New 18% Mandatory Tip Trial

[TheRustyScupper]

1) There is a new trial to start on Sunday at selected TS eateries.
2) Current
. . . 18% mandatory tip for six people at table, infants included
3) Trial
. . . 18% mandatory tip ONLY if six people are eating/drinking
. . . infant(s) NOT EATING, do not count for mandatory tip
. . . this will be explained at the podium to larger parties with infants
4) Example:
. . . two parents
. . . two grandparents
. . . one teenager
. . . one infant (not eating, NOT EVEN ONE BITE)
. . . no mandatory 18% tip

NOTE: The servers are going nuts already! How can they keep track of
every person under 3 "not eating"? Sure, a 2-3 month old might not eat,
but to expect a 2-year-old to not even have one bite is not common
sense. Thus, the servers are expecting their tips to drop A LOT, since
many larger size tables do not tip the percentage of the check - they
might toss something like a $20 bill and think it suffices for 5-7 people.

[JimmyV]

I can see both sides of this. First, if nothing is ordered for the infant, and the infant takes a bite from mom or dad's plate, the server didn't do any additional work, so the fact that the infant nibbled should not make a difference one way or another with respect to the tip. It seems fair to base the gratuity on the number of people that the server assisted. Not the number that sat at the table.

That said, food isn't the only qualifier here. A server may have to do a lot of work for a table with an infant that he/she would not have to do with a table full of adults only. Things like high chairs and such. Infants are high maintenance whether they eat or not. So I can see the server's side of this quite well.

What I find most odd (not that I am disputing it...just find it odd) that large parties have a different propensity to "stiff".

[Art 1]

Many times an infant leaves a huge mess that the parents do not clean up. Not sure why they don't but they don't. So an infant can mean more work for the staff.

[Notso]

Originally Posted by Art 1

Many times an infant leaves a huge mess that the parents do not clean up. Not sure why they don't but they don't. So an infant can mean more work for the staff.

I agree. We clean up as much as possible, but I'm not equipped to mop up all my child's crumbs when we leave or scrub the table. It seems silly to squabble over an infant (and I totally had an infant who pushed us into mandatory tip territory last trip).

[rainynight]

I'm not a fan of mandatory tipping in any instance. Of course I think our American society has an odd view of tipping. I do not tip my server just because...they get tipped IF they do their job. If they are rude, extremely slow, or inattentive and obviously not making any effort they do not get a tip. Period. The better they are, the bigger the tip. Food price doesn't affect how much I tip either.

If a server gets stiffed, they need to as themselves why. I think most people are pretty fair in tipping, probably way too generous in fact. I've heard people complain about horrible service and still say they tipped
20%

So I think it's a good thing to not automatically tip when infant makes 6.

And to add, I've only "stiffed" a server a few times before. I'm a very easy customer though, rarely even ask for refills, so it's pretty hard to get stiffed by me.

[mom2of2]

As a server in a TS WDW restaurant I am obviously not happy with this latest decision and hope that our union gets it overturned quickly.

To the PP, guests don't tip for a multitude of reasons, some are because the server wasn't up to par but the majority of the time they have their own reasons why. Some think we make too much money, some feel that they are paying for over priced food already, some think that a $1 a person is reasonable. Doesn't matter what I do, I can bend over backwards and they leave 10% or less. I've had a table call the manager over, tell him how wonderful I was and actually fill out a fanatic card only to leave me 12%.

[carly chloe]

I think it might depend what part of the country your from too. In my town the waitresses get about minimum wage plus their tip. They are only required to turn in 10% for tax reasons. Some people might not be use to some states not paying waitresses much money.

[cluvsdisney]

That seems reasonable to me. An infant is not likely going to make a mess. A toddler on the other hand...LOL. My sister & I tip extra when we are out with her kids.

[MichiganMomto4]

I'm confused. Having dined many many times with parties of 6 or more at WDW restaurants they have ALWAYS added an automatic 18% gratuity on the bill since we started going in 2000. Most restaurants do this for parties of 6/8 or more in the restaurants here, too. And yes, the reason is that people think that a $20 on the table looks like a lot of money but it's not if the bill is $300.

**Editing: Nevermind, I read it wrong. I see now it's the whole non-eating infant issue.

[blueferral]

just an FYI severs are exempt from the federal minimum wage. Most get paid $2.13 an hour. The employer is supposed to supplement the wage if they do not earn minimum wage through tips. Most times if the server asks for this the door hits em in the backside pretty fast.

I don't know how much Disney pays the servers.

I do know that the servers have to put up with tired, cranky, hot people. Most of them do a fantastic job. I don't mind paying 18%, if they do their job. I'm hot, my drink staying empty for to long is the kicker for me.

As for the infant issue. You know the rule, if you don't want the mandatory tip, don't do sit down. If your a new visitor, sorry! You'll know next time. Tons of places to do research on Disney and how to save money.

[cluvsdisney]

Originally Posted by MichiganMomto4

I'm confused. Having dined many many times with parties of 6 or more at WDW restaurants they have ALWAYS added an automatic 18% gratuity on the bill since we started going in 2000. Most restaurants do this for parties of 6/8 or more in the restaurants here, too. And yes, the reason is that people think that a $20 on the table looks like a lot of money but it's not if the bill is $300.

They are now excluding non-eating infants from the head count when taking the automatic gratuity into consideration. So as RS posted above, if there are 5 guests eating and the 6th person at the table is a baby, they wont add the tip although they will still be included on the ADR.

[MikeOhio]

Originally Posted by Notso

I agree. We clean up as much as possible, but I'm not equipped to mop up all my child's crumbs when we leave or scrub the table. It seems silly to squabble over an infant (and I totally had an infant who pushed us into mandatory tip territory last trip).

Yup, waiting on a table with a baby not eating is much harder than a table of adults. Poor servers

[JimmyV]

Originally Posted by MichiganMomto4

And yes, the reason is that people think that a $20 on the table looks like a lot of money but it's not if the bill is $300.

Yes, but....if you were a server, would you rather get "stiffed" by a table of 8 who leaves a $20 tip on a $300 bill, or a server who gets a generous tip of 25% from a table of two who has a bill of $60? Do the math.

[mom2of2]

Originally Posted by JimmyV

Yes, but....if you were a server, would you rather get "stiffed" by a table of 8 who leaves a $20 tip on a $300 bill, or a server who gets a generous tip of 25% from a table of two who has a bill of $60? Do the math.

Well your first scenario happens wayyyy more often then your second one does. A server shouldnt have to pay to wait on you

[JimmyV]

Originally Posted by mom2of2

Well your first scenario happens wayyyy more often then your second one does. A server shouldnt have to pay to wait on you

The point here is that the larger group may actually think that they are being generous as opposed to being obnoxious. When they see all the tables around them leaving $15-$20 per table for their servers, they might think that leaving $20 puts them on the high end of the scale. Perfectly logical if the diner is looking at this from a "per table" perspective. But if the server has to pay taxes on a "per head" basis, the $20 doesn't go very far. Hence the automatic tip. Automatic tips make perfect sense, as most people have no clue about the tax ramifications.