In-laws only tipping about 3-5% during our Free Dining trip

[ShellyLynn3630]

My in-laws are going with us in September for free dining and will be dining at the same resturants with us but at a different table because they will not be tipping 18-20%. So we are forced to sit seperatley, but that is A OK with me!
They are going to leave a five dollar bill at every TS they eat at, at the end of the meal. I just wonder how will the wait staff react? Will they say something or anything to them about this? I am afraid if they do, my in-laws will go off on the wait staff and maybe not leave anything during the rest of the trip!!!!!!!

 

[vicki_c]

You can't control what others do - pretend you don't know them!

 

[dmslush]

I highly doubt that any waitress or waiter would ever say anything to a bad tipper. What do your inlaws think of you sitting at a different table?

 

[bbowers]

My mom and stepfather used to be super cheap with their tips, but one day it came out that they didn't realize that servers are not even paid minimum wage. They're doing much better since that was explained to them.

 

[patsal]

You can't control your relatives, but you can control yourself and what you teach others. Your decision to separate the tables is a good one, much easier and you just pretend you don't know them and all is well. My parent's are poor tippers, but what can you do? I have shared tipping practices and customs but to no avail. We just pick up the tab and tip, if they pay we pay the tip and it is what it is. For us to discuss it would mean a major falling out, so totally not worth it.

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

Its not that big of a deal to them that we wont be sitting together. Acutally we have a three-year-old and she sometimes is'nt well behaved at the dinners, so they may actually enjoy it a little bit more. But seriously, it would be embarrassing to me to leave the table with just that.

 

[disnut8]

The wait staff won't say anything to your in-laws. Or to you. Now, what they might say to their co-workers.....

Tipping is a personal preference and one that we all have to live with (until the "practice" of not even paying servers minimum wage goes away). I don't know the ages of your in-laws but "more mature" people have a very hard time realizing that with today's prices, tips should be more.

I actually wouldn't have put them at a different table. I would have dined with them and then put more money on the table after they "contributed" their $5. We did that with my husband's cousins. They thought 10% was WAY too much to tip so we waited until they were walking away and then added to what they had left.

And your in-laws can very well be thinking "It's free dining! Why should we pay anything?!"

 

[TDC Nala]

I wouldn't sit with them either.

Is the not sitting together your idea because their behavior is potentially embarrassing, or their idea because if they ate with you there would be more than five in the party and they're trying to avoid the automatic gratuity? just curious

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

I wouldn't sit with them either.

Is the not sitting together your idea because their behavior is potentially embarrassing, or their idea because if they ate with you there would be more than five in the party and they're trying to avoid the automatic gratuity? just curious

Both!!!

 

[disneyin2008]

My in-laws are going with us in September for free dining and will be dining at the same resturants with us but at a different table because they will not be tipping 18-20%. So we are forced to sit seperatley, but that is A OK with me!
They are going to leave a five dollar bill at every TS they eat at, at the end of the meal. I just wonder how will the wait staff react? Will they say something or anything to them about this? I am afraid if they do, my in-laws will go off on the wait staff and maybe not leave anything during the rest of the trip!!!!!!!

So does the mandatory tip that normally is billed for the Dining plan NOT billed with the free dining? If so, wow...then free dining really IS free.

And if it is billed like regular dining plan, what does staff do for people who don't pay the mandatory tip. I guess what I'm asking is does "mandatory" really mean mandatory?

 

[mom2my3kids]

I highly doubt that any waitress or waiter would ever say anything to a bad tipper. What do your inlaws think of you sitting at a different table?

But I bet the whole restaurant will know once the server picks up the money. I agree you really can't do much about them, I would inform them ahead of time that they should tip 15-20 percent but what they do with that information is up to them. What is that old saying " you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink".

 

[kadesha]

I leave a $5.00 tip everywhere, not because I'm some rude person, but because it's all I can afford. i work a minimum wage job (that's $5.15 an hour) and save and pinch all year for a trip at a Value resort. Last year tiip was included in DP, it's really unfortunate that it's not anymore. I'm sorry if the waitresses say bad things about me when I leave, $5 is better than nothing.

 

[captcaveman]

So does the mandatory tip that normally is billed for the Dining plan NOT billed with the free dining? If so, wow...then free dining really IS free.

The automatic 18% is not a DDP thing, it is a party size thing. Whether one is using the DDP or not, if your party is 6 or more, the tip is included in your bill. You could then use any method to pay it (cash, credit, room charge).

