Another tip question

[Trina7020]

I was not planning on carrying much cash and simply charging our tips to the room. But I have heard of servers closing out the tickets without the room charge, even after being told that the customer wanted to the tip charged to the room.

If this happens and we don't have cash.. what would we do? Not tip? Typically not my style... but if they mess up....??? I am really afraid of this happening.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I was not planning on carrying much cash and simply charging our tips to the room. But I have heard of servers closing out the tickets without the room charge, even after being told that the customer wanted to the tip charged to the room.

If this happens and we don't have cash.. what would we do? Not tip? Typically not my style... but if they mess up....??? I am really afraid of this happening.

For me, I won't carry cash at Disney, simple as that, so if they want their tip, they'll find a way to open the ticket back up (I'm sure a manager can do something). I know it may sound harsh, but the point of the KTTW card is not to have to worry about it.

 

[patsal]

This is going to sound harsh, but if they close the ticket out before I tipped they would be out of luck. I'm sure for a few it is a one time mistake for others it is another way to get those tips in cash so they don't have to wait for the paycheck and they don't have to be taxed for the higher amount. I wouldn't be adjusting the way I handle my tips for someone who didn't do their job correctly.

 

[VAN]

Now this brings up an interesting point.

My DD just started work at a small non-chain restaurant. The credit card tips are automatically recorded in the system and then when she clocks out at night she has to indicate the cash tips.

When she gets her paycheck the stub will show her salary, then her tips. This is added and taxed. Then the payout is the remaining minus the tips.

I was especially interested in this because I do her taxes for her and didn't want her to get a big surprise come tax time.

I'm sure every place does it differently, but apparently restaurants do have systems for tracking/reporting tips to the IRS.

 

[KigerKat]

Now this brings up an interesting point.

My DD just started work at a small non-chain restaurant. The credit card tips are automatically recorded in the system and then when she clocks out at night she has to indicate the cash tips.

When she gets her paycheck the stub will show her salary, then her tips. This is added and taxed. Then the payout is the remaining minus the tips.

I was especially interested in this because I do her taxes for her and didn't want her to get a big surprise come tax time.

I'm sure every place does it differently, but apparently restaurants do have systems for tracking/reporting tips to the IRS.

I used to be a server, and yes, you do have to legally report your tips as income to be taxed. I was a server it was right before debit cards became popular, so more people paid for their meals in cash rather than on a credit card.

When we would close out at night, we would print out a receipt that gave a detailed total of all of our tables. If there were any credit card tips, they were reflected on the receipt. We had to enter in our cash tip total before we could finish closing ourselves out. Our managers recommended that we claim 10% of our sales as cash tips and that anything less than 10% would look suspicious. We often made much more than what we claimed, but I guess as long as we claimed at least 10% no one cared.

 

[sorul82?]

We dined at Ohana on Wednesday and our server told us that managers can open the ticket so the tip can be charged.

 

[pta-mom]

For me, I won't carry cash at Disney, simple as that, so if they want their tip, they'll find a way to open the ticket back up (I'm sure a manager can do something). I know it may sound harsh, but the point of the KTTW card is not to have to worry about it.

Me too! I don't bring cash to the parks & would not have any on me during a TS meal.

 

[mom2my3kids]

They can be opened back up, but I would simply remind them when they take your card that you will be tipping on your card as you brought no cash..

 

[mskayjay]

I hate carrying cash at the parks but always try to tuck at least a 10 or 20 in my pocket just in case of??????who knows what. If they can't reopen a ticket then its their problem and they shouldn't have closed it. Sometimes servers will tell you that (at any kind of restaurant) so they can take cash tips and not have to report the actual amount.

I personally don't like a restaurant dictating to me how much to tip either. It is kind of like shopping in a store where folks work on commission compared to salaried employees. I tip super well to great service but want the right to tip less if I've gotten sub-par service. Knowing you have a built in tip isn't going to give anyone incentive to step it up so to speak. Tips are there to augment the servers grossly low salary by making the consumer pay it directly instead of the restaurant having to show the income, pay to the server, taxes, etc. Not fair at all to anyone really......

 

[catne]

Despite all the discussion about pushy Disney wait-people supposedly being money-grubbing about the tips (and all the reports about bad service for DDP customers) when we were there last week (5/19-5/26) on the DDP we had excellent service...I'd say better than most non-Disney restaurant wait-people, even. No one "told us how much to tip", nor did they ask for a tip, remind us to tip, or insinuate a tip was needed, or any of the other negative stuff I've read about on this & other forums. No one ever "closed" out a bill before the tip was added, either. I suppose there's a very small chance we were just incredibly lucky, but I'm suspecting it's more a case of people reading a lot more into what actually happened, or maybe it's natural complainers looking for something to b*tch about. JMHO.

The only mention of tipping we got anywhere on Disney properties, was at Hollywood & Vine. There, the waitress very politely, and almost apologetically, pointed out a small card in the bill folder. The card, printed in 5languages, very nicely explained in a brief paragraph that the DDP no longer covered tips, and that it was customary in the U.S. to tip 15-18% for good service. We didn't think it was pushy, or implied anything. When we told her we knew about the changes, she said that was good, because they'd had some customers who had no idea. That was it.

 

[LizinSTL]

Despite all the discussion about pushy Disney wait-people supposedly being money-grubbing about the tips (and all the reports about bad service for DDP customers) when we were there last week (5/19-5/26) on the DDP we had excellent service...I'd say better than most non-Disney restaurant wait-people, even. No one "told us how much to tip", nor did they ask for a tip, remind us to tip, or insinuate a tip was needed, or any of the other negative stuff I've read about on this & other forums. No one ever "closed" out a bill before the tip was added, either. I suppose there's a very small chance we were just incredibly lucky, but I'm suspecting it's more a case of people reading a lot more into what actually happened, or maybe it's natural complainers looking for something to b*tch about. JMHO.

