My Tipping Experience

[mom2my3kids]

I want to know if when you tip the waiters are expecting it like a wage or act like it's a gift? I know when I tip about 15-20% the waiters are thankfull( in canada we eat at places like pizza hut and chinese). do the waiters feel thier owed it? If it tip say 18% right on will they talk about me behind my back on how I'm cheap? lets just say I don't like to make enamies

As a server, yes I do expect to be tipped when I give good service. But I am very thankful when I am tipped, I always tell my customers when they tip me how much I appreciate it. And I am sure they appreciate how good of service I gave them, so its a two way street if that makes sense..

 

[tearieam]

Just a thought on the whole tipping thing. I always wonder if the wait staff at Disney actually makes the normal lower than average / wait staff base pay ( seems to be about 3.50 or so)? Even so with the high cost that Disney overcharges for their restuarants, the amount they are making has to be significant. I work in an industry that does obtain wage information and have seen what wait staff people/ bar tenders are making at some high end places ( real high end places, not theme park overpriced restaurants) and they can make in the 50-60K range, and that is the reported income, excluding what they are underreporting from cash tips.

I know Disney restuarants are priced higher than a normal restuarant. I don't think most are better than some of the restuarant in my home area of Chicago, but Disney is also charging for the atmosphere and because they have Characters, etc. Not to mention the fact that once you're in the park, it is not likely you will want to head out elsewhere to eat, so they got ya trapped.

With that said, it almost seems like part of the cost of the meal is a "cover charge", like one might have in a club or bar for the entertainment. Disney just attaches the cost for the "cover" to the price of the meal.

However, one does not normally tip on a "cover charge", only the price of the menu items ordered. The problem is, what is the meal cost verse the "cover" in this case.

Please do not get me wrong, I agree with tipping the wait staff, however, if that wait person has just 4 - 4 person tables with a total bill of 100 each, using the 20% tipping, they are earning $80 an hour? Unless I have my math wrong. Of course there might be a split, but don't they typically get half ( $40) or even if it's a quarter that's still $20.00 per hour. This would assume they only have 4-$100 table ever hour. Which from what I've seen, they have more and they overlap.

Tipping has become such a point of frustration for Disney and everyone here.

IMO, maybe we need to consider that Disney is not part of the normal restuarant industry and the standards that apply to the rest of the world does not apply in The World.

Of course then the issue is what standards should be applied to The World, and frankly I just don't know. Hope to figure that out in the next six months.

 

[GrumpyPajamas]

I work in a very high end restaurant.

A few observations...

1) The federal goverment assumes that you make a certain percentage based on your sales, and you are taxed accordingly.

2) By tipping, you are paying for service, you are not "leaving a bonus gift". Not tipping appropriately is like deciding not to pay the guy mowing your lawn. If you do not tip, you are stealing, as far as I'm concerned. You can't get your car fixed and decide to not pay for the labor charges, why should it be different in a restaurant. Your server would not only not get paid...he would have to PAY the government the assumed income tax. Sure, tip a little more if your server did a great job of laughing when you make the standard "Hey, I didn't order any tax!" joke, or when you point to your licked-clean plate and say "Oh I didn't like it at all har har!" There is a certain art to pretending someone is funny, or pretending that white zinfindel is an "excellent choice", and that should be rewarded.

3) How much your server does/does not make is absolutely none of your business. You are expected to pay a percentage for service. The fact that I make twice what many teachers make is a sad commentary on how little we pay teachers, and doesn't change what I should make when two people come in for dinner and spend $250.

4) The idea that a server comes to work and instantly has 4 tables with 4 people at each one, and each table takes exactly an hour to eat, and the whole section flips over once an hour on the hour, is fallacious.

5) Paying servers only minimum wage would be disastrous. You would get the same level of service that you get at the McDonalds drive-thru, or from the bozos at Best Buy. That place boggles me, the employees outnumber the customers, and they all just stand around chatting, you have to go to THEM for help, and then they never know anything about anything!!

6) Ok, lets just make the restaurant pay the servers the right amount...Well that doesnt make any sense. All that is going to do is inflate the price of your food exactly %20...and then you have NO control over how much they make. Where do you think the restaurant is going to get this money?

7) It is important that you tell the manager if you think the server doesn't deserve any gratuity. If a server is really awful, they need to be replaced!

 

[Brygida]

I work in a very high end restaurant.

2) By tipping, you are paying for service, you are not "leaving a bonus gift". Not tipping appropriately is like deciding not to pay the guy mowing your lawn. If you do not tip, you are stealing, as far as I'm concerned. You can't get your car fixed and decide to not pay for the labor charges, why should it be different in a restaurant. Your server would not only not get paid...he would have to PAY the government the assumed income tax.

6) Ok, lets just make the restaurant pay the servers the right amount...Well that doesnt make any sense. All that is going to do is inflate the price of your food exactly %20...and then you have NO control over how much they make. Where do you think the restaurant is going to get this money?

