Ask George: If one attends a restaurant's soft opening, is a tip appropriate? —Dave G., St. Louis
A legitimate question--especially since a new restaurant seems to be opening up here every other day. Chances are that sooner or later you’ll be invited to a restaurant’s soft opening.
Restaurateurs handle soft openings several different ways: some charge attendees full-price, some half-price, and others provide this inaugural meal for free. In almost all cases, though (due to insurance and liability issues), alcoholic beverages are not complimentary.
The tipping rules in such situations are fairly straight-forward: tip at least the percentage as would be left in a normal restaurant situation (that is, 20% or more) based on what the check would have been had you been a full-price customer. If menu prices are not known at the time, estimate, and when in doubt, round up.
If the meal is fully comped, I always leave significantly more than 20%, reasoning that someone just bought my dinner, after all.
The purpose of soft openings is to see how the new kitchen and staff handles a customer load in real time conditions. It’s sometimes a bumpy ride--with experiences mostly good and often some bad--but always a fun one. Consider yourself privileged: you got a sneak peek and now have braggin' rights. There is a price to play: feedback. Post-meal input is not only appreciated, but expected, so be as honest and as detailed in your criticism as you can. Every nugget of feedback gets evaluated, every comment helps shape future policy, staff, and menu selection. Restaurants take their soft openings seriously—the invited guest should as well.
