I brought an 11-year-old on a bartending podcast. His name is Cam. He's my son. And somehow he made more sense than half the customers I deal with on a Saturday night.
This one's a little different. No bar stories. No bad tippers. Just a dad, his kid, and an honest conversation about what it's actually like to have a bartender for a parent.
Meet Cam
Cam wanted to be on the show. So blame him for this episode. He's 11, he's in junior high, and when he grows up he wants to be a defense attorney, because, and I'm quoting him directly here, he believes everyone deserves a second chance no matter what.
I asked him what he tells his friends about what I do for work.
If it's a friend who's nine or younger, I say you work at a restaurant. If it's my friends my age, I say you're a bartender. I'm not gonna tell a six-year-old that you work at a bar.
Kid's already reading the room better than most adults I serve.
What Do His Friends Think?
I asked if his friends thought it was cool or weird that his dad bartends.
Neither, honestly. They just think it's a job.
Fair enough. I also asked if he knew what time I get home from work on weekends. He guessed midnight. The real answer is around 2am, sometimes later.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, buddy. Welcome to the industry.
The Tipping Conversation
This is where it got good. I asked Cam if he knows what a tip is.
If you get good service and good food, instead of just paying the bill, you can leave like a five dollar bill on the table. I'm pretty sure it goes straight to the server.
Solid. Then I asked what he thinks is a fair tip.
Good service, good food, I think a generous $20.
We worked through the math on a $12 Denny's check. He landed on $5, which is around 40%. On a $70 tab he said $25, which is about 35%. The kid tips better than most adults I know and he's never had a job in his life.
I asked him why he'd tip well.
Because being a server, some days you have really rude people, some days nice people. They've got to talk to everyone no matter what, and serve them almost no matter what. I feel bad. And my mom's a server too.
His mom comes home upset sometimes, not usually about tips, but about how rude people can be. He's been watching that his whole life. And it landed.
Should You Go Out If You Can't Afford to Tip?
I pushed him on this one. I told him that in a lot of states, servers and bartenders make two dollars an hour. That tips aren't extra, they're income.
Two? Well, from that perspective, I think it would be a little disrespectful not to tip.
Then I asked the big question: if you can't afford to tip, should you go to a restaurant that expects one?
I wouldn't recommend it. I wouldn't go, oh yeah, you should go to a restaurant where the workers rely on tips. I wouldn't recommend that at all. But it's not gonna be like, no, you can't do that.
Eleven years old. Honest, fair, and more thoughtful about it than people twice his age who drop a dollar on a $40 tab and walk out feeling good about themselves.
The Hardest Part
I asked him what the hardest part is about me working nights and weekends.
Weekends. I get bored because my friends are usually busy with their families. I've asked you a few times if you can hang out. It's not annoying, it's just kind of disappointing. Not like I'm disappointed in you. It's just, oh man.
Yeah. That one hit. I said I was sorry. He told me I was fine.
He also pointed out the upside: when I do have days off, they're Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which means if we go somewhere, we're not standing in line with every other family in the metro. He called that one out himself. Smart kid.
What He Wants People to Know About Me
I asked him what he wants my listeners to know about his dad. He thought about it for a second.
Even though you may seem like a whole different person on the internet, and sometimes you call people names, you are still one of the nicest people I know. You may call somebody that online because they're making a dumb decision. But when people make mistakes, you never usually get overly mad. You're just kind of like, hey, stuff happens.
He also said I'm the same person online as I am at home. That I ask before I push him into things. That I'm respectful with the people who show up for the content.
I'll take it.
His Message to Bad Tippers
I saved this one for the end. What would you say to people who don't tip?
For the love of God, please stop tipping poorly. The servers rely on the tips. And if you're someone who says "well then don't be a server," you probably live in your grandmother's basement playing Call of Duty all day.
He's eleven. He said that. Unprompted. I did not coach him on that one.
And on his way out, he left the listeners with this:
Have a great day. And don't let something really little completely ruin everything. Hey, stuff happens.
That's my boy.