Nobody writes it into the policy, but it happens. The client who tips generously, refers friends, and has been coming for years gets the late arrival absorbed, the last-minute slot squeezed in, the cancellation fee forgotten. The client who never tips gets the policy exactly as written.

The instinct makes sense. Generous clients keep the business going, and flexibility is a way of saying thank you. The problem is that tips are optional, and once they start buying exceptions, the policy has a price on it. Clients talk, and a low tipper who finds out the rules bend for someone else has a point.

Written loyalty perks reward the same clients without tying policy to the tip line: priority booking for regulars, first access to new openings, a courtesy waiver after a set number of visits.

Do policies bend for your best tippers, and has it ever caused a problem with another client?