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Washington State University

Repurposing Project
Tipping Reminders

Alex Cortez, Meagan Richards, Neil McDonough

English 402
Amy Petersilie
11/9/16

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November 9th, 2015
Professor Amy Petersilie
Director
Washington State University Global Campus
Dear Professor Petersilie,
My name is Alex Cortez and I am writing this letter to give you an overview of the repurposed
product that has been created. Neil, Meagan and I have compiled our resources and created a
project that will benefit many individuals within the food service industry, as well as the
restaurants where they are employed. Our team focused on California Pizza Kitchen; our
examples could be scaled and branded to fit the needs of other restaurants.
The food service industry is challenging, with many owners and managers struggling to maintain
staff tenure due to income insecurity and economic fluctuation. As gratuities often constitute a
significant portion of a servers income, we felt it important to offer ideas and materials to
encourage appropriate and consistent tipping practices. For our project, we decided to focus on
three products a pamphlet on customary tipping practices, a menu reminder and a guest check
insert that encourages the diner to review their receipt for suggestions on an appropriate gratuity.
The menu slogan we created will prompt guests that do not frequent full service restaurants who
may be unclear on tipping customs. The menu option will be in Appendix A; the two check
presenter inserts are in Appendix B and the brochure is laid out in Appendix C.
The work for our project was distributed evenly. Neil was responsible for creating and adding a
slogan on the menu. Meagan was responsible for providing the check inserts. I oversaw the
brochure that provides information on how much is appropriate for the service the guests
received, translated into three different languages. Neil submitted his menu on November 6th,
Meagan completed her check presenter inserts on the 4th of November, and I on the 9th.
We recommended that our repurposing project be used in other restaurants, especially in those
that see a large volume of tourists. These tipping reminders will benefit the overall moral and
tenure of restaurant staff by improving their income. The success of this project will be
determined by greater tipping percentages given to servers and improved quality of service and
staff morale in the restaurant.

Table of Contents

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Title Page:

Letter of Transmittal:

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary:

Introduction:

Research Methods:

Results:

Conclusion:

Recommendation:

Appendices:

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Executive Summary
The repurposed project that our group created aims to raise awareness regarding gratuities at
restaurants. We provided three ways to raise awareness through a table brochure, menu reminder
and a check insert. The reminders were designed to improve tips as to provide more financial
stability and thus more work satisfaction. We believe that servers with this security and
satisfaction will lead to a more pleasant customer experience and improved overall customer
satisfaction. The product was designed for California Pizza Kitchen, but can be used at any
restaurant.
Introduction
In this section of the report we will discuss the three components of our project and their goals.
The brochure is designed to engage the customers attention, and then as to explain how they
show their appreciation for the service received. The example percentages given in the brochure
fit within the standardized gratuity norms of U.S. restaurants. These are 15%, 18%, and 20%
respectively. Each percentage example will have bulleted points that would help a customer
determine how much they should tip. The brochure will be offered in the three most common
languages. The check presenter inserts are intended to draw the paying guests attention as they
are submitting their payment. The menu with the slogan will remind guests that they are in a fullservice restaurant that accepts gratuities, and provides another opportunity for guests to learn
how to best show appreciation for their service.
Research Methods
For this project, we went through several steps to complete our repurposing project. We began by
communicating early in the weeks through the Group Discussion Board to establish an
understanding of what is expected from each member of the group for the week. When we first
started our project, we intended to create a Facebook page that would allow individuals in the
restaurant community to discuss concerns regarding gratuities and how others have improved
them. Unfortunately, this project raised potential ethics and privacy concerns which necessitated
creating a different product.
We quickly decided on a new product, specifically three tipping-reminder display options, and
dispersed the work evenly between the three of us. Our audience is the customers that come into
the California Pizza Kitchen but not limited to CPK. The reminders we developed were to be
visually stimulating as to draw attention and prompt the customers to read the tipping reminders
and suggestions. This would hopefully generate improved tips for servers.
Our team used the Microsoft Suite to develop our check presenter inserts, brochure, and menu
slogan. By browsing different formatting options, we each came up with the best options for our
parts of the project and used similar images and branding to ensure consistency. Once we each
completed our respective products, we submitted them to our File Exchange and reviewed for
any needed edits.

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To utilize these products in a real-world situation there are design and content concerns to
consider. While the brochure offers three languages, the accuracy and diversity of the population
would will need to be verified. Another potential concern is that customers may not see the
reminders and that they do not guarantee the servers a higher gratuity.
Results
The final repurposed product that we created is made up of three parts to help customers tip
appropriately. The first part is a table brochure that will be placed on table tents to inform
customers about tipping. The second way entails placing a small note inside of the restaurants
menus that reminds people to tip and gives an example of an appropriate tipping amount for. The
third way is by placing a reminder in the check presenters when they receive the bill. All parts of
the project are provided in the appendix A, B and C. These reminders are beneficial to restaurant
owners and employees as they can increase the likelihood of increased gratuities.
Conclusions
As shown in the report, we have provided options for owners and managers looking to highlight
tipping customs and suggestions within their restaurants. All three of the options can be used
alone or in combination with each other, and they are customizable to different locations other
than California Pizza Kitchen. We have created a pamphlet that reviews tipping customs, a menu
tagline and two options for check inserts that can be viewed directly by the individual paying the
bill. A project such as this faces challenges as restaurants have various policies in place regarding
tipping procedures, with some choosing to be much subtler than others. Our project allows for
fluctuations in policy and preferences while still conveying the same information.
Recommendations
The project that we created was designed specifically to California Pizza Kitchen but it can be
used at any restaurant. Some restaurants already have similar tipping reminders being used, but
many restaurants do not. The project is successful because it offers restaurant owners various
ways to provide customers with information about tipping. It also provides a guideline for people
who are unsure how much they should tip. One way that it is unsuccessful is that customers can
still choose to not tip. This is where an automatic gratuity system could be used instead,
especially for large parties.

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Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C