How much to tip at buffets?

[Laura]

My guess, and this is only a guess, is because at a buffet, they are not servers, they are bus boys or bus girls or whatever the PC term is now. I don't know what they make, or what the rule is but that is the reason I assume that people tip less at a buffet. A busboy doesn't need to know the specials, what wine to suggest, how to balance your dinner plate, stuff like that. They just need to fill your water and clear your dirty plates.

At Hometown Buffet, yes, they're just busboys. But at a WDW buffet like Boma, they're not just busboys, they're really more like waiters who simply don't bring you your food. Since so many restaurants don't have the waiters do that anyway, I don't see much difference.

Lewisc, I've never seen a buffet where you have to get your own drink. What if you want a mixed drink or a beer? How do you get that yourself? Are you talking about Disney or elsewhere?

Elsewhere, I'm sure. I have never gotten my own drink at any WDW buffet. I mentioned Hometown Buffet above; that's the kind of place where you would get everything yourself, and you basically just pay as you go in. No alcohol.

 

[Lewisc]

if you need a guide to tip or one of those little tip cards then I'm quite sure the service you get will reflect the fact that you have no idea how hard servers/bussers work.

YOU NEED A TIP guide since you seem to think tipping less than 15% at a buffet is stealing.

I generally tip more than 15% at a Disney buffet BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH REGARDING MINIMUM TIP GUIDELINES before you accuse people of stealing.

Check as many tipping guides as you want. The vast majority say 10% is an acceptable tip at a buffet.

 

[WillCAD]

At Hometown Buffet, yes, they're just busboys. But at a WDW buffet like Boma, they're not just busboys, they're really more like waiters who simply don't bring you your food. Since so many restaurants don't have the waiters do that anyway, I don't see much difference.

Seems to me that at the WDW buffets the servers take your drink orders, bring your drinks, and bus your tables.

At Hometown Buffet (in Baltimore we have Old Country Buffet, owned by the same company), they bus your tables but don't take drink orders or bring your drinks. I don't see a heck of a lot of difference - a buffet waiter still has life a lot easier than a full-service waiter.

A full-service restaurant, on the other hand, requires the waitstaff to

* Take all of your drink, appetizer, entree and dessert orders
* Put them into the kitchen in coherent enough order to get the food all straight
* Bring and refill your drinks
* Bring sundries like catsup, steak sauce, butter, etc.
* Collect your order from the kitchen and bring it out to your table (which can be a mighty chore for tables of 3 people or more)
* Ring up the check, deliver it to the table, and collect the money
* Most restaurants, including all of those at WDW, have a separate bussing staff, but some places require the waitstaff to bus their own tables, too

So all those who think the waitstaff at a buffet work harder than the waitstaff at a full-service restaurant, think again. "Work" does not just include the physical aspects of picking up dirty plates, it also includes the mental aspects of:

* Getting an order straight (sometimes from confused people who don't know what they want),
* Having the entire menu memorized so you can answer questions about what sides come with what entree
* Writing all the order info down faster than a secretary taking dictation
* Communicating the order properly to the kitchen staff.
* Delivery of the food, sometimes with dagerously hot items like skillets
* Presentation, placing the food in front of the right person without knocking over their drink glasses or spilling anything from the plates
* And the ever-difficult interpretation of folks with accents (which is an especially difficult thing at WDW, where Guests come from all over the world)

Still think buffet waitstaff works harder just because they pick up 8 plates instead of 2?

 

[lucysdad]

Well, usually when we are pool hopping at the various resorts, while we leave our children unattended in the hot tub, we bring our refillable mugs and sneak into the buffets and eat while standing at the serving tables. Not only do we tip nothing, we grab as many tips off the other tables as we can on the way out, thereby giving the overworked waitstaff less to do. It's win-win. Disney is way too expensive to begin with.

 

[Slapster]

Seems to me that at the WDW buffets the servers take your drink orders, bring your drinks, and bus your tables.

At Hometown Buffet (in Baltimore we have Old Country Buffet, owned by the same company), they bus your tables but don't take drink orders or bring your drinks. I don't see a heck of a lot of difference - a buffet waiter still has life a lot easier than a full-service waiter.

