How much tip to leave...

[Dopey Sharon]

at a buffet? I'm sure you don't leave the normal 15-20%. Is it a percentage of the bill or so much per person?

 

[Mike Jones]

..as a family, we choose to go to a buffet, but I assume that the restauarant employees are still partly dependant upon tips for their income. We therefore generally tip around 10% at buffets, provided that the servers and staff act in a way that enhances our experience... even if they are not actually serving at table (and many of course serve beverages etc) thay are (hopefully) smiling at us from behind counters, chatting to our kids and generally making us feel welcome. One thing that can annoy me is when tables are left uncleared for any length of time.

If I ever get sub-standard service (and we are not perfectionists!) (we're British... we're not allowed to complain, culturally! ) we don't tip, buffet or full service.
Mike

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

This is just my personal opinion, but i feel the servers at a buffet work just as hard if not harder and we always leave at least 15%. I know opinions on this varies greatly but that is what we do. Of course as with any restaurant, if service is lacking than so is the tip.

 

[Terry S]

We still leave the normal 20% as long as service is good. They waitstaff at these resturants are normally very attentive.

 

[beattyfamily]

Oh my goodness! We'll be at WDW the exact same days AND the exact same resort. How funny! After BWV we leave for Universal's HRH till Dec 7!

I tip pretty much the same. Between 15% and 20% depending on the service.

 

[Mike Jones]

... I'm feeling really mean now... thought the 10% was ok in buffets... I'll be too embarrassed to do that again... guess this thread's just cost me a few $!!!!LOL

Mike(what about 17.5%?)

 

[skiwee1]

We tip for buffets as we would at full service restaurants. I think the servers at buffets do just as much as any other server and it if the service is good they get tipped well.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

We tend to leave 15-20% for good service as well. Sometimes at buffets, the servers end up clearing more dishes than they ever would for table service!

 

[beatnik]

Our standard tip for all wait staff is 20%. I am a bit more likely to shave a bit off for slow or inattentive service at a buffet however, since all I really expect from the wait staff is that they will bring my drink and take my money in short order. I don't think their job as hard as wait staff at a regular restaurant (no order to keep straight, no meals to deliver to the table, etc.)-- so my expectation is perhaps a bit higher.

Beatnik

 

[Cinderella37]

My fiance tips 20%. If we go to a character buffet and the server takes pictures of us with the characters (since it's only two of us and we depend on the kindness of strangers to take 95% of our vacation pictures), we tip more. Of course, if the service is very inattentive, we tip less.

 

[DisneyKidds]

We tip 10% for buffets..............and I have seen that in various tipping guidelines. Yes, staff at a buffet work just as hard in general, but they don't do as much for you specifically as a waiter in a table service establishment would. As for relying on tips, I think most people who work buffets know that the tips will be less than at a typical table service place.

 

[jann1033]

guess I am a cheapskate here but most buffets in our area say "no tipping" so I would tip much less than 20%, probably 10-15 for good service, at one that does allow tipping...emptying a few more empty plates ( if any considering you normal have a plate per course any way and if bus boys don't do it) and filling drinks imo does not come close to waiting on a table under normal circumstances and unless they pool their tips the servers behind the buffets do not see them. I try to be a good tipper (been there done that) but I just do not think the two compare..now if someone did extras I would tip more (photos, special meal, whatever) but not when I am basically serving myself except for a drink.
wanted to clarify this some
while I am sure buffet workers work hard and do a good job they do not have the same( imho) mentally or physically tasking aspect of waiting on tables...(no heavy trays, no orders except drinks, no making or plating soups, salads or desserts which some restaurants expect the servers to do, no timing delivery of courses ) just not the same. so in general I don't tip the same. also I would think they could work more table since they are not doing as much and thus make up in more tips per hr.

 

[Ted and Holly]

Some of the best servers I have had were at Boma. It doesn't matter if the servers are working really hard JUSt for me, or for everyone. They are working hard.

