Dining Room Head Manager

[dthogue]

In reading about tipping we are supposed to tip the Dining Room Head Manager. Exactly what does this person do? We'll we meet him/her during the cruise? Do we tip him on the last night like we do our servers? Will he/she come to our table to get the tip or do we have to go to them?

Thanks,
Tammy

 

[TheWog]

This person is supposed to make sure every evening is delightful and address any concerns you may have and the like. We saw ours twice during the whole cruise, once when I had water spilled on me by our waitstaff, and it was no big deal only water and the other to crack my lobster on Thursday evening. He did not really provide any other service for us. He did "mill around" during tip night, but did not come right out and approach our table seeking his. There are guidelines for tipping him/her but as with any other service tip according to what you feel you received. If you leave a little out of his, you can give more to your server and assistant server.

 

[EmmasGrammy]

When on our RCCL curise last year I never did figure out what this guys job was and why we had to tip him!! We only saw him once. He said "Welcome to the Dining Room". We never saw him again through out the cruise and we had to search him out at the end of the cruise to give him his tip. I guess he is there to deal with problems and since we didn't really have any problems (which I suppose is a good thing) we never saw him. It felt rather silly to tip him! We thought this guy has a pretty cushy job!!! Say hello and get tips from every diner on the ship. I could do that!! LOL I'm sure he has lots of concerns and responsibilities and I don't mean to sell him short!!

 

[Grumbo]

We had Jeff on our last cruise as the "Head waiter" in our area. He was very good. He helped carry trays, spoke with the kids, did magic tricks for the kids, and made sure everything went well. He looked after the birthday cake for our dd.
On our first cruise the head waiter was a no show for us. On the last Eastern Jeff was great and definitely contributed to the enjoyment of our cruise.

Cheers,
Grumbo

 

[Chattyaholic]

The dining room manager "oversees" everything that goes on in the dining room during your meal. He definitely deserves to be tipped for what he does, and I'm sure we don't see a LOT of what he does for the diners, servers, etc.

On our last cruise, Sid was the manager and he was wonderful!! Stopped by our table each of the four nights, and he remembered we were from Michigan and that my Dad was originally from Texas. We have a wonderful picture of him and my Dad together. We tipped him extra, as we did our server and assistant server. They work hard to make your dining experience enjoyable!!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

On your DCL cruise, you'll get tip envelopes for four individuals:

-- Dining Room Server
-- Dining Room Asst. Server
-- Dining Room Head Server
-- Stateroom Host/Hostess

You do not get a tip envelope for the Dining Manager. But if the Dining Manager has done something special for you, you can tip at your discretion.

I'm not sure if "Dining Room Head Manager" in this thread refers to the Head Server or to the Dining Manager.

Our Head Server worked very hard. We saw him at the breakfast and lunch buffets as well as at our dinner. As with your Server and Asst. Server, you're really tipping for the work they do all day, not just at dinner. The Head Server relies on tips for his or her income. The recommended amount is smaller because the Head Server is responsible for several Servers, and thus for more passengers (who contribute to his tips).

 

[MrsPete]

The head server (forgot his name) visited us every evening at dinner and was very pleasant. Because we were seated fairly close to the back, we saw him doing lots of little things: mixing up some caesar salad, which was picked up by the waiters, placing garnishes on the dessert plates, etc. If he does his job well, it doesn't show.

 

[Carlnne]

On our second cruise a four day- we never saw the head server- didnt even know his name. We debated what to do with the tip because we did not even know what he looked like to give it to him. So we gave extra to our servers. Of course on tip night he stopped by our table during desert and acted like he knew us. It was a little too obvious and we didnt feel guilty a bit.

 

[frakers]

Among the many other things the Dining Room Manager does, he makes sure you have a table. This is the person responsible for table assignments as well as any changes that are made. If you were happy with your wait staff, the Manager is the person responsible for them. He trains them and ensures that they do their job to make you happy. Basically, every last thing you see and do in the dining rooms (other than food preparation) is because of the dining room manager.
Usually, this person gets a smaller amount (if any) because, whereas the waiter has a few tables, the section manager has a few waiters and the dining manager has all section managers. In other words, section manager and room managers have more people. More people means more money, in theory. And they definitely earn it!
Yes, they usually only come around on tip night it, it seems, but watch them sometime. They are always there watching you and the service you receive.

 

[momofofo22]

On our 28 Feb. 2004 Magic Western we had Jeff.

He was fantastic. He stopped at our table every night, dance with one of our DD.

We are speaking French and every night he learned one new sentence.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Some of the posts in this thread seem to be about the Head Server, while others are about the Dining Manager. These are two different positions.

Also, I've seen many cases on this board in which someone refers to their Server as their Head Server (in contrast to their Assistant Server).

Here's what the various people do:

The Assistant Server takes and delivers drink orders, assists the Server, and often takes away plates between courses.

The Server takes and delivers your food orders, and works closely with your Assistant Server as the leader of the 2-person team.

The Head Server is responsible for a section of the restaurant and for the Servers and Assistant Servers in that section. The Head Server should make sure that everything is going properly. Ideally, you won't have problems that require the Head Server beacuse the Head Server has dealt with everything before you even become aware of it. Also the Head Server is likely to greet you most evenings and make sure you're happy. Just like other servers, the Head Server works 7 days a week, usually from early morning until late at night (with some time off during non-meal periods during the day). The Head Server essentially earns his or her income from tips.

The Dining Manager is a person with whom most guests never have direct interaction. See the explanation from frakers in this thread. I have no idea who the Dining Manager was on our DCL cruises, and the Dining Manager did not come around for a tip on the final night. (I imagine Chattyaholic was really writing about her Head Server, not the Dining Manager.)

 

[strawberryblonde]

<font color=seagreen>Our head server, Jean, was terrific. He brought out our anniversary cake the first night and checked on our table every night there after. I saw him making the ceasar salads one night, every night always working and very visible/approachable. We increased his tip by 50%, he earned it. We also increased our server's tip by 50%, mainly out of guilt over saying anything less than "excellent" about him to Jean when asked. Uncomfortable situation for us and if I could do it over I would not tell the Head server the truth (unless things really were excellent) when asked about our serving team. Disapointment over our serving team is one reason why my DH is not as eager to cruise again as I am. </font>

 

[newms]

Our dining room manager made sure my son got ribs the night that our Castaway Cay trip was cancelled. Although I'm sure our head server told him, he was the one who went to get it and brought it to the table.
One picky thing...our assistant server just assumed we all wanted the same drinks the second night as the first, and brought them all ready to the table. I'm actually one of those people who likes variety and didn't want iced tea again, nor did the kids like it. Though it was cool she remembered, she got very put out that we asked for something else. The next night she was very sarcastic to me...oops, take some of that tip out of the envelope before we hand them out!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by newms
Our dining room manager made sure my son got ribs the night that our Castaway Cay trip was cancelled. Although I'm sure our head server told him, he was the one who went to get it and brought it to the table.

So your Server told your Head Server, and the Head Server had to get the Dining Manager?