During Free DDP, if the party is 6 or more, the group gets a bill for the tip worth 18% of the meal. If you didn't pay it, I assume it would either get charged directly to your room. It would be the same as walking out on any other kind of bill.

 

[DiszyDean]

I leave a $5.00 tip everywhere, not because I'm some rude person, but because it's all I can afford. i work a minimum wage job (that's $5.15 an hour) and save and pinch all year for a trip at a Value resort. Last year tiip was included in DP, it's really unfortunate that it's not anymore. I'm sorry if the waitresses say bad things about me when I leave, $5 is better than nothing.

Sorry, but if that is all you can afford, then you should not be eating at TS restaurants. That excuse just does not wash with me. I am glad that you are able to afford a trip to WDW, just do not make the servers subsidize it.

 

[rentayenta]

My inlaws used to do this when we'd go to dinner so we always knew to have cash with us and we'd give it to the server after they walked away DH and I were both servers/bartenders for years. I know this sounds harsh, but if you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford to dine out IMHO. It's like having a car; if you cannot afford the gas, insurance, up keep, than you cannot afford that car. Tipping is part of the protocol of dining out just like any other process. When DH and I were first married and very poor, we did not dine out unless we factored in the tip. I truly believe in tipping karma!

 

[mom2my3kids]

Sorry, but if that is all you can afford, then you should not be eating at TS restaurants. That excuse just does not wash with me. I am glad that you are able to afford a trip to WDW, just do not make the servers subsidize it.

Ditto, eat at Counter Service and less Table Service Meals.

 

[kadesha]

My inlaws used to do this when we'd go to dinner so we always knew to have cash with us and we'd give it to the server after they walked away DH and I were both servers/bartenders for years. I know this sounds harsh, but if you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford to dine out IMHO. It's like having a car; if you cannot afford the gas, insurance, up keep, than you cannot afford that car. Tipping is part of the protocol of dining out just like any other process. When DH and I were first married and very poor, we did not dine out unless we factored in the tip. I truly believe in tipping karma!

Well I wasn't aware when I booked my trip that tipping was no longer included in the dining plan. I just recently learned that. I've already booked character meals for my children, I'm paying for the food ahead of time, and I will tip as best as I can. Sorry if that isn't good enough for some people, but I work very hard for my trips and can't shell out as much as most people are able to. I will keep this in mind and try to save some extra money for it, but I will not cancel our dining because I can't afford a 20% tip. (honestly I didn't realize it was 20%, I thought it was 10% so I will try to tip more than $5) And if I'm somewhere and get really BAD, TERRIBLE service, I won't tip at all. It's not like having a car, they earn the tip. I will tip as best as I can for a good waitress, I have good intentions and I apologize in advance to anyone who thinks I'm a horrible person.

I can say for sure that if I were going during free dining, I would gladly pay the entire 20% tip though.

 

[MonkeyPants]

tipping is definitely personal. beyond being constrained by your own personal financial situation (yes not everyone can afford 18-20% on top of the high prices for the meals they are already paying), for me its also a measure of the service I have recieved. I never have nor do I think I am likely to use the DDP, but I always thought that having the tip included was a horrible idea. What incentive is there for the server to provide the best possible service if they are getting a very good tip regardless of the job they do?

 

[DiszyDean]

Well I wasn't aware when I booked my trip that tipping was no longer included in the dining plan. I just recently learned that. I've already booked character meals for my children, I'm paying for the food ahead of time, and I will tip as best as I can. Sorry if that isn't good enough for some people, but I work very hard for my trips and can't shell out as much as most people are able to. I will keep this in mind and try to save some extra money for it, but I will not cancel our dining because I can't afford a 20% tip. And if I'm somewhere and get really BAD, TERRIBLE service, I won't tip at all. It's not like having a car, they earn the tip. I will tip as best as I can for a good waitress, I have good intentions and I apologize in advance to anyone who thinks I'm a horrible person.

I can say for sure that if I were going during free dining, I would gladly pay the entire 20% tip though.

Information on the 2008 plan (regarding tip being removed) was readily available when it was released and if it was a very tight financial situation, I would think you would have researched it more closely than you did.

No one is saying you need to tip 20%, 15% would be considered an appropriate tip at most places for good service.

No need to apologize to us just do not try to justify it, IMO. You know what you are doing is not right.

 

[DiszyDean]

By the way, by your signature, it looks like you have went to WDW the last two years and are going this year. I applaud the fact that you are able to do this making minimum wage but minimum wage was never designed to be able to afford trips to WDW. It was designed to try to provide for a persons (one persons) basic needs (which it can not hardly cover that). Something just does not seem to be adding up here.