The Check's Been Taken Care Of

If you're a chef's wife you know that one major and often overlooked perk of the job is free food! Sometimes I eat at restaurants thinking I'll get a free drink or two taken off the menu and then the bill comes and I feel like an idiot. Then again sometimes you think no one notices you're eating there and all of the sudden you're leaving a tip on a ONE CENT check. Well, I've quickly learned not to expect anything.

I have to say that working for Jean-Georges has given Erik and I plenty of times to be thankful when we eat at JGV family restaurants. I mean, the guy's not flying me to Vancouver to try his new dishes or anything, but Jean-Georges takes care of his own. So what to do when the server comes to your table and says that the bill has been taken care of? Not only have they comp'd your meal, but they sent extra courses, wine, and dessert. And since I never carry more than six bucks in cash, I have to sheepishly ask the server to run a bill for 1 penny, then leave a debit tip on that.

How to tip? How much do you leave when there is no bill? How much do you leave when they send tons of extra courses? How much do you tip when the service was awful for that matter? I always worry that I don't tip enough. And now with the restaurant industry suffering in NYC I feel a need to tip even more since other people who aren't able to-aren't.

What do you do when the check comes? Check out my new poll, too.

DCW_NYC
-Hilary-