Robbins' Waiter Ovation

A story about how Tony Robbins turned a great dining experience into an unforgettable moment for a young waiter.

"Tony Robbins was at a restaurant with his family for dinner. The waiter was great - he had this big group, everybody needed different things, and this waiter was so kind and hustling. He was making everybody laugh, did magic tricks for my daughter. He was this young kid, about 21 years old.

At the end of the dinner, Tony knew he wanted to leave a nice tip, but then thought 'What would make this a magic moment for this kid?' He told his group, 'When this guy comes out with our to-go boxes, we're going to give him a standing ovation. This waiter's been amazing.'

The whole table stood up and started cheering for the guy as he came forward. The waiter was confused, asking 'Is everything okay?' Then Tony said 'I need to talk to your manager.' When the manager came over, Tony said 'Look, I've been coming to this restaurant for a long time. This is the best experience I've had. This waiter was amazing and really made the night for our family. Thank you for hiring this kid.'

The story apparently goes on - I think his daughter ended up marrying this guy. The lesson was about doing that extra 10-20% that doesn't take much more effort or money, just creativity to make someone feel special."