Business
Business

Touching customers earns servers better tips?

By Matt Kempner
Dec 3, 2015

Dining out any time soon? If so, pay attention to whether servers touch you or squat beside your table.

It could convince you to leave a better tip, according to a hospitality researcher.

Waiters and waitresses also can boost gratuities by writing “Thank you” on the check or drawing on it, according to Cornell University professor Michael Lynn’s research.

Click here to find out what else works and how the world of gratuities is undergoing a revolution (finally), in the latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Matt Kempner is an award-winning journalist who seeks out intriguing twists about people and subjects beyond what the AJC might typically cover. A former columnist and editor, his past assignments have included business investigations, energy, the economy, entrepreneurs, big business, consumer spending, politics, government and the environment.

Follow Matt Kempner on facebookFollow Matt Kempner on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Fans gather before the World Cup draw party at Buckhead Village in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

‘Bienvenidos a Atlanta!’: Business leaders ready to woo World Cup travelers

Pat Wilson, Georgia’s top economic development official, said the World Cup will present the most exposure Atlanta has seen since the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

One of Georgia’s biggest companies is getting into outdoor recreation

Cox Outdoors will bring together recent investments in KUIU and Loop Tackle and planned future ventures in outdoor recreation.

Why a metro Atlanta investor group is starting a new bank

A group of longtime community bankers is attempting to start Georgia Skyline Bank, based in Roswell.

The Latest

A new kind of hybrid, called e-Power, is coming to the U.S. from Nissan. Courtesy of Nissan

Credit: Courtesy of Nissan

OPINION

Nissan’s e-Power: An EV driving experience, fueled by gas

OPINION

December car sales are good but not magic

In the market for a luxury vehicle? You might reconsider Lincoln.

Featured

Democrat Eric Gisler celebrated his Tuesday election victory at the Trappeze Pub in Athens, Ga. (AP)

Credit: AP

POLITICALLY GEORGIA

How Georgia Democrats pulled off a special election stunner

Democrat Eric Gisler won in a district designed to favor Republicans. Now, GOP leaders are sounding the alarm ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Developer scales back UGA President’s House hotel plan after opposition

A developer has scaled back his proposed hotel on the site of the University of Georgia's historic 'President's House' after Athens residents opposed construction.

Newton man’s pacemaker helped solve his murder. His killer gets life in prison.

Melvin Cooksey’s pacemaker led authorities to his remains and ultimately his killer, caregiver Danetta Knoblauch. She faces sentencing after her murder conviction.

2h ago