Are tips automatically added to DDE now?

[magicmouse2]

I am new to DDE this year. When I use the card I get that I tip on the undiscounted amount but do I include the tax in this amount ?

 

[disneynutz]

If you want to argue that the DDP dropped the grat due to complaints, then thats the same reason the DE card will now have grat. It seems the majority here say they always leave 18-20%, but that is NOT the average. Having dated a disney server, and still knowing a couple, I can tell you a LOT of cheap people have the DE card. Remember the people scamming the DDP? Those are the same ones who have the DE card now. A party of 6, alcoholic drinks, nice buffet meal, and the bill will be $200. Dad uses his DE card, saves $40 In his mind, the server just removed dirty plates, so he leaves $10. Setups like that happen often.

The problem with tips is businesses use them as the waitstaffs payroll. They pay the lowest wage allowable and expect the customers to make up the difference. I am from the school that a tip is a bonus for great service, not a required payment for service. In your example above, I paid a pretty penny for my alcoholic drink and nice buffet meal. Does it matter that it was a alcoholic drink. Was it more work for the server compared to bringing me water? If I didn't tip would they leave the dirty plates on the table and never remove them? Usually a plate remover isn't a server anyway, it's a lower paid bus person. I'm not saying that the staff doesn't deserve to be paid, a better solution is to have the employer pay them. I have a hard time paying $40 for someone to bring me drinks.

 

[DisneyHolidayFan]

Y'know I just had a bizarre thought...

The DDE discount is 20% off total bill
The new automatic tip is 18% of total bill

so now with the DDE you get a 2% discount!

Like others have said, we tip on the full amount and generally tip over 20% if the service is good.




If you were tipping 20%, your new discount will be 22% for the DDE.

 

[shellybaxter]

I don't like forced tips. Like other posters here I usually tip 20 to 25% based on the pre-discounted amount. If 18% is already figured in to my bill, then 18% is what I'll be paying. I hope that the increase from "bad tippers" will cover the loses for tippers like me for the servers.

 

[just another guy]

The problem with tips is businesses use them as the waitstaffs payroll. They pay the lowest wage allowable and expect the customers to make up the difference. I am from the school that a tip is a bonus for great service, not a required payment for service. In your example above, I paid a pretty penny for my alcoholic drink and nice buffet meal. Does it matter that it was a alcoholic drink. Was it more work for the server compared to bringing me water? If I didn't tip would they leave the dirty plates on the table and never remove them? Usually a plate remover isn't a server anyway, it's a lower paid bus person. I'm not saying that the staff doesn't deserve to be paid, a better solution is to have the employer pay them. I have a hard time paying $40 for someone to bring me drinks.

and? The fact is its a standard in america to tip 15-20%. That has to be taken into account before deciding where to eat. When I was in college, I hardly ever ate at table service restaurants. Why? I can get Chipotle of Freebirds to go, and eat at home. That would cost me $6, instead of $8 for a dinner, $2 for a soda, and then $3 for a tip, all at a mexican restaurant.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I think that's probably the main reason.
But for us it makes no difference whatsoever, as we always tip 20% on the original amount anyway.

Same here.

 

[seven dwarfs]

I started another thread about the forced tip for my family of eight. I do not have a problem with tipping at all. I do have a problem with the fact it seems like the service we received before I became a large family was most of the time great. But servers 'worked' for their tip. My husband and I notice now the service most of the time now stinks. I feel it is because the tip is automatically added so the server just doesn't care. I can't wait to see if this new rule allows others to understand where I am coming from. We have talked to a manager a couple of times but to be honest it is a pain and time consuming so most of the time we just leave.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I think that's probably the main reason.
But for us it makes no difference whatsoever, as we always tip 20% on the original amount anyway.

Us too...no skin off our nose...

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Service at WDW restaurants is almost always quite good. We've been Ap'ers for years (DDE members since inception) and dining is one of my favorite activities and I can recall exactly ONCE where my service was so bad I deducted tip amount (from 20% to 10%) and this was at 'Ohana (not that this is relevent). So my question is why are folks so upset at this when in actuality it will be a non-event nearly every single time? It makes me think many people really do look for excuses to short tip which is exactly why waitstaff fear large tables and why mandatory gratuities are becoming the norm even if it isn't quite right.

With the DDE I always just left the exact amount of the discount as my tip, plus a couple bucks extra if service was above the norm. Now, with the 18% I'll probably still use the same method - Just 18% if service is normal and add a couple bucks when it's better. No skin off my nose.

 

[D&DDisney]

The problem with tips is businesses use them as the waitstaffs payroll. They pay the lowest wage allowable and expect the customers to make up the difference. I am from the school that a tip is a bonus for great service, not a required payment for service. In your example above, I paid a pretty penny for my alcoholic drink and nice buffet meal. Does it matter that it was a alcoholic drink. Was it more work for the server compared to bringing me water? If I didn't tip would they leave the dirty plates on the table and never remove them? Usually a plate remover isn't a server anyway, it's a lower paid bus person. I'm not saying that the staff doesn't deserve to be paid, a better solution is to have the employer pay them. I have a hard time paying $40 for someone to bring me drinks.

