This is a peppermill. You’ve probably seen one used to grind peppercorns before, but not at our restaurant—at least if you’ve had any of the other servers that work there.
Most of my co-workers find it amusing that I even bother, which is fine, because I openly tell them what fools they are for not using it. I ask every single table that orders a salad if they’d care for ground pepper and while more say no than yes, it’s still very much the thought that counts. And what’s more, customers who do take me up on the offer are usually quite happy that I even thought to ask.
So, it’s free money, as I see it. These are the types of things that add another buck or two your tip and ultimately, I feel, why I generally walk out of Applebee’s on most nights with more money than my co-workers.
We had two peppermills at the restaurant, but one has been broken for months now. I finally threw it away the other night, convinced that we only really needed one anyway.
Every once in a great while, I do get the pleasure of having a younger employee actually get a request from a table for ground pepper and then the server has to ask me, “How do I even use this thing?”
I did, however, feel that back when I worked at a T.G.I.Friday’s in the neighborhood, one of my co-workers there who actually did use the peppermill went a little over the top by trying to perform a flair routine with the thing. The guy obviously wanted to move up to bartending, but flipping the thing around usually can send peppercorns flying all over the place and thus negate whatever bonus you were hoping to add to your tip. I mean, sprinkling the stuff on a salad is one thing, but you’re not Tom Cruise here.