Not tipping is not equivalent to stealing. It is against the law to not pay the lawn guy. It is NOT against the law to NOT tip. It is a gift.

Somehow, when I have eaten at very good restaurants in other countries, they don't expect a tip, and manage to give me great service. Why is that you think?

 

[boldlyreal]

Just so we are all clear I looked up the word Gratuity in the dictionary:


gra·tu·i·ty (gr-t-t, -ty-)
n. pl. gra·tu·i·ties
A favor or gift, usually in the form of money, given in return for service.

[French gratuité, from Old French gratuite, from Medieval Latin grtuts, probably from Latin grtutus, voluntary; see gratuitous.]

And grumpy I'm sorry you feel the way you do...mostly about your job and your patrons...perhaps its time you found a new profession...BTW I am a manager in retail and I wouldn't hire anyone with such a condesending attitude and for the record I recruited someone from the drive-thru at Burger King because his customer service was amazing!

T~

 

[ratty 987]

some interesting comments-i suggest you get the labour party to run your country-minium wage here in the uk is nearly $12 per hour-today me and my wife went for an indian at lunch we left £1.50 tip about $3-the server was more than happy-us english do not like being bullied into what you should leave and i think some of the amounts being spoken about here $40-$50 is crazy-we are traveling with 2 kids why should they have to fork out for a tip

 

[perla75]

IMHO, they should just change it to an automatic service charge, because people are so stuck on the term "gratuity" instead of what it actually is in this country-a service charge. Maybe in Europe it is a tip in all senses of the word, but not in this country. and I think most people know this, but they use that sorry excuse as a reason to be cheap.

& if people do leave lower tips for inadequate service, how does that really change the situation? When most servers receive a lower tip, they think that it must be because the customer was being stingy, not necessarily because they did a bad job. If a person does not receive verbal feedback from their customers, how will they ever change the situation? If I receive less than steller service, I inform the manager/supervisor immediately. I don't wait until the very end of my meal and get myself more and more upset and then leave a silent subtle hint about my experience by leaving no tip. That's what managers are for.

Personally, I think it's awful that patrons are put in charge of whether a server is going to get paid for doing his/her job. Clearly most patrons are not experienced enough to decide how much another person should be paid. Many patrons (as seen on here with some of these replies) are biased in their tipping because they don't want to have to pay. Think about if every job's pay was decided by the customer? Yikes! You guys would never be able to afford to even go to WDW because no one would pay you for your hard work at your own job!

No, I guess it's not against the law to stiff a person from their "tip", but it sure is a crappy thing to do and shows how much class a person has...

Simple and clear: If you cannot afford to pay the tip/service charge, than you have no business going out to dinner.

 

[boldlyreal]

Well I suppose we could pay servers minimum wage and not tip at all, how does that sound.
I work for a major bookseller and we pay our beginning sellers $6.00. They do as much work as servers do.
How do I know I've done both jobs.
So Perla and Grumpy but everyone else too, if you made minimum wage would you expect a gratuity?
My booksellers often find books for a customer, carry them to register, ring them up, bag the order, etc. etc. Should they be tipped also?
I mean you stated its more of a service charge than a tip, so you make 2.50/hr as a server if they charged a service charge that took your pay per meal to minimum wage is that ok?
I really do understand what you mean and for the record I am a great tipper, I looked at the past 5 meals out and it's averaged around 22.6%. I tip according to two things 1. The going rate for tipping where I am and 2. my servers attitude.


T~

 

[perla75]

Well I suppose we could pay servers minimum wage and not tip at all, how does that sound.
I work for a major bookseller and we pay our beginning sellers $6.00. They do as much work as servers do.
How do I know I've done both jobs.
So Perla and Grumpy but everyone else too, if you made minimum wage would you expect a gratuity?
My booksellers often find books for a customer, carry them to register, ring them up, bag the order, etc. etc. Should they be tipped also?
I mean you stated its more of a service charge than a tip, so you make 2.50/hr as a server if they charged a service charge that took your pay per meal to minimum wage is that ok?
I really do understand what you mean and for the record I am a great tipper, I looked at the past 5 meals out and it's averaged around 22.6%. I tip according to two things 1. The going rate for tipping where I am and 2. my servers attitude.


T~

First of all, I respect and appreciate you playing devil's advocate and I thank you for continuing to carry on a respectful and polite discussion! I know we all have differing opinions & I enjoy hearing them.

As for your thought, I'm not sure how I would handle it. I'm actually not a server or a bookseller-I'm a special ed teacher! (Grumpy PJ was the server in this conversation) So, just like every other customer, I"m not qualified to decide the wage of a person in a field that I am not experienced in....which is why I do not like the way tipping/waitstaff pay is handled in our country-when payment is an option, people take advantage of it.

What I DO know is there are certain customs in different countries and societies that I am expected to follow when I enter that community. If I don't like the rules, than I choose not to go. Right now, in the US, this is the way that the server system works. and until it changes, we should be following it if we want to participate in the luxury of eating out.

