18% being added to ALL dining checks

[Bellamickey]

I agree as well. I think the service is going to be a big change to what we are used to with Disney.
Will see how it goes on our upcoming trip......

 

[crazy4wdw]

From my dining experience last week, it appears that WDW is getting ready for the 18% mandatory gratuity for DDE members. For almost every table service restuarant that I had ressies for last week, I was asked at check-in if I had the DDP or DDE. I noticed that on the computer montior, the CM selected "DDE" on my reservation. The wait staff confimred prior to taking my order that I had the DDE and requested my card in advance so the servers are going to know prior to waiting on you that you have the DDE and they will be receiving an 18% gratuity. The only dining location that this did not occur was at Beaches & Cream which does not accept ADR's.

 

[manning]

I guess when I'm there in Jan I will have to advise them not to add the gratuity. I will leave the appropriate tip based upon service.

If they refuse, there are plenty of nice places off site!!!!!

 

[Tigger1]

Good idea Manning. Its not a tip if you are told to pay a certain %. Maybe Disney needs to rethink this new policy. Why not just raise their prices, pay the waiters more and have a no tipping policy.

 

[mitros]

From my dining experience last week, it appears that WDW is getting ready for the 18% mandatory gratuity for DDE members. For almost every table service restuarant that I had ressies for last week, I was asked at check-in if I had the DDP or DDE. I noticed that on the computer montior, the CM selected "DDE" on my reservation. The wait staff confimred prior to taking my order that I had the DDE and requested my card in advance so the servers are going to know prior to waiting on you that you have the DDE and they will be receiving an 18% gratuity. The only dining location that this did not occur was at Beaches & Cream which does not accept ADR's.

Wow, that's odd. We just got back, and used our card 7 times at various eateries.Never once were we asked for our card until after the bill came.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Same with us. We just got back and only once (at California grill) were we asked anything about DDE. We just gave our card at the end of the meal and the adjustment was made.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Wow, that's odd. We just got back, and used our card 7 times at various eateries.Never once were we asked for our card until after the bill came.

Wonder why the difference? I ate at Chef Mickey's, Concourse Steakhouse, Le Cellier, Cape May Cafe, Rose & Crown, and the new Donald Duck breakfast at AK (Tusker House). Each time, I was asked before I was seated if was on DDP or had the DDE. I noticed at Le Cellier that the CM who was checking me in highlighted DDE on the computer screen. At most of these restaurants, the server said something like "I understand you are have the DDE discount" when they came to the table to take the order. I will have to say that the service I received from the wait staff was very good.

 

[sarcasticblonde]

I'm sorry, but after reading most of the responses on the first two pages, I have to say that I am just flabberghasted.



Most people in this country do not seem to understand that servers make well below minimum wage - at least in my state of Illinois...I'm not 100% sure what WDW/Florida pays their servers who are tipped employees. So this will be a gripe towards people tipping in WDW and just tipping in general.

This is just my opinion based on my own personal experiences. My DF and I have both worked in high end restaurants where almost 95% of our salary came from our tips...customers literally hold your life in their hands. They can leave you a tip based on your service or they be complete a-holes and stiff you because they feel like it. The people you wait on make and break you. They decide whether you can afford to pay your car insurance or your electric bill on time that month.

I have had people that I have given phenomenal service to leave me 10%. When I made 10% from a table, I basically received 0% of it. Reason? Servers help pay their support staffs' salary. They are responsible for tipping out their bussers, food runners, bartenders and sommeliers a percentage of their overall sales...not their overall tips. So if a server only receives 12% tips all night, they still have to tip out as though they received 20% tips.

You all seem to think that 18% is a ghastly amount to HAVE to pay a server. Wow...I would hate to have to serve you at my restaurant. 20% is the norm. I'm sorry, but it is. Granted, I don't work at a table service restaurant in Disney World, but still. 18%, to me, is what you would give to someone who did an okay job. 20% or more is what you give to someone who did an outstanding job.

So, the number one gripe that I have read is that people don't like to have their tip chosen for them. Well, you're not completely having your tip chosen for you. If you want to leave more, you can absolutely leave that extra 2% tip on top of the 18. If you think you had bad service, ask yourself these questions BEFORE you harass a manager about taking the added grat off:

"Am I holding this server to a higher standard because I am in Disney World and therefore assume that all employees of WDW are infallible?"

"Was my server running his/her butt off because they were swamped with tables - possibly due to be low staffed?"

"Was I being ridiculously picky because I make 15 modifications to an entree choice instead of just ordering it the way the chef designed it?"

