How do you NOT tip a bad server on free dining???

[chobie]

Hmmm, this seems like a serious dilemma. Who would have thought that FREE dining would come rife with such moral ramifications? How can you stiff a server if you are not even paying for it to begin with? I don't know how you people with free dining can sleep at night.

 

[Lizzybee]

When we went to WDW last summer with the free dining plan, we were so happy and appreciative that I believe it was contagious for our servers. I guess for the most part I am more concerned with the company I'm keeping at the table and the food I'm enjoying than I am what the server's attitude is. The only time I really was bothered or felt we had poor service was at an Olive Garden in the South burbs of Chicago. We waited almost 2 hours for our meal and after the server said they must have given the first steak to someone else, she asked if we could pay the bill and her tip then (before we got the food) because her shift was up and it was time for her to go home. Of course I told her absolutely not because we might never get our food. We still tipped her though just basic, not generously. I probably should have asked to speak to a manager but I've never done that before. I guess the server wasn't rude just stupid to ask us to pay without getting our food under the circumstances.

ETA: I was a server at a ChiChi's restaurant for a month or so in the 1990's that was too stressful so now I monitor criminals.

 

[MyGoofy26]

I'd MUCH rather have the check when I am done ordering than wait for the check when I want to leave - there is nothing worse than sitting around for ten minutes -the creme brulee dish licked clean, empty coffee cups, waiting for the check (and you can see that the waiter in question is busy taking orders for that big party that sat next to you, so it isn't like they are chatting it up with the busboy). So, as Neverlandclub points out, each guest is different. I don't feel rushed when I get the check, I feel that the waitstaff has done me the favor of giving me the power to set my own time - if I change my mind, an extra cup of coffee can always be rung up.

Maybe it's just certain places around me. We run into it quite a bit - not all the time, but enough to notice it, that they'll bring the check right out and then we never see them again to the point we have to ask other waiters/waitresses/managers to find out waitress for a refill. And I mean NEVER see them again - not even out at other tables. I'm always pleasant too - so it's not about being rude. I learned my "please" and "thank you" early and use them often In fact, actually thinking about how I order I even ask the waitress for permission, LOL! "Can I get an iced tea?"

Like I said, maybe it's just around here that there are so many who barely even make eye contact, greet you like it's scripted, and seem completely disinterested lke they're deliberately trying to do the bare minimum. It's never been enough to try and call a manager, just one of those little things that temporarily irks me then I go about my business. But I do tip generously. . . and when I run into these types of waiters/waitresses, I don't tip as much (but still 15-20% . . don't think I'm completely stiffing them)

 

[Sandi12404]

I'm a waitress and I am just baffled by some of this. If I leave your check on the table because you say you don't need anything it's not because I want you out, I just feel that if you want to leave you don't have to wait any longer. of couse I usually say something along the lines of "I'm just going to leave this here, there's no rush and if you need anything else just let me know". And, just a suggestion, if you don't want to be bothered during your meal- tell your server. All you have to do when you sit down is tell them you would really like to be left alone and you will be sure to let them know if you need anything. Please and thank you very much. I've had tables do that and I'm fine with it. I know where we both stand and I don't feel guilty for not checking on them to make sure all is good.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

First I have to say everyone on the dining plan isn't on it for free! We leave in a few weeks and we paid for the dining plan! That being said however if you did get it for free LET IT GO! The servers will probably be bombarded by people who are on the free dining and even if your service isn't top notch doesn't mean they haven't been busting their butt their whole shift!

I was a server off and on for about 17 years and I don't think anything could surprise me anymore as far as customer attitudes go-I've had ppl who came in for a cup of coffee and left 2 hours and 3 pots later and left a quarter!(daily this happened I might add finally I told them that the tip was for the service and while a quarter was good for a 99c cup of coffee w/unlimited refills the quarter didn't quite cut it for 2 hours of running back and forth to the table to "warm it up" and to keep them in sugar packets) To people who come in snarf down their food and don't want you to talk or look at them until they're ready to pay,to ppl who think they are the only ones in the restaurant and all your time and attention need to be centered on them!

When we go out to eat I am one of the most understanding customers you could have-I know what it's like when it's busy and everyone has to have something within seconds of asking for it and when it is closing time and you just want to get the place cleaned up so you can go home to your family and those last customers just won't leave so finally you ask them if they would mind if you started vaccuming and they get all pissy with you even though the restaurant has now been closed for an hour.

I say unless a server has outright spit on you or told you where to fly your kite they should be tipped maybe not well but something to show appreciation for your not having to cook,wash the dishes or clean up the mess your kids leave piled under the table!

 

[nurseypoo5]

Wow! I work nights and just havent had a chance to check back on this post. My goodness, i didnt mean to make people "hate" on each other, especially me! lol!

