I worked at the Swallow in the 80s, shortly after you left, Ruth. It was still exactly as you describe it here. Thanks for the memories! I’ll never forget having an insurance salesman come in to sell us health insurance. He asked for the manager. I said, “I’m one of them.” He proceeded to brag that his plans didn’t cover abortion or contraception, hence lower premiums. Took me 10 seconds to shoo him out the door.
Re Tipping: I spent 25 years in the kitchen and am a good tipper now. Recently I was reviewing my work receipts and noticed a receipt that had 18% (I think) added to the check due to us being a larger party. Well I didn't notice that and tipped another 20% on top of it! Thank God it was the company card and not my personal card. LOL
Thank you from one ex-waitress to another. I have no idea what the solution is I did used to file my own Social Security tips statements and you know later when I got Social Security it made a big difference
This past year a restaurant group in Charlotte, added a “tip the kitchen” admonishment to the regular, tip line in the bill. And later openly posted how much money they raised (which I will admit, they say they match). Now, in most restaurants in NC tips go to the server. And cook staff is paid at set salary. I found this to be very obnoxious. No discourse on how the tip was split? Cooks?, souschefs? dishwashers? Cleaning crew? I don’t think it’s up to me to make those decisions. If you have to tip your kitchen, make it a mandatory % and do the math yourself, as one restaurant in Charlotte has announced a mandatory 23% tip on meals. I’m ok with that, I can choose if I want go to that restaurant or not, but don’t present me with a bill that makes me regret I set foot in the place. And by the way, I usually tip 20%, more if it’s deserved.
Re Tipping V2. Am I the only one that when the check is split peeks at the others to see what they tip? I remember we were leaving one of the better hotels in OC and my friend said "I got the tip" and noticed he had a dollar in his hand. "That's ok...I got it." I told him. LOL
Re: The Swallow. When I was a freshman at Cal I became a tour guide at the University Art Museum. Inspired by a tour I was given on a High School field trip in 1973 by perhaps you? Anyway, my sister joined me for lunch one afternoon in the Swallow. She asked the waitress if she could have the recipe for the coconut pound cake and the Harvest Bars. Sure, said the waitress, but you have to write it down yourself. We were led into the kitchen. The recipes were written on the wall. Luckily I had lots of paper and we began scribbling down each recipe. Still bake both.
On tipping and the general welfare of restaurant staff - I have the impression that the working conditions for restaurant staff are mostly un-regulated in this country - with widespread abuse of wages and safety measures. I often peek inside kitchens when I visit restaurants, sometimes noting crowded, poorly lit and inadequately ventilated kitchens. Where I live in metro Washington, D.C. the typical restaurant cook is either a low-wage immigrant or ex-convict with few options for employment. Thank you for drawing our attention to the tip of the iceberg!
I thought tips were taxable now, and for that reason generally tossed into a pool and split among employees nightly? I figured Social Security would be a part of that....
A friend of mine in college became a craps dealer in Las Vegas, and I remember him losing it in the mid-Eighties when the IRS said they were going to start demanding records of tips so they could tax them. I seriously thought he was going to take his gun collection and head for the hills to shoot it out with "Revenooers"(!) - but he eventually went along with it, because even after taxes he was still making 10x more a week than anybody else we knew.
Re: potatoes au gratin. I have a cassadou pan from Le Creuset--3.75 qts, 10.5 in across. I am wondering about cooking the potatoes in the milk and cream right in the pan and then adding the cheese and baking. It wouldn't be a buttered gratin dish but would that really make a difference? I like the idea of one pan for cooking and clean-up, and the cassadou is pretty for serving. Thoughts and opinions are welcome. Thanks!
yuummmmm - can't wait to peel the potatoes when I get home, stopping for cream on the way...also, sometimes the credit card receipt automatically has that tip line to fill in? I waitressed in the 90's at a very expensive French restaurant in Chicago and they took our income taxes out of expected tip earnings (that we had to declare) so our paychecks were miniscule but some (married with kids) people got refunds April 15th. I hadn't waitressed for long but the guys who'd been there forever were always bemoaning the good old days with their piles of undeclared cash. SO - I would have tipped at that restaurant too!
