I Couldn't Believe My Ears!

[crashbb]

I am always surprised by how many nasty, judgmental comments spring up from someone asking a question....

What question was asked? I didn't see one in the OP.

 

[msjprincess]

So how much do you plan on tipping?

 

[hentob]

What question was asked? I didn't see one in the OP.

Here is the question:

Is this correct? A $72.00 tip for a buffet meal?

And the answer is NO…..It is NOT correct

 

[crazycatlady]

What question was asked? I didn't see one in the OP.

Ok, let me rephrase....

I am always surprised to see how many nasty, judgmental comments spring up from someone making an innocent comment....

Better??!!

 

[maxiesmom]

Ok, let me rephrase....

I am always surprised to see how many nasty, judgmental comments spring up from someone making an innocent comment....

Better??!!

Can a comment on how someone plans on short-changing someone else out of money that they should get be innocent?

 

[pilesoflaundry]

When we go to a buffet I think they work harder, they have to bus their own tables and it's a lot more dirty dishes because you have to get a clean plate each time you go up instead of just bringing you one dish and it's done.

 

[disneymomma1978]

I have never been a waitress, busser, hostess, etc. However, I have always viewed tipping as part of the cost of dining somewhere, not an add'l expense. DH always gets annoyed with how much I want to tip but I always remind him of how unhappy he'd be making $2-3/hr, running around like they do!
Every penny counts for our vacations too! However if money was that tight, tipping should not be what gets cut back on. Perhaps one less souvenir or you could try some of the great money-saving tips that this board has! Good luck!

 

[sharadoc]

The servers still run their butts off at a buffet; refilling drinks, removing plates, busing tables, cleaning kid messes. And if it's a character meal, they might "tip-out" the characters and handlers. I think they're worthy of an 18% tip. They do as much, if not more work as a server who brings your food from the kitchen.

I agree. I feel buffet servers work harder. At a regular TS restaurant, they take my order, bring my drinks, bring my food then bring my check. A buffet server visits my table at least twice as many times between drinks, refills, cleaning plates, etc. I don't mind tipping the same at both buffets and TS restaurants. When they start charging tips at CS is where I'll draw the line

 

[SHOREDAD]

This is definitely a hot topic everywhere not just WDW. I am a teacher but in the summer I have worked in restaurants since I was 16. I have done every job from busperson, dishwasher, to manager. So I felt the need to put in my two cents. I have worked in restaurants where a gratuity is added automatically on larger parties. The idea behind it is to ensure the waitstaff and people they tip out get an appropriate tip on a higher bill. When people have larger bills they may be more likely to tip less than what is "customary."

As a person who has worked as waitstaff and a manager I have seen both sides. In all the restaurants I have worked management would lessen or remove the tip if a customer complained. This kept the staff honest. This kept servers from avoiding or not giving good service to a table. Now this is not a perfect system.

On another note, restaurants are not high profit margin businesses. They pay their kitchen help (i.e dishwashers, line cooks) minimum wages. Front of the house workers(i.e buspeople, bartenders, and waitstaff) get paid $2.00 an hour here in NJ. I am assuming FL is the same. If waitstaff got paid even minimum wage the profit margin of the restaurant would shrink even more. So what happens then? The price of your meal goes up. So a 29.99 buffet price may become approx 35$ if you add a 15-20% customary tip. This is just a guesstimate. I would assume it would be more if you factor in the servers wages and payroll tax costs.

I am not an expert but have worked in many different types of restaurants and that is the line we get from the owners and upper management.

Either way you stand, bad service is bad service and certainly does not deserve a good tip. However sometimes you have to consider it may not be the servers fault. You don't know what part the kitchen or other workers in the restaurant played in the bad service.

If you have a problem with the service tell the manager. They will most likely reduce or remove the gratuity for good cause.

Just my 2 cents

 

[robinb]

Ok, let me rephrase....

I am always surprised to see how many nasty, judgmental comments spring up from someone making an innocent comment....

Better??!!

I wouldn't quite use the word "innocent". The comment was more "unsophisticated" than anything else. And yes ... it is my judgment that splitting up 8 person group into two table in order to stiff the waitress with a 10% "buffet" tip instead of the standard 18% tip is wrong. Not to mention cheap .

 

[RMulieri]

I always tip 15-20%..Those wait people work very hard and put up with a load of BS from alot of people..even at Disney.If people don't like to tip for service than you are best off at CS places.

 

[es45]

Wow! I thought pool hopping and repeated mug uses were the hot button topics....

 

[TaraPA]

I don't see anywhere that the OP said she was splitting the group for the sole purpose of stiffing the waitstaff the tip. She could be doing it just for principal - maybe she doesn't like being told she HAS to tip 18% minimum on a service that she hasn't even received yet? I don't like being told that either, and for that reason I don't eat anywhere that institues a mandatory tip before I even get through the door. That's her perogative to feel that way.

 

[t_catt11]

At least the OP had six or more actual diners. When we visited in Late January, our party consisted of six - myself, DW, DD13, DS12, DS2, DS(4 months).

Two infants by Disney standards - one is a two year old who picked off of our plates and had his own soft drink. The other was a breast fed infant.

Yet we were hit with the automatic 18% every single time.

Insane.

 

[Mrs. D]

I see this is a HOT issue with some people here... like the smoking and kids on a harness subjects.

Sorry I even started the thread now.

The funny thing is, the tip was toomuch based on the error by either you or WDW res., so you should've been until the error was revealed...

I don't understand how you deciding to split your party affects anybody elses vacay or what they decide to spend...

 

[wisnieea]

And if it's a character meal, they might "tip-out" the characters and handlers. I think they're worthy of an 18% tip.

Definately definately not. Characters and character attendants are a non tipped role and Disney is very strict on this policy.

 

[robinb]

I don't see anywhere that the OP said she was splitting the group for the sole purpose of stiffing the waitstaff the tip. She could be doing it just for principal - maybe she doesn't like being told she HAS to tip 18% minimum on a service that she hasn't even received yet?

You must have missed this:

And yes... what works for our family is what we're going with. Money is a factor for us. Every penny counts.

If she was splitting the tables on principle, then money would not be a factor.

 

[piglet33]

So if you split up your group so you would save the 18% gratuity, aren't you going to be spending more on the tip then? I mean if you leave the minimum of 10% at each table, that's 20%, which would be more or are you planning on leaving less than 10% without knowing how good or poor your service is going to be? I guess I don't understand how splitting up your group is going to save you money.

 

[J3nn78]

Just wow...

I don't get how people think they need not tip as much for buffet? They actually do more work than a regular service wait staff. They are clearing the dirty dishes and plates away multiple times (instead of not at all) and they are back and forth bringing drinks and special requests just as much as anyone else. This is insane. Great lesson you are teaching your family-Let's split up the family just so we can save a few bucks. I hope they seat you at opposite ends of the restaurant!

 

[TaraPA]

You must have missed this:



If she was splitting the tables on principle, then money would not be a factor.

True, but she still hasn't come right out & said "I split us to stiff the tip!" She might not be aware that if the service isn't up to par she can discuss it with management to get some of the tip back (she might know now that it's been pointed out) - she might feel that she's stuck with an 18% tip on a service she hasn't received & is afraid if it's poor service she's out the money. I'm just giving her the benfit of the doubt because people are putting words in her mouth that she's absolutely positively trying to cheat the waitstaff out of the tip by reading between the lines. I see it differently than you do, and that's ok.

This is exactly why I refuse to eat at places with a mandatory tipping procedure. I do tip 20% minimum but I don't like being told I HAVE to, before I receive the service.