In Amber Robinson’s seventeen years as a Tucson Applebee’s waitress, her standard sign-off on customers’ bills has always been “Amber,” followed by a smiley face. As she puts it, “That’s not always an honest depiction of how I feel, but I like to give that extra personal touch that tells them I am a human being.”
This past Saturday, however, Robinson felt particularly locked-in and connected with a group of customers at table seven. All her jokes were hitting, they really took to her crouch-down-to-the-table-level move, and she anticipated their need for re-fills with psychic talent. She felt that this could be it, the big one; the kind of tip that might help her pay her overdue electric bill. So when the time did come to give the bill, Robinson gave an effusive, “No rush, guys, really. Thanks!” and laid down an unprecedented signature: the usual “Amber”/ smiley face combo, with an added, affectionate “XO.”
It was risky, but Amber felt exhilarated. But she watched the faces on table seven go from comfortable bemusement to confusion as they passed around the bill, put on their eyeglasses, and shrugged their shoulders – Robinson knew it had backfired. She had gone too far. After all they had been through together, they had given her a fifteen-percent tip. As the couples made their way out, they avoided eye contact with Robinson; although she was crushed on the inside, she offered her usual “Thanks, guys!” as they exited the restaurant.