My overall point is this. Most servers would work their butts off for 20% and I have a hunch that some people on here don't like the added 18% because they are cheapskates who don't want to tip that much. Yes, I know that there are those that are offended because they would tip MORE than 18%. But you have to assume that there are PLENTY of people at Disney World that have stiffed servers. Also, there are many, many foreign people who, in their country, are not required or expected to tip, so they don't tip in America where it's part of a server's salary. It really comes down to that old adage...one bad apple spoils the bunch.

 

[Another Voice]

So what you're saying is that Disney underpays their service staff and it is my obligation - as a guest - to pay you an additional salary in addition to the one that you agreed with when you took the job. My only choice is the ability to leave you an extra 2%? And that I am to ignore all other problems with the service (which I am paying for) because you might be swamped or understaffed or that everything is really my fault anyway?

Gee - it's customer service thinking like that has has made the airline industry to joy it is today. I'm sure you'll do wonders to to make WDW people's favorite place to dine.

My obligation to pay Disney's staff is in the price of the admission ticket, in the cost of my hotel room - and in the bill presented at the end of the meal. A tip has traditionally been an extra amount added onto the bill to reward the server for their efforts. If Disney is going to pass the costs of running their dining facilities on to me - then they should call it a fixed "service charge" and let me decide the rest. What Disney has done is dishonest to both the guests and to the service cast members.

 

[sarcasticblonde]

So what you're saying is that Disney underpays their service staff and it is my obligation - as a guest - to pay you an additional salary in addition to the one that you agreed with when you took the job. My only choice is the ability to leave you an extra 2%? And that I am to ignore all other problems with the service (which I am paying for) because you might be swamped or understaffed or that everything is really my fault anyway?

Gee - it's customer service thinking like that has has made the airline industry to joy it is today. I'm sure you'll do wonders to to make WDW people's favorite place to dine.

My obligation to pay Disney's staff is in the price of the admission ticket, in the cost of my hotel room - and in the bill presented at the end of the meal. A tip has traditionally been an extra amount added onto the bill to reward the server for their efforts. If Disney is going to pass the costs of running their dining facilities on to me - then they should call it a fixed "service charge" and let me decide the rest. What Disney has done is dishonest to both the guests and to the service cast members.

You aren't understanding what I am saying.

ALL servers - to my knowledge - make "server's minimum wage"...somewhere in the $4 range. The rest of their salary is made up from tips. Employers know that servers get tips, therefore they make less on the hour. It's funny that you say it's not your "obligation" to pay a server's salary. Isn't that server waiting on you hand and foot and getting you refill after refill or possibly cleaning up your child's soda spill or the enormous mess they make with their food? That is what you are paying for. Yes...some servers suck at their job. Then you can tip them less by getting a manager to remove the added grat. But as I said in my original post, one needs to ask themselves why they didn't get amazing service. If you truly got bad service - and aren't just a cheapskate who would normally only leave 10% anywhere - then you can tip less.

You guys act like servers will give you crappy service because they are getting a guaranteed 18%. I don't know about them, but I know that I will work my butt of to get that extra 2%. And I'd assume most WDW servers would too.

 

[crazy4wdw]

I'm sorry, but after reading most of the responses on the first two pages, I have to say that I am just flabberghasted.

Most people in this country do not seem to understand that servers make well below minimum wage - at least in my state of Illinois...I'm not 100% sure what WDW/Florida pays their servers who are tipped employees. So this will be a gripe towards people tipping in WDW and just tipping in general.

I have no problem tipping for good service at restaurants and I typically give 20% (or more) if I feel the service I receive warrants it. My problem with Disney's decision is that they are taking away my ability to tip for the service I receive - that should be my decision, not WDW's. My other concern with this policy change is I personally don't think wait staff at buffet type restuarnts deserve an 18% tip. They're only bringing drinks to the table, I'm doing the rest of the work. I will say that for the most part, I did receive excellent service at the restuarnts I dined at about two weeks ago even with servers knowing I had the DDE.

 

[DisneyKidds]

If Disney is going to pass the costs of running their dining facilities on to me - then they should call it a fixed "service charge" and let me decide the rest.

Now, now AV, you aren't exactly playing fair, as this really isn't the case......and you know it. Disney hasn't lowered the hourly wage in conjunction with this change. Disney isn't asking you to supplement service staff salaries any more than the Del Coronado or any other resort is.....and you know it. Fact of the matter is that those people who work in tipped positions anywhere in the country, at any restaurant, in any state, get paid, in accordance with labor laws, an hourly wage that falls well below minimum wage. Disney didn't invent that. Disney didn't establish the fact that tips make up the lion's share of such employee's income. So don't turn this into something it isn't......Disney paying unusually low hourly wages and expecting you to make up the difference.

This doesn't appear to be a universal change. Just about every restaurant in the country charges an automatic gratuity on large parties, so this isn't a Disney invention. I would imagine that the primary reason this change is being added to bills that include a discount (DDE) is that servers often do get short changed in such circumstances. People really should tip on the pre-discount amount of food, but often don't.

