Tipping money between fingers while hand shaking?

Question

When watching the soap opera Friends, people always give money to the receptionist who arranges clients' tables in a resturant in a very nice way: they put money between fingers, and then give it to the guy while shaking hands.

I am wondering, in Canada or US, do people actually do that in reality? Or this is just a movie thing? Thanks.

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

I've never, ever tipped the Maitre D at a restaurant to get a table, probably because I don't go to restaurants that are fancy enough to need a Maitre D.

At most restaurants, the host or hostess arranges for your table. Most restaurants take reservations/bookings so that when you arrive your table is ready. If you don't have a reservation, you wait. I have never tried to give the host/hostess a bribe to get me to the top of the list. Personally, I think doing that would be extremely tacky, like saying, "Hey, all you people who got here before me. I'm more important than you, so I'm going to buy a better place in line. Watch me as I get a table and you keep waiting, suckers!"

The tips you see in these TV shows and movies are when there are no tables available, but by offering a bribe, the Maitre D is able to "find" one. It's also used for a really good table - one in a nice position in the restaurant.

Maybe in big cities this does happen more often. They pass it to the person while shaking hands so no one else sees it - because it's not an ethical thing to do!

Anonymous · Answer

There are plenty of legitimate times to tip people in the US when the handshake pass would be appropriate. Tipping a parking valet comes to mind. Anybody I know who actually does this learned it from movies and the only people who do it are either ultra smooth or attempting to be so. But then I have lived my whole life in big cities like LA and NY.

Tipping money between fingers while hand shaking?

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