I worked at the Swallow in the 80s, shortly after you left, Ruth. It was still exactly as you describe it here. Thanks for the memories! I’ll never forget having an insurance salesman come in to sell us health insurance. He asked for the manager. I said, “I’m one of them.” He proceeded to brag that his plans didn’t cover abortion or contraception, hence lower premiums. Took me 10 seconds to shoo him out the door.
Re Tipping: I spent 25 years in the kitchen and am a good tipper now. Recently I was reviewing my work receipts and noticed a receipt that had 18% (I think) added to the check due to us being a larger party. Well I didn't notice that and tipped another 20% on top of it! Thank God it was the company card and not my personal card. LOL
Thank you from one ex-waitress to another. I have no idea what the solution is I did used to file my own Social Security tips statements and you know later when I got Social Security it made a big difference
This past year a restaurant group in Charlotte, added a “tip the kitchen” admonishment to the regular, tip line in the bill. And later openly posted how much money they raised (which I will admit, they say they match). Now, in most restaurants in NC tips go to the server. And cook staff is paid at set salary. I found this to be very obnoxious. No discourse on how the tip was split? Cooks?, souschefs? dishwashers? Cleaning crew? I don’t think it’s up to me to make those decisions. If you have to tip your kitchen, make it a mandatory % and do the math yourself, as one restaurant in Charlotte has announced a mandatory 23% tip on meals. I’m ok with that, I can choose if I want go to that restaurant or not, but don’t present me with a bill that makes me regret I set foot in the place. And by the way, I usually tip 20%, more if it’s deserved.
Re Tipping V2. Am I the only one that when the check is split peeks at the others to see what they tip? I remember we were leaving one of the better hotels in OC and my friend said "I got the tip" and noticed he had a dollar in his hand. "That's ok...I got it." I told him. LOL
Thank you for sharing! I’m making the potatoes for my family this week.
Thank you! Our Christmas dinner is now set.
Re: The Swallow. When I was a freshman at Cal I became a tour guide at the University Art Museum. Inspired by a tour I was given on a High School field trip in 1973 by perhaps you? Anyway, my sister joined me for lunch one afternoon in the Swallow. She asked the waitress if she could have the recipe for the coconut pound cake and the Harvest Bars. Sure, said the waitress, but you have to write it down yourself. We were led into the kitchen. The recipes were written on the wall. Luckily I had lots of paper and we began scribbling down each recipe. Still bake both.
On tipping and the general welfare of restaurant staff - I have the impression that the working conditions for restaurant staff are mostly un-regulated in this country - with widespread abuse of wages and safety measures. I often peek inside kitchens when I visit restaurants, sometimes noting crowded, poorly lit and inadequately ventilated kitchens. Where I live in metro Washington, D.C. the typical restaurant cook is either a low-wage immigrant or ex-convict with few options for employment. Thank you for drawing our attention to the tip of the iceberg!
I am loving your column. Thank you, Happy Holidays!
I thought tips were taxable now, and for that reason generally tossed into a pool and split among employees nightly? I figured Social Security would be a part of that....
A friend of mine in college became a craps dealer in Las Vegas, and I remember him losing it in the mid-Eighties when the IRS said they were going to start demanding records of tips so they could tax them. I seriously thought he was going to take his gun collection and head for the hills to shoot it out with "Revenooers"(!) - but he eventually went along with it, because even after taxes he was still making 10x more a week than anybody else we knew.
The Swallow! Helen!! Thank you for this :)
Re: potatoes au gratin. I have a cassadou pan from Le Creuset--3.75 qts, 10.5 in across. I am wondering about cooking the potatoes in the milk and cream right in the pan and then adding the cheese and baking. It wouldn't be a buttered gratin dish but would that really make a difference? I like the idea of one pan for cooking and clean-up, and the cassadou is pretty for serving. Thoughts and opinions are welcome. Thanks!
Love the swallow Collective story Nice Slice of reality
yuummmmm - can't wait to peel the potatoes when I get home, stopping for cream on the way...also, sometimes the credit card receipt automatically has that tip line to fill in? I waitressed in the 90's at a very expensive French restaurant in Chicago and they took our income taxes out of expected tip earnings (that we had to declare) so our paychecks were miniscule but some (married with kids) people got refunds April 15th. I hadn't waitressed for long but the guys who'd been there forever were always bemoaning the good old days with their piles of undeclared cash. SO - I would have tipped at that restaurant too!