Ok...i got some flame for my question. I have NEVER been to disney, Like i said, i was just asking due to some recent complaints ive heard about very very poor service at some TS restaurants. I was sort of wondering if DDP (not just free dining, that should NOT NOT NOT MATTER) had given some servers carte blanch to not do as good a job because they were tipped "no matter what".

I can only go by what ive read here on DIS as like ive said, ive never been to WDW. It was simply a question, not an invitation for some to flame me. I do however appreciate those that wrote back, esp the ones that eased my mind about great service.

You see, we dont vacation often, about every other year. With a child in college and a mortgage, it just isnt feasible. That being said, even tho the dining IS free, it doesnt mean my experience can not be ruined by poor service, quite the contrary. Nothing frustrates me more than being hungry, in a bit of a hurry, and getting slow/poor/rude service or bad food (not saying the food is the servers fault) and was just wondering what others might do in this situation.

I have waitressed, my DD does waitress, so I am not ignorant of what it takes to do this job. Infact im in awe of the cool job it must be to wait at a restaurant in WDW. I'm sure its a very good paying serving job, and the perks! wow!

That being said, when I pay (even if its free dining, it shouldnt be treated as second "class citizen" dining) for an expensive meal, i EXPECT good service. If a server is rude or just awful, i never hesitate to go to management. Again, just wondering if the DDP had given some servers an excuse to not try so hard to earn the tip.

Thanks for the responses

 

[nurseypoo5]

I just read the previous posters response to my last one, and I have to say that is ridiculous.

Why in the WORLD would anyone be ok with poor service just because the DP is free??? That is almost insulting to those of us going during free dining, some wierd analogy saying its ok to discriminate against those going in August and September, so what if you get bad service, you dont necessarily deserve the good service since you didnt pay, and if you get the good service, be happily suprised??

I'm sure its going to be crowded, but i have a feeling most days are crowded now with the DP.

For those of you who say "get over it, your not paying for it"...excuse me, but I may not have had to pay for the DDP, but i did pay rack room rate for my room, and am willing to go during an off season .

 

[Wendy1953]

If Disney works like most resorts, tips are split and shared (can somebody confirm?) So (1) the server isn't getting nearly as much money as you think and (2) not tipping wouldn't really affect your server.

Personally, I love the idea of included tips - it puts us one step closer to doing away with tips altogether. For folks on the Dining Plan, tips are essentially gone. The cost of paying the CM's is built into the price you pay. Just like the cost of paying the CM's at the resorts and parks and built into the price we pay there. Why on earth do we have a system where Disney underpays some CM's, and expects customers to make up the difference with direct payments?

Just like at the parks and resorts, I don't think the lack of a tip is going to drive CM behavior.

"Why on earth do we have a system where Disney underpays some CM's, and expects customers to make up the difference with direct payments?"---have you been to any restaurant or hotel outside of Disney? If so don't you tip the waiter/waitress/maid there? So why would you not expect to tip Disney employee's? Besides the fact that from my understanding Disney's underpaying all CM's, so if some can make a little extra why not! When on the dining plan..we tip extra when the service is good! We also leave a tip for the maid on a daily basis! The lack of a tip may not change service, but give a little extra and you might be pleasantly surprised at what extra's you may encounter!

 

[calgarygary]

Dear OP, yes some of the posts have been flames and you might have seen mine as also one. You were however the individual who is trying to find a way in advance of not tipping. I am in belief that a person planning a trip with that question as part of their mindset, is likely to find sufficient fault during their dining experiences to not enjoy them. Let me share my DDP experience from last Oct. (on the free promo.) as an example of how important it is to me to just relax and enjoy rather than getting worked up.

Our (DW and 4DD) first ADR last year was at CG and we arrived to an incredibly busy restaurant. There was no place to sit so we just stood along the wall waiting for a table to open in the lounge. When one finally did, it was filthy, so I just stood beside the table to hold it, and tried in vain to get someone to bus it. After quite a wait, I got one of my daughters to wait at the table to hold it and I saught out a manager who then personally bussed the table. My purpose in finding the manager was not to vent, but rather to fix the immediate problem - which he did. The serving staff then seemed particularly slow in coming to get a drink order. Had I allowed this very poor beginning to impact my evening, I would have missed out on enjoying a great meal. Once in the dining room, the service improved (but not to the level of say - Tchoup Chop) and the quality, particularly the freshness, of the food was spectacular. Our waiter in the dining room was rewarded with a sizable grat. over and above what the plan gave him.

My moral is TO relax, not because we should accept problems with service, but rather, the idea is to enjoy the vacation experience. Many of us, when we get upset, allow that feeling to follow us around for awhile and then it does become that self fulfilling prophecy that I posted earlier.

