To Tip, or Not to Tip

So, lately, I've been looking at articles and blogs about restaurants, and there's one thing I've noticed REALLY tends to rile up everyone and their brother.  This topic literally hijacks entire comment sections in articles about totally different topics.*

Tipping.

Some people say it's voluntary, other's say it's not; some people say that 15% is an "average" tip, other's say 25% is "okay"; some people get all kerfuffled and refuse to tip, citing that federal law requires all employees to make up the difference between "restaurant wage" and legal "minimum wage" for their staff, and for every person like that is a server who has only worked at places where the management refuses to do such a thing, and fires anyone who asks.  Some people tip, but will not leave so much as a piece of pocket lint for what they feel constitutes bad service, and others vilify those people for not leaving "at least" a penny, if not 10%.

Another interesting thing someone brought up at one of my recent family gathering was shared checks, wherein one party pays, but the other has a differing opinion on the tip given.  Some people admitted to leaving a tip when the person who picked up the check didn't leave one.  Others admitted to taking a tip off of the table and either returning it or - in the case of one now-shamed family member - pocketing the cash.  Interestingly, in the case of a credit card, the pro-tippers still tended to leave cash on the table, while those who disagree generally cross out the tip line.

So all of this brings me to my question: What is proper tipping protocol?

Now, before anyone asks me exactly how I feel on tipping, let me just get it all out of the way: I tip.  I have walked out without tipping once before, when I felt that a server did not treat me with any form of common courtesy (not even a smile!); it is not a habit of mine.  I do have a "usual percentage" that I try to stay around, but I'd rather not say what that is.  I wouldn't mind paying higher prices to abolish tipping - it seems so hard, to not know exactly what you'll bring home any given hour - but until that happens, I won't go out to eat unless I can cover my meal and tip.

I understand how some people get frustrated when they go out to eat, see a $20 pricetag on their meal, and realize they'll have to add an extra $4 to their bill for because that's now what's expected. For them, it seems like false advertising ib the menu, and I sympathize.  In this day and age, and within this city, though, people need to eat, and in order to eat, they need to work.  It's hard to insist on proper wages when management knows that there will be someone else out there willing to work for less than $3 an hour, while just being thankful for a job.  Unfortunately, the system has been so warped that we, the consumer, now have to pay what should be an extra (for recognition of good service) to help people make ends meet, instead of their employers doing it.

Here comes question #2: Do you have a tipping procedure?

Want to answer me?  Feel free to Tweet me:

Twitter.com/@FRestRevs

Or email me:

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

Or visit the brand new Facebook page!

Facebook.com/flintmirestaurants

(*For an example of this, I recommend:

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/08/08/8-restaurant-surcharges-that-dont-make-sense-and-8-that-do/)

How a Farmers' Market Helps the Community

Ever walked into a grocery store - or any store, really - and just been overwhelmed by the selection of items on the shelves? Have you ever looked at a piece of meat or a vegetable and wondered how to use it, but no one seems to know?  Do you know from where your produce comes?  A lot of people, myself included, cannot always answer these questions in a positive way.  A lot of people just don't care, and want the cheapest price for the items on their grocery lists, and that's fine - we all have our way of doing things.

Some of us, though, enjoy being able to establish a rapport with our food providers.  Some of us want to know exactly what we're buying, where it's from, and how to use it, and we want a personal touch added to our shopping experience.  Some of us want to help the Flint Area become a more self-sustaining and viable community.  For those of us, a farmers' market is a dream come true.

Farmers' Markets, at their core, allow producers to sell their goods directly to a customer, without having to use a middle man, such as a grocery store or other store-front.  As such, the producer receives a larger cut of the profits than they would when dealing with a corporation.  On the other hand, they are required to ship their own product to the location of the market, as well as pay a small fee to sell there, meaning that the product may be more expensive than a big-box store.

Unfortunately, farmers' markets are usually only seasonal, due to the availability of appropriate weather.  Does that make them any less important?  Absolutely not!  People are more likely to get out in the summertime, and having an extra place to visit is always a good thing; if they can purchase a few veggies or a pound of meat, and help support those in our community, so much the be tter!  Why not help keep our hard-earned money in the community?

The Flint Farmers' Market even tries to help those who are on government assistance to be able to purchase local, fresh goods: some vendors can accept bridge cards.  Going one step further is their program, a State program known as "Double Up Food Bucks", which allows a consumer to double their available Bridge Card purchasing power, up to $20.  It's a wonderful thing for those of us on government assistance, and in this economy, everyone knows someone who could use that knowledge.

