Dining/gratuity question

[jlynne01]

We have made several dining reservations for 10 people, however several of the restaurants can only seat 5 people per table. We are fine with that but I am wondering if the are going to be charge automatic gratuity considering the fact that we are not seated together but the reservation is for 10?

I have alway hated the automatic gratuity....
I have always given at least 15% tip but I think it should be up to me if I want to tip 18-20% and also up to the service!

Last year we went to rainforest cafe with a party of 10 and got terrible service (it took just under 30 minutes to get a drink order taken then another 15 to get the drinks and so on and so on, when our food did come it was someone elses order and when we got our order some food was served under cooked but the gratuity was still added automatically and we had no say on how much we tipped...
I certainly dont want to sound cheap because I do think they work very hard and deserve to be tipped appropriately for their service but I also think that we should be able to decide when not to tip the full 18%.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

If your two groups of five are on separate checks you will not be charged the automatic gratuity.

You can always speak to a manager if you feel that you had poor service that did not merit the automatic 18% gratuity when it is applied. Be prepared to provide specific details.

 

[Chuck S]

If I made a reservation for a party of 10, I would expect to pay the required gratuity. You were aware of the policy prior to making the reservaton.

If you haave a specific reason after your meal that would warrant not paying the gratuity, as the previous poster said, you should talk to a manager, but be prepared to specify what part of the servers performance you felt was unsatisfactory.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We have made several dining reservations for 10 people, however several of the restaurants can only seat 5 people per table. We are fine with that but I am wondering if the are going to be charge automatic gratuity considering the fact that we are not seated together but the reservation is for 10?

I have alway hated the automatic gratuity....
I have always given at least 15% tip but I think it should be up to me if I want to tip 18-20% and also up to the service!

Last year we went to rainforest cafe with a party of 10 and got terrible service (it took just under 30 minutes to get a drink order taken then another 15 to get the drinks and so on and so on, when our food did come it was someone elses order and when we got our order some food was served under cooked but the gratuity was still added automatically and we had no say on how much we tipped...
I certainly dont want to sound cheap because I do think they work very hard and deserve to be tipped appropriately for their service but I also think that we should be able to decide when not to tip the full 18%.

I just returned and we had similar situation.
I have 3 people my extended family who also went had 5, so DISNEY had added the gratuity on my bill (liberty tree tavern), we DID sit together though we originally had an hour difference on ADR time (could not originally get us all together, so, we just all showed up and asked if they could accommodate at all, hoped for best and they did )

When we went to Rainforest Cafe DTD, we all sat together and got 2 bills, us for the 3 and them for the 5. I guess the other half thought that they'd "save us some money" this way. Well, have to say, service was AWFUL but the kids all loved it, especially that VOLCANO ice cream they have.
The 2 BILLS come and guess what, I had 18% on MY half and I did not want to ASK if the other half also got the 18%. Either way, I paid it JUST to get the heck out of there, they were SO SLOW and it was only LATE lunch WITH a "reservation hold!"
What I also noticed this year was that when we (3) had dinner like at Kona or Ohana, I think everywhere actually, we were on FREE DINE and the BILL had the SUGGESTED tips of 18% and 20% already figured out for you.
Personally, we always tip minimum of 20% unless POOR service (exception noted above of course, it was arrival day and I just wanted to leave!), anyway, my point is, DISNEY is clearly trying to be sure that wait staff is at least getting their 18% tip, which I think they certainly deserve. We had WONDERFUL experiences at ALL our SD meals, YUMMY!

 

[imthatgirl]

if you book one reservation of a party of 10, it doesnt matter how you seat, you are still a party of ten.
though most restaurants will accomidate that size. which restaurants are they?

if you want to avoid the auto tip then book 2 parties of 5.

 

[imthatgirl]

if you book one reservation of a party of 10, it doesnt matter how you seat, you are still a party of ten.
though most restaurants will accomidate that size. which restaurants are they?

if you want to avoid the auto tip then book 2 parties of 5.

 

[jlynne01]

if you book one reservation of a party of 10, it doesnt matter how you seat, you are still a party of ten.
though most restaurants will accomidate that size. which restaurants are they?

if you want to avoid the auto tip then book 2 parties of 5.

I believe the ones we couldnt get one table for 10 were

San Angel Inn, Reglan road, The Yachtsman Club and
Sci fi...
I did not make the reservations but I assume when my sister-n-law made them that she probably made them for a party of 10.

Again I have ALWAYS tipped good so this is not a matter of not wanting to tip its a matter of having it automatically added in..
When I was speaking with WDW reservation center they told me that gratuity would NOT be automatic if we didnt sit together but I know they dont always seem to know what they are talking about so that is why I asked on here...

 

[B-Ride]

We just returned from Free Dining as well and noticed the suggested 18% and 20% numbers on our bill. I thought it was a great idea. After a long day in the parks it was great not having to "think" and figure out 18% of 165.37.

I usually just picked an even dollar amount somewhere in between the two numbers, except at Marrakesh where the service was so exceptional I thought it warranted more than the 20%.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Tipping questions are limited to this thread

thanks,