The only mention of tipping we got anywhere on Disney properties, was at Hollywood & Vine. There, the waitress very politely, and almost apologetically, pointed out a small card in the bill folder. The card, printed in 5languages, very nicely explained in a brief paragraph that the DDP no longer covered tips, and that it was customary in the U.S. to tip 15-18% for good service. We didn't think it was pushy, or implied anything. When we told her we knew about the changes, she said that was good, because they'd had some customers who had no idea. That was it.

We were there May 17th-26th. We had 9 TS meals in 7 different restaurants. We had 1 place let us know that if we wanted to roomcharge the tip, we should fill out the slip before sending back the card/ticket. We had 1 other place (with terrible service throughout the meal,) indicate to me that I needed to put a $ amount on the tip line....I'd already written CASH and gave him our KTTW card. I told him I understood the DDP and was leaving a cash tip, he did point out the recommended 18%-20% tips and I just said, you've got to be kidding! He went and processed the meal credits and our OOP room charge and ran away! The other 5 restaurants just left the bill and said they'd take it whenever we were ready. On some I'd written the $$ amount, on others I wrote CASH on the line.

I will say that we encountered better service overall when the tip was INCLUDED. But we had excellent service for 3 meals, good service for 4 others, 1 meal with adequate service but nothing great and 1 meal with horrible service on our most recent trip VS 7 meals with excellent service when the tip was included.

 

[VAN]

What is the simpliest (i.e. least complicated) way to leave a tip? ... I am fine with either charging it or leaving cash.

If I have cash, I prefer that so I don't have to mess with any incorrect charges later on. I don't normally arrange for charging to my room and would use my Visa for any larger charges.

If we are on the Dining Plan, I would expect that I will mostly have gratuity and maybe, for a couple of meals, drink charges.

Pros and cons of:

Cash
Room charging
Credit Card charging

Thanks.

 

[LizinSTL]

What is the simpliest (i.e. least complicated) way to leave a tip? ... I am fine with either charging it or leaving cash.

If I have cash, I prefer that so I don't have to mess with any incorrect charges later on. I don't normally arrange for charging to my room and would use my Visa for any larger charges.

If we are on the Dining Plan, I would expect that I will mostly have gratuity and maybe, for a couple of meals, drink charges.

Pros and cons of:

Cash
Room charging
Credit Card charging

Thanks.

I'd say cash and room charges are equally as simple. If you want to leave cash- just write that on the tip line and hand them your card. You'll sign only 1 receipt - for the DDP credits.) If you want to room charge the tip, just write the AMOUNT on the tip line and hand them your card- you'll need to sign 2 slips (one for the DDP credits and one for the room charge authorization.)

I'd imagine that using a separate credit card would complicate things a bit. You'd have to be sure that they ran the DDP credits first and then the CC for the OOP and tip- signing 2 receipts also this way but you'll need to make sure they do it right.

As far as correcting any problems, I just swing by the desk or concierge every 2 or 3 days and review my room charges to make sure everything looks good. It takes about 5 minutes.

 

[DisneyDreamers2007]

On the DDP you have to write in the tip when they FIRST take your Key to the world card, when they bring it back you sign for the tip & meal authorization. If you forget, the server will most likely tell you not to worry about it (they get a 3% gratuity from disney in case people do not tip) and the servers are so nice about not having you worry about it. But of course you should insist...it's easy for them to get manager authorization & just run a new ticket with the added tip on it. I wouldn't use cash, it's simple to charge it to your room & convenient. Plus you get an itemized list on check out that I find to be very helpful for future budgeting!

 

[catne]

On the DDP you have to write in the tip when they FIRST take your Key to the world card, when they bring it back you sign for the tip & meal authorization. If you forget, the server will most likely tell you not to worry about it (they get a 3% gratuity from disney in case people do not tip) and the servers are so nice about not having you worry about it. But of course you should insist...it's easy for them to get manager authorization & just run a new ticket with the added tip on it. I wouldn't use cash, it's simple to charge it to your room & convenient. Plus you get an itemized list on check out that I find to be very helpful for future budgeting!

Wow, I did not know this...where did you get this info?

 

[pta-mom]

On the DDP you have to write in the tip when they FIRST take your Key to the world card, when they bring it back you sign for the tip & meal authorization. If you forget, the server will most likely tell you not to worry about it (they get a 3% gratuity from disney in case people do not tip) and the servers are so nice about not having you worry about it. But of course you should insist...it's easy for them to get manager authorization & just run a new ticket with the added tip on it. I wouldn't use cash, it's simple to charge it to your room & convenient. Plus you get an itemized list on check out that I find to be very helpful for future budgeting!

What do you mean "when they first take your card"? Do you mean at the end of your meal, when you are presented your bill, you need to write your tip on the bill & than hand over your key to the world card?

I might be having some faulty memory but I thought last year, when we first sat down for our meals, we handed our card to the waiter....am I right? Because if so, how could you possibly know what you would tip at that time?

I just want to make sure I'm getting this as I don't DO cash & I certainly don't want to stiff any one from a tip!!

Thanks!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I might be having some faulty memory but I thought last year, when we first sat down for our meals, we handed our card to the waiter....am I right? Because if so, how could you possibly know what you would tip at that time?

I know for us, we never handed our KTTW card over until after our meal, then the credits were deducted.

 

[patsal]

Wow, I did not know this...where did you get this info?

It is in their contract which was posted on here quite some time back.