I got more tips at Olive Garden by giving out free dessert and I didn't mind breaking the rules to make people happy

Here's how to get more tips as a server, from a waitress who says she gave away free food and wore pigtails to earn more money at Olive Garden.

• Thais Rodriguez worked as a server for two years at an Olive Garden restaurant in Florida.
• She said after she started giving away free desserts, her tips sometimes doubled.
• Rodriguez would also wear makeup and put her hair in pigtails to get more tips.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Thais Rodriguez, a 21-year-old former server at Olive Garden in Florida. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I worked at Olive Garden for two years and while I did, I found a way to get much higher tips as a server. It wasn't technically allowed, but it worked.

How did I do it? I gave customers free stuff.

I got the idea from when I went out to eat at a restaurant where a server gave me and my group free dessert. We all ended up tipping her much higher than the suggested 20% and that got me thinking. 

When I went to my next shift at Olive Garden, I decided to give away free dessert 

It was pretty easy to do. Sometimes I'd ask people if they'd ever tried the cheesecake before and if they said no, I'd give them a piece and say, "It's on the house." It makes people feel really special when you do something like that.

I didn't do it all the time, and I definitely didn't offer it to everyone. I'd only do it if I was really hitting it off with a customer and we were having a good conversation. Basically, I had to feel like they deserved it.

People would be so shocked and thankful and it helped turn customers into regulars, too

If they become a regular customer, they tip more. Also, if a regular tip was around 15 or 20 percent, I could sometimes get up to 40 or 50 percent when giving away a free dessert — sometimes it doubled my tips.

I never worried about it being illegal. There were instances where managers would give away free desserts or bottles of wine to unsatisfied guests so it felt normal. I don't recall it being explicitly stated as against the rules in the handbook but honestly, if I had to break a rule or two to go above and beyond for my guests, I would.

I never told anyone I was giving away free desserts, and no one ever figured it out.  

I tried out a few other things too, like the pigtail trend

I saw the pigtail trend on TikTok and had to give it a go. The idea is that if you're a server and you wear pigtails, you'll make much higher tips — and it actually works. I experimented with different kinds of pigtails, but it didn't really matter whether it was braided or straight. That hairstyle just really appealed to customers, especially older men. I think it's because it makes you look younger, more alive, and fun. 

I also noticed whenever my makeup was done really well, I got tipped more 

I think that's because it looked like I could take care of myself so people trusted me to take care of them. It's pretty basic: look good, feel good. Customers can feel your energy and confidence from a mile away. If I focused on my makeup and made sure I looked great, I felt better and could be a better server. People really respond to that kind of thing.

It's also good to be able to 'read the room' 

When it comes to a table, some people really want to have a connection with their servers while other people just want you to drop their food off and go. You have to be able to understand what people want and give it to them. Some want a deeper conversation and others just want you to drop off the check.

Being a server is like being an actor. You have to treat it as a performance and putting on that persona got really exhausting. I do sometimes miss the tips though.

Editor's note: Olive Garden had not responded to a request for comment as of time of publication.

Do you work in the service industry and have a story to share? Email Manseen Logan at mlogan@insider.com.