Richmond DinhCreator & Founder of Tiny Challenges™

This $20 Habit Gets Me Treated Like a VIP..

8 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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In this monologue, Richmond Dinh explains a simple habit he calls “pre‑tipping,” where he gives a tip to service staff (bouncers, servers, etc.) before they have performed any service. He argues that this early reward triggers a strong psychological response, causing staff to work far harder to earn the tip they have already received. Dinh shares a vivid anecdote from a night at Omnia during the FHL event, where he pre‑tipped the bouncer and, as a result, the bouncer personally escorted each of his party to the restroom, ensured their drinks were constantly refreshed, and handled the bill without the need for a tip later. The overall claim is that a modest upfront tip (around $20) dramatically improves service quality, makes the patron feel like a regular VIP, and creates a memorable experience for both parties.

Chapters

So the pre-tip, you can imagine the person, especially in American culture, because they, they work hard for the tip. But if they got tipped first, it's like, holy crap, because the craziest thing happens when you give someone a reward for something they did not earn. That will work 10 times harder to try to earn it. The 9 times out of 10, you get 100 times better service. And especially if you're going out with your friends or your clients or it is like, wow, this person's a regular here, but first time here because I pre-tipped them, you know, because I'm going to tip them anyway, right? I'm tipping them first, and that's I went to Omnia last year for FHL, this year FHL, the bouncer took every single person, escorted them to the toilet every time they wanna go bathroom, 'cause I pre-tipped him, 'cause I know I'm just gonna forget end of the night and I can tell you're gonna look after us. Boom, game over, sends a bill out, don't worry about the tip. Don't worry about the tip, they crossed it out. Here, I got you covered. It's just, they give you extra, they put whatever drinks you order, like you are looked after like crazy. But when you do it like that, you get the best time and they'll never ever forget you.