So it seems that this change is really aimed at protecting the service staff in those instances, not absolving Disney of their responsibility to pay prevailing wages.

Frankly, I don't see why everyone is so upset by this. You still have a choice and control. The server provided sub-standard service, demand that the 18% gratuity be removed and tip accordingly. You want to leave more, no one is stopping you. A system like this could actually lead to better service. There are rare occasions where I'll leave less than a 15 - 18% tip because of bad service. Sometime I'll make a comment to the server, sometimes I'll write a comment on the check.....but management likely never knows. If a server is constantly having thier checks adjusted to remove the automatic gratuity due to poor service, management will know, and that server will probably HAVE to improve, or else.

So I don't see this as being the issue you are making it out to be, nor am I making excuses for Disney. Tips as a primary source of income for wait staff is just a fact of life...everywhere. If certain discount programs were leading to employees earning less than thay rightly should, I can see Disney taking steps to rectify the situation. It isn't to Disney's benefit, it helps the servers, so I fail to see how you can turn this into a "Disney is taking you for a ride" situation on this one.

 

[Another Voice]

So I don't see this as being the issue you are making it out to be, nor am I making excuses for Disney.

Becasue once again Disney is lying to all of us about yet another "cost savings" measure they're making.

I have no problem with paying for service. Most of Europe and the rest of the world works like that. I go into a place and I pay a "service charge" - sometimes there are even different levels depending if I'm sitting outside, sitting a booth, or just going up to a bar. I trust that I will receive good service (except in France of course), but what I get is what I get and I accept it.

Again - if Disney wanted to go this route I have no problem with it.

But in the United States it's been common practice that a tip is an optional item decided by the patron. It has been optional because of the idea that exception service will be rewarded by the patron, poor service will be less rewarded - depending on the patron's point of view.

Now if, over the years, the Disney and the entire food industry has abused this concept - that's an entirely different problem.

But Disney didn't address it - they took my option and made it mandatory to offset the fact they refuse to pay a decent wage. My ability to influence the level of service I recieve has been completely eliminated - unless I want to complain to the management.

There are many ways Disney could have solved this problem - like raising food prices & upping salaries. But instead they wessled and spun like a cheap hack presidental candiadate. Just for once it would be nice for Disney to be honest about something.

If they're going to change the rule - the tell us you're changing the rules. If Disney no longer cares about my ability to reward for good service - fine. Tell me that my opinion no longer matters and remove my ability to tip. At the same time my standards for Disney service is now going to soar. If I'm being forced to pay for service - then I damn well expect service.

Dining is going to be like any other transaction.

 

[DancingBear]

Just about every restaurant in the country charges an automatic gratuity on large parties, so this isn't a Disney invention.

I don't know of any other place that does this for parties of 6, as Disney is now doing. Nice that this is where Disney choses to lead the way.

Frankly, I don't see why everyone is so upset by this. You still have a choice and control. The server provided sub-standard service, demand that the 18% gratuity be removed and tip accordingly.

Except that choice now involves finding a manager and getting them to take it off, and being inherently more confrontational than I have to be when I write down a 10% tip on the credit card receipt and leave.

 

[ChrisFL]

I don't know of any other place that does this for parties of 6, as Disney is now doing. Nice that this is where Disney choses to lead the way.

Except that choice now involves finding a manager and getting them to take it off, and being inherently more confrontational than I have to be when I write down a 10% tip on the credit card receipt and leave.

Not to mention that if every 3rd or 4th party insists on seeing a manager to have the 18% changed that will cause chaos in these places!

BTW, if you're saying you don't know of any places that automatically add 18% tip for parties of 6 or more, I see it everywhere here. BUT I've only seen it once for ANY size party, and I've never been back to that place.

 

[Shellandscott]

This may also have to do with wage and hour. Another thing to consider.
One of the biggest advantages to being a server or a bar tender is that you only pay taxes on a small portion of your tips. Typically the ones that are on a charge card. Cash as with most businesses can go directly in your pocket. So the servers look like they make less. If now the tip is part of the check, I would hope the servers are claiming 100% of their tips on their income taxes. This also gives Disney a better feel with what their employees are actually making.

 

[Sandus]

This is my first post, and I'm sorry it has to be so contentious, but this is a very personal topic to me. Sorry in advance for the length.

Except that choice now involves finding a manager and getting them to take it off, and being inherently more confrontational than I have to be when I write down a 10% tip on the credit card receipt and leave.

This is precisely the point. If your service was bad enough to merit a tip of HALF what the server is working for, then you should have no qualms about making a complaint to management. If you feel too embarrassed to voice your displeasure and subsequent intent to tip HALF what the server is working for, then perhaps you realize that your tip is insufficient.

