Tip the chef?
It’s one thing to tip waiters, but the kitchen staff?
A growing number of Columbus-area restaurants are inviting customers to buy beers for the folks in the kitchen, as a way of saying thanks.
“It’s an easy way to show some appreciation for people who are cooking the food,” said Bryan Ross, the general manager of the Brewdog pubs in the Short North and Franklinton.
Brewdog, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and Milestone 229 are among several area bars and restaurants that allow customers to buy beers for kitchen staff.
Brewdog’s menu features “Punk for Kitchen,” which allows customers to buy a $6 beer for the kitchen crew to enjoy when the shift ends. Punk IPA is one of Brewdog’s flagship beers, although the kitchen staff can choose among Brewdog’s Headliner beers.
At Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Downtown, customers can spend $8 to buy a “Bomber for the Kitchen,” a 22-ounce bottle of Wolf’s Ridge beer. The brewery says three or four customers a week will pony up the tip.
“It’s not anything too crazy, but it’s a nice little after-work congratulations,” said Corey Schlosser, general manager at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing. “It’s our way of saying thank you for the great meal that they are putting a lot of time and effort into.”
Schlosser thinks the trend will expand as Columbus grows.
“A lot of people are starting to have this foodie trend where they want to show an appreciation,” he said.
Milestone 229 has been inviting patrons to buy a beer for the kitchen crew — what the restaurant calls “Kitchen Beer” — since it opened in 2011.
“We feel it is important to show that all aspects of the restaurants are important,” said Chris Venci, assistant manager of the Downtown restaurant. “Sometimes people who cook the food are not as appreciated.”
He leaves the type of beer up to staff members, who can tip the bottle when the shift ends.
In a similar vein, Stein Brewing Co. in Mount Vernon has a “Buy a Friend a Beer” board where patrons can purchase a beer for an acquaintance who isn’t there at the time.
About once a week, owner David Stein will post a picture of the board on Facebook to let people know they have a beer waiting for them.
“It’s fun to see some of the reactions when they come in,” he said. “We have a big philosophy of paying it forward.”