(Ecco, 306 pages, $24.99)
Back when Steve Dublanica waited tables for a living, he spent “almost as much time fretting over tips as serving customers,” said Victorino Matus in The Wall Street Journal. But as this self-appointed “guru of the gratuity” noticed, and studies have confirmed, “the tips a waiter receives only rarely reflect the quality of service provided.” In this “funny and fascinating” book, Dublanica delves into such paradoxes as he takes readers across the country and behind the scenes at strip clubs, hair salons, and other places where tips are tendered. “Even seasoned service veterans might be surprised” by some of his discoveries, said Darren Garnick in the Boston Herald. For example, bathroom attendants often pay for those breath mints and other sundries that seem free for the taking. Although Dublanica finds that many tips are “motivated by guilt, fear, or a need for self-validation,” he also learns that, behind most tips, “there is no rhyme or reason.”
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