Are Parrot Heads Cheap?

Every year before we head off to Meetings Of The Minds, someone posts a reminder to tip well since Parrot Heads have a very poor reputation in Key West when it comes to gratuities. This year was no exception and Drifty encouraged us to add even more to the bottom line as a way to help out the folks who'd been hit very, very hard by Wilma (more on that subject later).

This year, there was a comment posted in the Key West paper after we left:

What's the difference between a Parrot Head and a canoe? A canoe tips."

Boy, did that stir people up. A lot of folks were not happy because they felt they tipped really well. Some people said it's still a matter of service level and they're not going to go overboard if the service doesn't warrant it. A few others reported seeing some low tips given out by fellow Parrot Heads while others reported comments from the Key West folks as to how well we were taking care of them.

I think that no matter what you do, there will always be those folks who are going to gripe that you're not giving them enough money. There are also going to be those folks who won't tip well. Nothing will change those two facts.

Pab and I are good tippers. We both worked in the service industry and we know how much work that is so we're usually 20% and above. We have adjusted down when the service was bad but we didn't this trip. I think our group overall was pretty generous with the tippage, too.

Some examples:

We spent an afternoon watching football at Jack Flatts. Five Miller Lites came to $15. I started the trend when I gave her a $20 and said, "We're good." Pab followed suit and so did the rest of our gang as we took turns buying rounds. Eric the Cheap Bastard was a little surprised that he didn't get any change back from her but the precedent had been set way before his turn and he was good with it when I explained that's what we were doing. I'd have to say we were pretty darn generous there and the service was great.

We got some indifferent service, too. Pab and I ate dinner at The Conch Republic and the waiter just wasn't very good. We ordered stuffed shrooms as an appetizer which he dropped off but didn't bring us plates until we asked. He also didn't stop by to ask about refills on our drinks. I still left him 20%.

I do have a theory as to how this reputation gets perpetuated. There are a lot of times where people are sitting at a table and other people join them. Someone leaves and they throw down some money to cover their part of the tab. When it's time to close out the bill, the money left isn't always enough. So, do the folks stuck with the tab pony up a lot of dough or do they put in what's fair for their portion only? Tough call, especially if the other people are ones you don't know so you can't hit them up later for their fair share.

Dunno the final answer on this one and it's sure to crop up again next year.

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