Featured Image Credit: ColobusYeti via Getty Images
Topics: TikTok
Rachael Davis
Hospitality work is a tough gig no matter where you are, but in the US things can be particularly tricky.
It comes down to the general trend of establishments paying very little in base wages, with the bulk of a server’s earnings coming from tips.
With this in mind, waiting staff are encouraged to do their utmost to haul in some big gratuities. Excellent service is a given, but there are some other tricks they might have up their sleeves to squeeze a little more from each customer.
In a viral TikTok video from Dillon Brooks (@citizenscientist), we were treated to one of these techniques, with some saying it amounts to a real-life ‘Jedi mind trick’.
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If you’re not familiar with Jedi mind tricks, they’re a technique used by the Jedi of the Star Wars universe to manipulate ‘weak-minded’ targets. A flutter of the hand, a touch of magic, and before you know it the Stormtroopers are waving you along.
Dillion shared two such psychology-based tricks that can be employed in a shift - positive reinforcement and mirroring - to see which proved more effective at winning big tips.
Positive reinforcement amounts to rewarding particular behaviours with encouragement or rewards.
In the waiting world, this might come in the form of your server saying “great choice” when you make a selection from the menu.
The other technique, mirroring, is about reflecting someone’s behaviour back at them, such as with gestures, use of language, and clothing.
Dillion explained how a waitress practised this by repeating customers’ orders back to them, and the method seemed to be particularly effective.
According to Dillion, mirroring yielded a 70% increase in that waitress's tips, almost doubling the usual rate.
He explained in the video that mirroring is particularly popular among FBI agents whilst conducting their investigations.
Apparently, agents themselves refer to mirroring as a ‘real-life Jedi mind trick’, with the method being a remarkably easy way to build a connection with a stranger.
“You see, by repeating back what someone says, you trigger their biological need to connect,” explains Brooks.
“You trigger trust, a sense of security and you make them actually want to build a relationship with you.
This subtle brand of connective manipulation has stunned Dillion’s viewers, with dozens taking to the comments to share their thoughts.
“I thought I did this to get everything clear thorough and over with,” said one person. “People like it though, they definitely respond well to this.”
Another added: “Great content! I'm going to share this with my daughter who works at Starbucks.”
In these fraught financial times, it’s important to head to work with a full arsenal of tricks to make it worth your while, especially if you’re relying on tips to pay the bills.
May the Force with you.