10.21 Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Upward: Demanding Mandatory Tipping (Obj. 4) Team…

10.21 Persuasive Organizational Message Flowing Upward: Demanding Mandatory Tipping (Obj. 4)

Team

Centered in the heart of a 2,400-acre Florida paradise, the Bayside Inn Golf and Beach Resort offers gracious hospitality and beautiful

  330accommodations. Its restaurant, Dolphin Watch, overlooks the scenic Choctawhatchee Bay, a perfect place to spy dolphins. As a server in the Dolphin Watch, you enjoy working in this resort setting—except for one thing. You have occasionally been “stiffed” by a patron who left no tip. You know your service is excellent, but some customers just don’t get it. They seem to think that tips are optional, a sign of appreciation. For servers, however, tips are 80 percent of their income.

In a recent New York Times article, you learned that some restaurants—such as the famous Coach House Restaurant in New York—automatically add a 15 percent tip to the bill. In Santa Monica the Lula restaurant prints “gratuity guidelines” on checks, showing customers what a 15 or 20 percent tip would be. You also know that American Express recently developed a gratuity calculation feature on its terminals. This means that diners don’t even have to do the math!

Your Task. Because they know you are studying business com- munication, your fellow servers have asked you to write a serious letter to Nicholas Ruiz, General Manager, Bayside Inn Golf and Beach Resort, 9300 Emerald Coast Parkway West, Sandestin, FL 32550-7268. Persuade him to adopt mandatory tipping guidelines in the restau- rant. Talk with fellow servers (your classmates) to develop logical persuasive arguments.