Becasue once again Disney is lying to all of us about yet another "cost savings" measure they're making.

What you view as a "cost savings" measure happens to be standard practice throughout the United States. If you want to avoid paying the bulk of a server's income via gratuity, stop dining out.

I have no problem with paying for service. Most of Europe and the rest of the world works like that. I go into a place and I pay a "service charge" - sometimes there are even different levels depending if I'm sitting outside, sitting a booth, or just going up to a bar. I trust that I will receive good service (except in France of course), but what I get is what I get and I accept it.

I've highlighted the first sentence because I believe it to be untrue. If you had no problem paying for service, then an automatic gratuity would be a non-issue. If you pay a service charge (which is exactly what the gratuity is) and have no expectations of lesser service, why should a Disney restaurant be any different, particularly when you are saving money through use of the dining plan anyway?

But in the United States it's been common practice that a tip is an optional item decided by the patron. It has been optional because of the idea that exception service will be rewarded by the patron, poor service will be less rewarded - depending on the patron's point of view.

Now if, over the years, the Disney and the entire food industry has abused this concept - that's an entirely different problem.

I think your view is very skewed here. Tipping has not been optional in a very long time. Replace the word "abused" with "evolved" and you have the truth of the matter. Restaurants discovered that they can spend more money on their product and less on their labor if they allow the patron to assume the majority of the server's wages.

My ability to influence the level of service I recieve has been completely eliminated - unless I want to complain to the management.

I will clue you in on something that anybody who's ever worked in the restaurant business knows for a fact: your tip has absolutely no bearing on the service you receive. Every server works with the expectation that he or she will be receiving 18-20% on the TOTAL CHECK at the conclusion of the dining experience. The only time your tip directly affects your service is if you return and that server remembers the poor tip you gave. Then you can probably expect even worse service, because they don't expect to be rewarded anyway. The reverse is true as well. People will work harder for you if they are certain they will be appropriately rewarded for it.

Here is the long and short of it: Disney values its employees, and rather than have all the good servers quit as a result of being constantly screwed by people unfamiliar with American tipping customs (which it seems some Americans have some difficulty with as well), they chose to institute a safeguard which affects mostly those people who are the issue in the first place.

If you say that you normally tip well, but this policy will cause you to change that, then you are a liar and do not tip well. If you do not tip well, and this policy causes you to spend more money, then Disney has done the right thing.

 

[manning]

I will clue you in on something that anybody who's ever worked in the restaurant business knows for a fact: your tip has absolutely no bearing on the service you receive. Every server works with the expectation that he or she will be receiving 18-20% on the TOTAL CHECK at the conclusion of the dining experience. The only time your tip directly affects your service is if you return and that server remembers the poor tip you gave. Then you can probably expect even worse service, because they don't expect to be rewarded anyway. The reverse is true as well. People
If you say that you normally tip well, but this policy will cause you to change that, then you are a liar and do not tip well. If you do not tip well, and this policy causes you to spend more money, then Disney has done the right thing.

Expectation of receiving 18-20% on the total check--HMM sorry I don't believe in entitlements.

 

[manning]

I will clue you in on something that anybody who's ever worked in the restaurant business knows for a fact: your tip has absolutely no bearing on the service you receive. Every server works with the expectation that he or she will be receiving 18-20% on the TOTAL CHECK at the conclusion of the dining experience. The only time your tip directly affects your service is if you return and that server remembers the poor tip you gave. Then you can probably expect even worse service, because they don't expect to be rewarded anyway. The reverse is true as well. People
If you say that you normally tip well, but this policy will cause you to change that, then you are a liar and do not tip well. If you do not tip well, and this policy causes you to spend more money, then Disney has done the right thing.

"Expectation of receiving 18-20% on the total check"--HMM sorry I don't believe in entitlements.

"If you say that you normally tip well, but this policy will cause you to change that, then you are a liar and do not tip well."

I await your apology on that statement (even though I wasn't the one who posted it). I often tip 20% on the total non discounted amount ---- if the service is outstanding. Often times it is.

And when service is bad then I lower the tip AND have a chat with the manager.

When it is really really bad I have been known to contact corporate.

So if you see me and don't give good service turn the other way, because I will take the time to complain.

Likewise if you are really really good I will let the manager know.

 

[Sandus]

Expectation of receiving 18-20% on the total check--HMM sorry I don't believe in entitlements.

What kind of work do you do? How would you feel if your boss came up to you and said "I don't think you did a very good job today, so you're only going to get paid for half"?

What you see as "entitlement," servers see as "income." Everybody is acting like the 18% is some kind of bonus on top of a salary that servers pocket and then whisper in the corner about what suckers you are. Tips are virtually all they make.

Do you go into a store and only offer to pay half price for a product? Why should service not have its appropriate price?