 

[chobie]

Yes, it's the whole premeditated stiffing that I find bothersome. Why not just assume that your level of service will be acceptable? If its not, then cross that bridge when you get there. But to plan on how you can get back at your server for the bad service you are presuming you will be getting seems a bit petty. Of all the things to be planning in advance for a trip, this just strikes me as mean-spirited. JMHO

 

[nurseypoo5]

i NEVER EVER said i was looking for a way to get out of tipping! Jeesh, why would someone put those words in my mouth. I'm shaking my head in frustration. Infact, I dont think i have ever NOT tipped someone, nor have i ever left the infamous penny. Like i said before, my DD is a waitress, and I've done my share. I generally leave 20% tips for good service, sometimes more, never less. I even tip the kids at Sonic!

Again, all I wondered really, and I believe ive said this several times, is that lately you hear about the bad service, and wonder if its due to mandatory tipping instead of based on service provided. (hence, you work for your tip instead of just knowing it will be given to you no matter what)

Am I not making any sense here? Can someone tell me where I said i expected our servers to be anything more than adequate? I'm not expecting our wait person to do back flips while bringing out our food, and im most certainly not projecting a bad experience on my vacation. Good grief it was just a question.

 

[belle&beast]

I have never had poor service in WDW at the restaurants, and I hope the same will go for you. If you do, just ask for a manager and that should take care of the problem. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[calgarygary]

I'm appalled at reading how so many of you have had faltering service from CMs at TS restaurants lately. Its even more appalling knowing that im basically forced to tip someone who might otherwise be so rude to me that I might infact have a ruined meal because of a server.

If this were the case, than i feel its my right as a customer to UNDER tip, or worse, not tip at all. .......


What can one do if one is treated with poor service. It seems it would be most irritating to know that the waiter KNOWS that no matter how sucky he is, he still gets a tip.

yeah, that is annoying.

Maybe it's just me, but the above quote indicates a mindset of how can I avoided tipping someone I don't want to.

 

[crisi]

I think when you purchase a plan (and "free" dining isn't free, its thrown in for rack rate as a promotion - you can't get it if you don't pay rack), you give up some flexibility and control over how your money is being spent. Want full control, pay cash out of pocket.

 

[Saphire]

Why not just assume that your level of service will be acceptable?

While I think the question the OP asks is a valid one, I am assuming our level of service will be adequate or better on our upcoming trip. I have been saving $5 bills to have ready for adding to the tip if I feel the service was really good. Our experiences have been mostly positive on past trips, and I want to be prepared to express my thanks.

 

[MsLeFever]

Honestly, here is how you could not tip the waiter if for some reason you got just TERRIBLE service.

You don't use your dining plan for that meal. You pay for it, you don't tip.

Course you sorta have to cut off your nose to spite your face....

 

[mlyn]

Hmmm, this seems like a serious dilemma. Who would have thought that FREE dining would come rife with such moral ramifications? How can you stiff a server if you are not even paying for it to begin with? I don't know how you people with free dining can sleep at night.

I sleep just fine at night because I'm working three jobs (one FT, two PT) in order to pay for my trip, and at the end of the day my biggest problem is staying awake long enough to make it to the bed. The free dining is what's making it possible for me to go at all.
My intentions are to have a wonderful time at Disney, leave an additional tip for good service, and , after reading your post, just hope that you are not one of my servers.

 

[chobie]

I sleep just fine at night because I'm working three jobs (one FT, two PT) in order to pay for my trip, and at the end of the day my biggest problem is staying awake long enough to make it to the bed. The free dining is what's making it possible for me to go at all.
My intentions are to have a wonderful time at Disney, leave an additional tip for good service, and , after reading your post, just hope that you are not one of my servers.

Don't worry about it. I am working AND going to school so I will not have to wait tables again. It's people like the OP that keep me up at night studying so I will never have to wait tables again. Both my DH and I have done our share of working 2 and 3 jobs at at time to keep our heads above water, and one of those jobs was always waiting tables. People who thought about how they were going to stiff the server before they went out to eat were always miserable to wait on from the moment they sat down. Why would someone be planning on how they react if they get bad service is beyond me.

I just hope you are not one of those people...

 

[BCV23]

To the original poster, I hope you have a wonderful trip and truly discover the magic of WDW.

The CMs personify that magic. From the young person who directs you on a ride to Art at the BC, everyone helps to make the experience. We go back and back to WDW precisely because the CMs really try hard to keep the magic going.

The servers are the same as all other CMs. We've had hundreds of table service meals at WDW. Almost every single server has been delightful. We've had very slow service a few times but things do happen. For the most part, service at WDW is remarkable. I don't think we've ever had a truly rude server. If we could bottle the attitude of most WDW servers and transport it here, we would!

I would try to focus on all the good reviews instead of the few who report on bad experiences. And take those with a grain of salt.

Enjoy your DDP and bon apetit!

 

[faindrops27]

Chobie, why should we sleep any different because we are on the free dining plan. Please explain the logic. To that statement??