I tip 20% or more at full service or buffet. Although, I will sometimes tip more or less than exactly 20% to make the math easier for me.

Ted

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one wondering...lol I may be wrong, but I assume that the wait staff at a buffet get paid more hourly, than the wait staff at a regular "order off the menu" restaurant. Anyone know if this is true? We have, in the past, left $1 per person, for a tip, at a buffet. After reading the replies here, that is way to little. I just figured that, since we have to go get our food and serve ourselves, the wait staff is only bringing drinks, that was a fair amount. Most buffets I've been to, either the bus boys or whomever happens to be passing by our table at the time a dirty dish is there, clears the table. It's never been just our waitress clearing dirty dishes. Oh, and BTW...at a sit down restaurant, we always leave at least a 15-25% tip...depending on the service (most times it's more like 25%), so I wouldn't say we are cheap.

 

[Belle5]

One thing to consider while at WDW buffets is that no child ages 12-17 is allowed to order just an appetizer or just a kid's meal or whatever. They are charged the full $24. (For 6 chicken nuggets, mac n cheese and two brownies.) So, if you're like our family and you have several kids who are "adults" your bill could easily look like $150 before you tip and are taxed. So, if the server has filled beverages twice for our table and cleared our plates twice they are already get $15 if we only tip 10%. (Which we don't unless service is poor. We usually do 15-20%. We have tipped 25% at Boma for excellent service.) For average/pleasant service I think 10-15% can be more than fair for the amount of work done considering how high the food bill can be. Now, if a couple of our older relatives (who are embarrassing at buffets) were with us (you know the ones that go through fifty plates and complain about everything) I think tipping 20% on each $24 meal is justified! )

 

[zurgswife]

I tip on service whether buffet or full service.....I've waited tables during school for years and buffet work is as hard as Regular service.....I always tip at least 18% unless the work is totally underpar....doesn't return to remove plates, take drink orders....

Servers only get paid about $2.35 per hour (last time I checked) whether buffet or regular servers...it's refered to as tipped wage and if you get tipped a restaurant can pay you that little...

 

[jann1033]

that is true ( about the low wages paid by the restaurant.)however also having waited tables ( at a sit down hamburger place for breakfast, probably one of the worst tipping postions) I always made well over 15 an hr (20 yrs ago ) and know many who wait tables in moderate sit down dinner places make at least 300 over dinner in tips so that is a little misleading since any decent wait person makes way way way way way more than that which is why many have a fit about declaring their tips for taxes.not that I don't think you should tip, I do but most wait staff make very good money for a very difficult job.

I was including tips in my hrly rate, not straight wages

 

[bratdeb]

Speaking from a servers point of view--We only make 2.13 an hour, so after taxes that comes out to less than a dollar a hour. I think you should tip on the service you received. If you got good average service leave 15 --great leave 20 and if you always had empty drinks(not because you suked them down before the server left the table) and dirty plates around leave 10 or nothing at all. I generally go out of my way for the people I am waiting on because that 2 bucks an hour doesn't pay the bills. On more thing if you are a party of 8 or more they will add the tip and they won't point out--if your service was bad (cause they think they automatically get the tip) you don't have to pay that. anyways sorry to keep going put a little info from the other side

 

[KathyFP]

We generally tip 20% regardless of the type of resturant. I will lower the tip if service is poor.

Actually at WDW there was only one time when we tipped less than 20%.

 

[sln88]

for the tippers out there(I don't eat out much so I can't say), I am curious about this:

Let's say you are in Orlando, and go to Shoney's for breakfast, and pay around $8 for an adult buffet. Do you tip 15%($1.20)?

And then go to Disney, and pay $18(I think for breakfast), and tip $2.70?

Let's assume service is equally good. Does the Shoney's waitress deserve to get paid over 50% less?

I am not trying to start a dispute, just curious about what is done in that situation.