The Flint Farmers' Market is open all year: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-5, and Saturdays, 8-5.  Their location will soon be changing, as they plan to move downtown next year!  You can find more information about the Flint Farmer's Market here: http://flintfarmersmarket.com/

The FFM isn't the only market in the Flint Area!  There are also:

•The Grand Blanc City Farmers' Market (Sun 10AM-3PM, Wed 4-7PM)

cityofgrandblanc.com/NewsEvents/FarmersMarket/tabid/5439/Default.aspx

•The Linden Farmers' Market (Wed 5-8PM)

facebook.com/pages/Linden-Farmers-Market/115266028486885

•The Durand Farmers' Market (Wed 10AM-3PM)

local-farmers-markets.com/market/2420/durand/durand-union-station-farmers-market

•The Fenton Farmers' Market (Thu 5-8PM)

facebook.com/pages/Fenton-Farmers-Market/109982129029582

And those were just off the top of my head!  I'm sure there are more that I don't know about, all hoping to help those in their community succeed, one tomato at a time!

If you happen to know of any other Farmers' Markets in the Flint Area, you can contact me via email or by Twitter: 

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

OR

twitter.com/FRestRevs

Tap Takeovers: When Brewery and Restaurant Combine

Have you ever gone to a bar or restaurant and lamented about their beer selection?  Ever wonder why craft brews only seem to have one or two taps, and the rest are devoted to mainstream beers that only really appeal to some?  Ever choked down a "watered-down" brew just to have a beer with dinner?  Not interested in beer, but have to hear this from a beer aficionado every time that you end up dining out together?  Well, a new type of dining experience has popped up in the Flint area within the last few years, one that seems to please both food- and beer-lovers: Tap Takeovers.

In their most simple form, tap takeovers are exactly what they sound like: a brewery will come into a bar or restaurant and literally "take over" every tap that the place has.  Quite often, it's no where near that large, as either the brewery can't handle an operation that large due to time restraints or other issues, or the place being "taken over" can't open up all of their taps, for whatever reason.  In those cases, the bar area will usually have a takeover menu printed, but other beers can be ordered off of the menu.

Another thing about tap takeovers are the length.  Quite often, they will last a few hours, even up to a day; representatives of the brewery may show up and stay around, to answer any questions about their operation.  However, sometimes, a bar will continue the takeover on their own, until every last keg is drained dry, so as to not lose those profits.  That is why I recommend, if you wish to attend a tap takeover near you, but not have to deal with all of the people, that you call the location of the takeover, to see if they plan on keeping the extra beers on tap after the takeover.

Sometimes, a restaurant can't afford to host a complete tap takeover; unlike bars, they have people coming in at all times of the day, and the regulars may protest the removal of certain beers.  Many of these restaurants instead put together a sort of "beer dinner", where they pair specific brews to courses on their menu.  These are rather fun to take part in, and definitely a good experience for both beer-geek and foodie alike.

As mentioned before, these types of events have become a lot more popular in the Flint area.  It appears that the owners of Flint area bars have heard their patrons' pleas for a structured, yet adult, night out.  Indeed, there are a few local events coming up soon!:

At Alexander J's, located just north of the Fenton/Hill intersection, they will be hosting a Bell's Brewery Dinner on August 8th.  They plan on having 4 courses, complete with 4 different brews, for $44, and will only have 50 tickets available, go get them before they're gone!

See the details here: http://ow.ly/i/2Hrum

Check out their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/alexanderjs.smokehouse.1

A little birdie told me that Table & Tap, located on the corner of 2nd St. and S. Saginaw in Downtown Flint, is planning on having a tap takeover by Kuhnhenn Brewery, sometime this September!  I recently tried Kuhnhenn's DRIPA, and let me just say that, for a Double IPA, That thing is DANGEROUS.  Very mellow, very smooth, but I hear that's the virtue of rice over wheat.  I will definitely post more on this takeover as I find out!  In the meantime, check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/tableandtap

Hot Diggity Dog - It's "National" Hot Dog Month!

Around here, if you ask a "Flintstone" about Flint, there are three different topics that will probably be brought up:

1. The crime/violence in the city.

2. GM (good or bad, depending on the person).

3. Their favorite coney island.

Flint residents definitely know a thing or two about a "real" coney.  We know that the only coneys worth eating are made with Koegel brand dogs, covered in thick sauce that is more the consistency of taco meat than chili, and topped with mustard and onions.  We know that a Detroit coney is a great hot dog, but the soupy topping is a chili sauce, not a coney.

This month is considered "National" Hot Dog Month, and I am planning on visiting as many coney islands as I can, including, of course, Angelo's.

If you have any places you think I should visit, feel free to contact me at:

localflintrestaurants@gmail.com

Or

twitter.com/FRestRevs