Wait Staff Ask for Turkeys, Not Tips, This Holiday Season

A local waitress and bartender are eschewing traditional dinner etiquette this holiday season by asking residents to save their change for stuffing stockings and gift bags — not to leave it on the table.

Instead of asking for gratuity, two employees at Hagan's Grill would rather have patrons give them turkeys for their service next week.

Bartender Jill Essigmann and waitress Jennifer Coughlin will collect the holiday bird of choice instead of tips on Tuesday, Dec. 11, as a part of Turkeys for Tips, which will help the Salvation Army provide holiday meals to local families in need.

"I'm a bit crazy because there are not too many bartenders who would take turkeys instead of tips during the holiday season," said Essigmann. "We are a bit crazy, but it is so much fun to give to the community."

Essigmann, who used to own Ron Jillian's, said she cooked up the idea last year as a way to help the Salvation Army, which was struggling to get donations due to numerous events and charities also raising money from the area's limited pool of donors.

"Last year so many people focused on the holiday parade and the Stanley Cup," she said. "Donations were great for that, but nobody was donating to the Salvation Army... So, I wanted to help and this is how it started."

The inaugural Turkeys for Tips was a "hit," so Essigmann said she's aiming for 200 turkeys — which is twice as many donated in 2011. Essigmann said many individuals donated birds before and after Turkeys for Tips because they couldn't attend the event itself, and she said numerous hams, potatoes, canned goods, pies and more were also donated by locals embracing the quirky take on a holiday food drive.

Essigmann has created a Facebook page for the event, and numerous individuals have expressed gratitude for Turkeys for Tips' return, including Mary Hollis Gerrish, whom Essigmann said tipped her off last year to the Salvation Army's donation struggles.

"Thank you Jill Essigmann for doing this again!! We very much appreciated it last year and are thankful that you are willing to do it again!" wrote Gerrish.

More information about Turkeys for Tips is available on the event's Facebook page, or by contacting Hagan's Grill.