any specific restaurant (Lynn, 2009).
[3] For further reading: Lynn, M. (2009). https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=articles
[4] For further reading: Lynn, M. (1996). Seven Ways to Increase Servers’ Tips. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 37(3), 24–29.
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