A full-service restaurant, on the other hand, requires the waitstaff to

* Take all of your drink, appetizer, entree and dessert orders
* Put them into the kitchen in coherent enough order to get the food all straight
* Bring and refill your drinks
* Bring sundries like catsup, steak sauce, butter, etc.
* Collect your order from the kitchen and bring it out to your table (which can be a mighty chore for tables of 3 people or more)
* Ring up the check, deliver it to the table, and collect the money
* Most restaurants, including all of those at WDW, have a separate bussing staff, but some places require the waitstaff to bus their own tables, too

So all those who think the waitstaff at a buffet work harder than the waitstaff at a full-service restaurant, think again. "Work" does not just include the physical aspects of picking up dirty plates, it also includes the mental aspects of:

* Getting an order straight (sometimes from confused people who don't know what they want),
* Having the entire menu memorized so you can answer questions about what sides come with what entree
* Writing all the order info down faster than a secretary taking dictation
* Communicating the order properly to the kitchen staff.
* Delivery of the food, sometimes with dagerously hot items like skillets
* Presentation, placing the food in front of the right person without knocking over their drink glasses or spilling anything from the plates
* And the ever-difficult interpretation of folks with accents (which is an especially difficult thing at WDW, where Guests come from all over the world)

Still think buffet waitstaff works harder just because they pick up 8 plates instead of 2?

* They have to get the drink order straight
* Know all about what's served on the buffet to answer questions about allergies, preferences, etc.
* Picking up of many more plates, without spilling uneaten food from the plates or knocking over drinks
* Interpret from those same accented guests their drink orders, where's the restroom questions, etc.

Do I think they work harder at a buffet than at a full service? Probably not. Does that warrant a pay cut of 50%? Probably not.

But hey, all this is personal preference. I respect the fact that you've given this some thought and have solid reasons for what you tip. To each his (or her) own!

 

[bahsdad]

YOU NEED A TIP guide since you seem to think tipping less than 15% at a buffet is stealing.

I generally tip more than 15% at a Disney buffet BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH REGARDING MINIMUM TIP GUIDELINES before you accuse people of stealing.

Check as many tipping guides as you want. The vast majority say 10% is an acceptable tip at a buffet.

I said stealing was the wrong word. But as someone who has worked in the restaurant business for 17 years I just want to tell you. All the servers who ever worked for me have made fun of people who use tip charts. All I'm saying is the servers deserve alot more compensation than they get and if you get your panties in a bunch about how I think, remember it's just my opinion, then you really have no idea what goes on on the other side of your computer keyboard. But if I insulted anyone with what I'm saying, I am truly sorry. But I still think a minimum tip for service should not be less then 15%.

 

[PolyAddict]

I never heard that people tip less at buffets than regular TS restaurants until I read it on this board. To me, if someone is waiting on me, their waiting on me. It doesn't matter if they don't have to put my order into the kitchen.

I agree, call me a fool but I've been tipping the same amount too.

To my defense, I don't do many other buffets except WDW. I can't think of any buffet that I have been to lately, but I never realized you were not expected to tip the same.

Oh Well, it's vacation after all!!!

 

[bahsdad]

Slapster, I like what you have to say. I agree with you.

 

[Kay1]

15-20% except at Sweet Tomatoes which is such a strange set-up. You don't have a server but a busser, so we tip according to whether or not the busser clears our plates and/or refills our sodas.

 

[Lewisc]

I said stealing was the wrong word. But as someone who has worked in the restaurant business for 17 years I just want to tell you. All the servers who ever worked for me have made fun of people who use tip charts. All I'm saying is the servers deserve alot more compensation than they get and if you get your panties in a bunch about how I think, remember it's just my opinion, then you really have no idea what goes on on the other side of your computer keyboard. But if I insulted anyone with what I'm saying, I am truly sorry. But I still think a minimum tip for service should not be less then 15%.

I don't use a tip chart. I linked to one to debunk your opinion that 15% is a minimum tip for a buffet. Although I agree and tip more than 15% at Disney buffets those guests who chose to follow standards aren't being cheap let alone stealing.

 

[jonimce]

The ones that only tip 10% have never worked as a server, nor have they worked for a salary under minimum wage. Been in the bussiness for over 34 years.

 

[Laurajean1014]

The same as a sit down meal. They work just as hard, if not harder.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

ummm, I usually tip 20% but I occasionally use a tip chart to make sure my math is correct- especially if I've had a few drinks. What's wrong with using a chart to make sure I'm tipping the right amount? Isn't that better than making an error because I had my fourth appletini and leaving too little? I almost always tip 20-25% but I wouldn't want to leave a nice chunk of my hard earned money behind to people who would laugh at me for double checking my math, either.

