Feedback

Dollie,

Got to your site through the LVA daily question. I find it interesting from your point of view, but you must be a rarity as a cocktail waitress. I have visited Vegas many times, Reno as well, over the last 40 years and have played just about every game at every floor monetary level. I've been living in Vegas for two years now, retired here, and my cocktail waitress service experience has given me a different picture than the one you paint. For one, the lower the play limit, the poorer the service. I have played penny slots for the fun of the animations and all the way through the limits to high limit poker for the income. Regardless of limit, I've always tipped my drink waitress accordingly and have always ordered my drinks in the proper manner. I know your job is not an easy one, and God forbid I should ever worked at it as I would not last a shift without belting a "customer" so I do admire your strengths. However, my personal experience has taught me that a truly good and professional cocktail waitress is far and few between. All I desire from a waitress is a friendly attitude, not in a rush and hurry up mood, and patient enough to deal with me (I've never kept a waitress longer than a minute).

In the lower limit pits or floors, the waitress will just walk by, rather rapidly, announcing "cocktails". She either has to be yelled at (because she is so far away and all I yell is "cocktail") or chased down to place a drink order and then put up with her "attitude". Can you believe this, I've even had to chase down waitresses to give them their tip as they just slowed down just enough to set my drink down without spilling it and moved on expecting me not to tip. As play limits increase, this becomes less of a problem, but I have still had problems with waitresses bypassing me when taking orders and being rather rude to me as I approach them to place an order after she has passed me by, what's up with that! You might call the pit girls divas but they do give better service and with friendlier attitudes for the most part but they have their faults as well. However, the pit waitress faults are mainly common human error but they will apologize for any inconvenience and correct the error immediately, not during the next round. I do feel for the waitresses in the high limit pits as for some reason, those cheap high rolling bastards won't even tip and they are dumb enough to wonder why I get better service than they do.

If your working mostly slots, try to remember that the slots are the most favored of games as they take the least amount of skill or knowledge to play and the least embarrassing when a mistake is made. So yes, you will get the dumb questions from the slot players and yes, they will not know how to do anything correctly. Sadly enough Dollie, it's the cocktail waitresses job to not only realize those facts but to also put up with the "inexperienced" customer. Helping someone to not appear "clueless" will most likely get you some bigger tips and better customers. Just start their education with "First time in Vegas?".

Jackie

Hi Jackie,

Some casinos have rules against waitresses who wait around for a tip, they consider this "hustling." So if you don't have your tip clearly visible and ready to go, a waitress may assume you won't tip and be required to move on.

If you do get caught off-guard and have to dig in your purse for money, you should say, "Hold on a sec, I want to tip you." I know it's happened to me, where I stood around waiting for someone get their tip out only to have them take out a player's card and insert it in the machine. Or they were really just looking for a piece of gum. Or some other bullshit. And now I've just wasted time and look like a complete asshole to boot. I've actually have people who've said, "What are you waiting for?" And I've actually said, "I thought you were going to tip me." This is why a tip should be ready, so there is no confusion on anyone's part.