Dining Plan - Tips

[Maistre Gracey]

I have yet to use the dininig plan. I'm a strong advocate of the DDE, but I'm certainly open to all opinions.

Now, my question...
Does anyone else feel the tip portion of the dining plan is a bit chintzy?
I don't know exactly how much the server gets, but when I break down the $35 between all the meals it can't be much.

When at WDW I try to remember that it's the cast members that make things great.
Because of this we tip at least 25% before the DDE discount.

As folks are trying to order the most expensive items on the menu when using the dining plan, I just don't see enough tip built into the equation.

Does anyone using the dining plan leave additional tip?
Any other thoughts on this?

Thanx!

MG

 

[Anewman]

I left additional tip at all but one sit down meal. Only meal that server was just AVERAGE, maybe we were spoiled but she let us go very thirsty.

The tip is not based on what you pay for the plan, it is based on the total food bill for the meal even though you dont actually pay that total.

Most meals(in Aug.) the tip was calculated at 15% but a few meals(spoodles and Le Cellier) it showed a 18% tip.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

The tip is not based on what you pay for the plan, it is based on the total food bill for the meal even though you dont actually pay that total.

Most meals(in Aug.) the tip was calculated at 15% but a few meals(spoodles and Le Cellier) it showed a 18% tip.

Well that's some good info, and really sheds some light on things.

Thanx!

MG

 

[frozone]

I usually made up for it by ordering drinks and tipping well on those.

 

[pezpam]

I actually asked a CM about this when we used the DP. I was expecting him to tell me that the servers had problems with the new plan, but he just said that Disney was taking care of them. His tone was not one of someone who was being stiffed, btu of someone who was happy with it. If WDW gives them 15% of the bill on every bill, it's possible that it's equal to or better than they used to do since some people don't tip very well if at all...... I did leave extra quite often, but that was my choice.

I'd love to hear from a CM (second-hand if need be) whether the plan is working out well for them in the long run or if they're having to scramble harder for smaller tip totals...... (which would stink, imho, since 99% of the servers I've encountered have been very good to excellent.....)

 

[Big Daddy Incredible]

I left additional tip at all but one sit down meal. Only meal that server was just AVERAGE, maybe we were spoiled but she let us go very thirsty.

The tip is not based on what you pay for the plan, it is based on the total food bill for the meal even though you dont actually pay that total.

Most meals(in Aug.) the tip was calculated at 15% but a few meals(spoodles and Le Cellier) it showed a 18% tip.

We just returned from WDW on Monday and we had the dining plan. I tipped an extra $10 at every table service meal except for one. The one that I did not tip extra was at a buffet and we only saw our server twice so I thought the dining plan tip would be enough in that instance.

I was also concerned that the cast members may be getting shorted. All of the other servers that we had really busted their hump to serve us well. They really gave my kids (5, 4 and 2) special attention and I wanted to reward them for their efforts.

 

[NMW]

While we never have used this particular dining plan, we were huge fans of the old gold/silver plans. With those plans, a 15% tip was included+tax. We always tipped more to make it 20% and then also tipped on our alcohol too. I'd be shocked if the MYW dining plan did not include at least a 15% or higher tip. I thought I remember reading it was going to 18% in January, but I could be wrong.

 

[tfiga]

When we went in May the tip was 15%. We only added an additional tip at 50's Primetime Cafe where the server was excellent. Most of the meals we ate at were buffets and I feel 15% is more than adequate for bringing me drinks and clearing my plates. At the standard table service meals I ordered an appetizer, entree and dessert which increased the price per adult by at least $10.00 which meant that the server received an additional $1.50 per person than had I payed OOP. I am satisifed that unless the server does something exceptional 15% to 18% is a great tip. Additionally, I have heard as of Jan. 1st 2006 the tip is being increased to 18%. Maybe I am just cheap, but the average meal price for my family of four was about $70.00. This meant the server received about $10.50 tip. By my calculations most servers have at least 4 tables (usually more) and if the average turn over for the tables is about an hour. The server made somewhere in the ballpark of $35.00 an hour or more. I feel this is fair compensation. Just my opinion though.

 

[wasabi girl]

I just got back last week, using the premium plan. At a couple of places the tip showed up at 18%, mostly it was 15%. We usually ordered alcohol and tipped on the alcohol and left extra to bring it up to about 18-20%. Except one table servce meal, where our waitress was really awful. We even asked other servers for refills of our drinks but being that it was a "role-playing" place they told us to ask our waitress...so we got no refills...nada.

 

[Knowitall]

My roommate is a server at a high volume Disney restaurant and here is what she had to say on the subject...The grat as of right now is only 15% so guests that would normally tip around 20% in cash are not because of the DP. They don't receieve the grat tips that night because they are put onto their paychecks and those tips are taxed by the govt. Yes they do get paid an hourly wage but since there is more grat on their checks that gets taxed she said they only end up seeing 10-12% of the 15% grat. In a above post someone mentioned that servers get 4 tables at a time and with a turn time of an hour, but since most people are coming in with the dining plans and eating an app, entree and desserts turn times are now 1 1/2- 2 hours which means the servers are getting less tables and less money.

 

[Anewman]

My roommate is a server at a high volume Disney restaurant and here is what she had to say on the subject...The grat as of right now is only 15% so guests that would normally tip around 20% in cash are not because of the DP. They don't receieve the grat tips that night because they are put onto their paychecks and those tips are taxed by the govt. Yes they do get paid an hourly wage but since there is more grat on their checks that gets taxed she said they only end up seeing 10-12% of the 15% grat. In a above post someone mentioned that servers get 4 tables at a time and with a turn time of an hour, but since most people are coming in with the dining plans and eating an app, entree and desserts turn times are now 1 1/2- 2 hours which means the servers are getting less tables and less money.

Does she NOT pay taxes on cash tips?
Is the average BILL higher than without the plan, since everyone orders apps and deserts?
Without the plan was there ever customers that did not tip at all?

We are a family of four and our lowest TS bill was $150, 15 percent of that is $22.50. And I tipped on top of that, not bad IMO.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

I tipped extra where it was deserved. One night our server never returned to our table after serving our entrees. My son and I both wanted drinks, but he was nowhere to be found. No other servers came near our table, or I would have asked them. At Kona Cafe and the Maya Grill, the service was so great that I left large tips.

Our meals never took 1 to 1 1/2 hours with appetizers and deserts. Having worked as a waitress for years, I would love to have people on the dining plan. You might not get everyone giving extra to make 20%, but you aren't getting stiffed by cheap people either. We don't usually order appetizers or deserts, so our bills were all much larger than they would normally have been; making a larger tip for the server.

 

[Hanover]

We also made sure we tipped extra on the dining plan in August, and will do so on our next trip in January. Our first meal we had in August was at Liberty Tree Tavern, and we asked the waitress what percentage the tip was and when she told us only 15%, we made sure to an add additional tip. We added extra from that point on at each TS meal, even at Chef Mickeys where we had the worst waiter of any meal on our trip. We figured that he was just overwhelmed with customers or had a bad night.