 

[Laura]

Seems to me that at the WDW buffets the servers take your drink orders, bring your drinks, and bus your tables.

At Hometown Buffet (in Baltimore we have Old Country Buffet, owned by the same company), they bus your tables but don't take drink orders or bring your drinks. I don't see a heck of a lot of difference - a buffet waiter still has life a lot easier than a full-service waiter.

A full-service restaurant, on the other hand, requires the waitstaff to

* Take all of your drink, appetizer, entree and dessert orders
* Put them into the kitchen in coherent enough order to get the food all straight
* Bring and refill your drinks
* Bring sundries like catsup, steak sauce, butter, etc.
* Collect your order from the kitchen and bring it out to your table (which can be a mighty chore for tables of 3 people or more)
* Ring up the check, deliver it to the table, and collect the money
* Most restaurants, including all of those at WDW, have a separate bussing staff, but some places require the waitstaff to bus their own tables, too

So all those who think the waitstaff at a buffet work harder than the waitstaff at a full-service restaurant, think again. "Work" does not just include the physical aspects of picking up dirty plates, it also includes the mental aspects of:

* Getting an order straight (sometimes from confused people who don't know what they want),
* Having the entire menu memorized so you can answer questions about what sides come with what entree
* Writing all the order info down faster than a secretary taking dictation
* Communicating the order properly to the kitchen staff.
* Delivery of the food, sometimes with dagerously hot items like skillets
* Presentation, placing the food in front of the right person without knocking over their drink glasses or spilling anything from the plates
* And the ever-difficult interpretation of folks with accents (which is an especially difficult thing at WDW, where Guests come from all over the world)

Still think buffet waitstaff works harder just because they pick up 8 plates instead of 2?

I didn't say they worked harder, I said I didn't see much difference. Sorry, I still don't. The waitresses we had at Boma and Biergarten gave us lots of advice about the food on the buffets, on which there are more items than most WDW restaurants. At the end of our first meal at Boma, she even outlined things that are there on different nights. They still brought drinks and cleared plates. And like I said, often in the restaurants I visit my own server doesn't bring the food, it's someone else.

 

[kimbac3]

Wow.
A little OT but, am I correct in assuming that you don't pay the check at a buffet through the server? I'm guessing you take the check somewhere (to a special podium ) to be paid.
I'm sorry for the silly questions. This trip to WDW will be my first experience with buffets and we are doing 2 (Chef Mickey's and Biergarten).
Thanks!!
Kimba

PS I use a tip chart because I'm a mom and sometimes my brain hurts!!!

 

[WillCAD]

Everything the buffet servers do is also done by a full-service server. PLUS MORE.

It's the PLUS MORE part that means full-service servers get a larger tip than buffet servers.

 

[MissD]

Well, usually when we are pool hopping at the various resorts, while we leave our children unattended in the hot tub, we bring our refillable mugs and sneak into the buffets and eat while standing at the serving tables. Not only do we tip nothing, we grab as many tips off the other tables as we can on the way out, thereby giving the overworked waitstaff less to do. It's win-win. Disney is way too expensive to begin with.

 

[The Sweetness]

this was my reasoning as well, for a standdard 18-20%. I wonder what the reasoning is for those who think 10 is adequate. I see servers much more often at my table at a buffet

Thanks, to the 2 of you who gave me your opinions, now I understand

 

[pixie dust 112]

Well, usually when we are pool hopping at the various resorts, while we leave our children unattended in the hot tub, we bring our refillable mugs and sneak into the buffets and eat while standing at the serving tables. Not only do we tip nothing, we grab as many tips off the other tables as we can on the way out, thereby giving the overworked waitstaff less to do. It's win-win. Disney is way too expensive to begin with.

 

[Laura]

Wow.
A little OT but, am I correct in assuming that you don't pay the check at a buffet through the server? I'm guessing you take the check somewhere (to a special podium ) to be paid.
I'm sorry for the silly questions. This trip to WDW will be my first experience with buffets and we are doing 2 (Chef Mickey's and Biergarten).
Thanks!!
Kimba

PS I use a tip chart because I'm a mom and sometimes my brain hurts!!!

At WDW buffets you pay your server.

Everything the buffet servers do is also done by a full-service server. PLUS MORE.

It's the PLUS MORE part that means full-service servers get a larger tip than buffet servers.

Not from me. So to you I tip too much. Big deal.