Amen to that! As someone who has worked in retail, fast food, & restaurant service, I think tipping should be optional and not mandatory. And, when tipping, it should not be a specific percentage of my meal/drinks. ANY extra money I give for service should NOT be looked at as cheap, but instead should be appreciated.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

The problem with tips is businesses use them as the waitstaffs payroll. They pay the lowest wage allowable and expect the customers to make up the difference. I am from the school that a tip is a bonus for great service, not a required payment for service. In your example above, I paid a pretty penny for my alcoholic drink and nice buffet meal. Does it matter that it was a alcoholic drink. Was it more work for the server compared to bringing me water? If I didn't tip would they leave the dirty plates on the table and never remove them? Usually a plate remover isn't a server anyway, it's a lower paid bus person. I'm not saying that the staff doesn't deserve to be paid, a better solution is to have the employer pay them. I have a hard time paying $40 for someone to bring me drinks.

Your "school" just isn't based in reality, IMO. Tip only for "great service" and you're screwing the poor server because whether you like it or not the servers are paid primarily via gratuities. Just because you think a better solution is for the employers to pay better wages is irrelevent. It isn't the way it is and it isn't ever going to be that way. If people tip based on only "excellent" service then we have a perfect answer as to why gratuities are being added to bills. Further if you have a "hard time" paying the average prices including tip then perhaps you shouldn't be patronizing the types of establishments where this is customary. It seems pretty simple, really.

I'm not trying to be rude and if I misconstrued your general feeling, I'm sorry, but waiters and waitresses depend upon people being fair in following the standards. It isn't their fault the system is the way it is and even though bad service occurs occasionally I don't think it's fair for anyone (a generic anyone) to nitpick a server in order to justify a lower tip. I am fairly certain than no server approaches anyones table and says to themself "hehehe, I'm going to really slack off on these losers and still get my tip, hehehe".

 

[tiggersmyguy]

Service at WDW restaurants is almost always quite good. We've been Ap'ers for years (DDE members since inception) and dining is one of my favorite activities and I can recall exactly ONCE where my service was so bad I deducted tip amount (from 20% to 10%) and this was at 'Ohana (not that this is relevent). So my question is why are folks so upset at this when in actuality it will be a non-event nearly every single time? It makes me think many people really do look for excuses to short tip which is exactly why waitstaff fear large tables and why mandatory gratuities are becoming the norm even if it isn't quite right.

With the DDE I always just left the exact amount of the discount as my tip, plus a couple bucks extra if service was above the norm. Now, with the 18% I'll probably still use the same method - Just 18% if service is normal and add a couple bucks when it's better. No skin off my nose.

This is exactly what I do as well. Easy math to me.

 

[CherylA]

You know to me the automatic tip actually makes sense. You pay a 18% tip and if the service was good you're happy to do it. If the service wasn't good you ask to speak to a manager who most likely does something to reduce the bill AND the manager now has a better idea of the type of service his guests are receiving. If you have bad service and just reduce the servers tip and not say anything you haven't done anything to help change the service for the better. I'm a big fan of keeping management informed. That said, I think they did it because people were being cheap and not leaving a decent tip.

 

[cobbler]

My only issue is with the character buffets. I feel 18% is a bit much when I am serving myself.

So if we dine at buffets I guess I will need to call over the manager. I tip between 10-15% at buffets. If the service is just standard then it's 10%, but if the server is on top of things, removes plates promptly refills drinks quickly then I will give them more.

 

[Luv2Roam]

The automatic tip of DDE (if it is true) does not bother us either. We tip the discount. Maybe sometimes taking it to the next dollar, either way, depending on the service. If the discount is $10.04, we tip $10.
Now I could see where the server is getting less tip if they in error do not give a discount on beverages. (And I suspect some don't. But I don't scrutinize my itemized receipts either.) And if they did not allow a discount on beverges when they should have, I would not want to tip them on top of it too.
We will actually be getting off cheaper I suspect with 18%, as opposed to our usual habit.
CMs also automatically pay 18% tip. So it is like Disney are following suit with the cast discount. (And believe me, the DDE has many less restrictions than the cast dining discount. Hence why many CMs have the DDE.)
The auto tip just saves me time from having to add in a 20% tip.
We would still give the extra 2% for really good service though. And it is rare indeed for us to have poor service at any Disney restaurant.

 

[magicmouse2]

Can someone please answer my question. ?

Should I tip on the total including tax or total before tax ? tia (I currently tip total inc tax)

 

[Uncleromulus]

I believe that TECHNICALLY the tip should be figured on the pretax cost of the meal. At least that is what I have usually understood the proper procedure to be. But I'm like you--I end up tipping on the total bill, tax and all.

 

[magicmouse2]

Thanks Uncleromulus I would rather overtip than undertip!

 

[ParrotBill]

So what am I missing here?

Start automatic tipping for DDE... But remote it from DDP? Or will they be automatically be bringing a check for the tip to DDP diners?

If they don't do the same to DDP diners, me thinks the waitstaff will be on the losing end of this deal.

 

[just another guy]

So what am I missing here?

Start automatic tipping for DDE... But remote it from DDP? Or will they be automatically be bringing a check for the tip to DDP diners?

If they don't do the same to DDP diners, me thinks the waitstaff will be on the losing end of this deal.

Yup, its just disney screwing over their servers. Disney wants to increase their profits, thus not pay the servers their 18% grat, yet keep the DDP the same price. During contract debates, the servers union brought up the fact that some DE people only have the card to be cheap, and then screw over the servers by not tipping properly. Long story short, but best the servers union could do was to get 18% added to DE cards, and parties now of 6+, while losing 18% on the DDP. There is no winning when it comes to fighting disneys union, but the servers union tried their best.