I actually can't afford to go out to eat very much. But I don't blame the server for the high prices of a restaurant or blame how many people I have in my family/guests at the table on the server-one has nothing to do with the other! I just don't go, unless I can afford to pay for the meal, the tip, and anything else I'll need to pay for.

That's great to hear that you tip appropriately & based on rational things. I"m not saying that every server should get 20%, even if their service was horrendous. But choosing to remedy horrendous service by just not tipping is passive aggressive and really doesn't solve the problem at hand. If people are unsatisfied with the service, than they should alert a manager right away and provide feedback. Behavior cannot be changed unless the issue is brought to their attention.

People who don't tip because it's "not against the law" are likely also the same people who don't say thank you, don't hold the door for people, and don't give up their seats on a bus for an elderly person because it's "not against the law" to act that way. No, it's not against the law, but it sure is a yucky way to live.

 

[AmberI]

Okay I got to ask, is a $15 tip an okay tip to leave? (I don't think my DH and I will have bills over 100) I am learning the ways of tipping cause I know nothing really about it.

 

[robinb]

Somehow, when I have eaten at very good restaurants in other countries, they don't expect a tip, and manage to give me great service. Why is that you think?

That is because the service charge (aka "tip" here in the US) is already included in the price of your meal.

 

[robinb]

Okay I got to ask, is a $15 tip an okay tip to leave? (I don't think my DH and I will have bills over 100) I am learning the ways of tipping cause I know nothing really about it.

Amber, it will be really easy to know how much is appropriate to tip. It will be right on the bottom of your bill.

 

[ratty 987]

can you please explain-
last year we went to the yachtsman twice the meal very nice but servers both times were awfull-very miserable and made you feel uncomfatable-bacause it was a signature restaurant it would of ment $50+ tip-we also went to the crystal palace buffet-the server was great made us feeling welcome always made sure we had refulls and great with the kids-the tip would have been about $10-now where is the sence in this -why should you pay more for a tip when you are dinning in a more exspensive restaurant-how crazy is this

 

[Brygida]

People who don't tip because it's "not against the law" are likely also the same people who don't say thank you, don't hold the door for people, and don't give up their seats on a bus for an elderly person because it's "not against the law" to act that way. No, it's not against the law, but it sure is a yucky way to live.

I guess that remark was meant for me? When I have (only a couple times in the USA) NOT tipped, no one in the entire restaurant deserved any gratuity for anything. Again, that has only happened a couple times. I do hold doors open for people, I respect the elderly (and have noticed that many Americans don't give up their seats), and I say Thank you.

Anyway, when I do NOT tip it is because of service, not because I can.

The poster I was responding to had said that NOT tipping is criminal and equivalent to stealing. Now that statement is off the wall!

 

[Brygida]

That is because the service charge (aka "tip" here in the US) is already included in the price of your meal.

Then I vote for the service charge to be included in the meal price in the USA too. That would be more equitable!

 

[Jalva22]

Just something I've wondered (and by the way I do tip 20%, so please answer the question, it's an honest one, rather than attack me):

Olive serves my family of 4's table over at the Olive Garden a few blocks outside Disney World. The meal costs $40, I tip her $8 (20%). Her uniform was impeccable, her manners and attention were excellent, she worked hard, she deserved it.

Minnie over at Chef Mickey's also works hard serving my table. She is also impeccably dressed in her Disney uniform. Her manners and attention are excellent. Our family of 4 paid $112 for the food (my DD is 12) and tax. Her 20% tip is $22.

The 2 servers worked equally hard and provided the same service. Why should Minnie get $22 while Olive only got $8? They did the same exact job. It just seems to me that it's more equitable to tip a fixed dollar amount rather than a percentage, which is why I'd much rather see the cost of the wait staff built into my menu price than use the current system.

 

[Brygida]

Just something I've wondered (and by the way I do tip 20%, so please answer the question, it's an honest one, rather than attack me):

Olive serves my family of 4's table over at the Olive Garden a few blocks outside Disney World. The meal costs $40, I tip her $8 (20%). Her uniform was impeccable, her manners and attention were excellent, she worked hard, she deserved it.

Minnie over at Chef Mickey's also works hard serving my table. She is also impeccably dressed in her Disney uniform. Her manners and attention are excellent. Our family of 4 paid $112 for the food (my DD is 12) and tax. Her 20% tip is $22.

The 2 servers worked equally hard and provided the same service. Why should Minnie get $22 while Olive only got $8? They did the same exact job. It just seems to me that it's more equitable to tip a fixed dollar amount rather than a percentage, which is why I'd much rather see the cost of the wait staff built into my menu price than use the current system.

Beatifully stated. I agree.

Think we could get WDW to change their policy and start a new trend in the USA?

 

[mom2my3kids]

Just me having a silly rant!!

 

[robinb]

Then I vote for the service charge to be included in the meal price in the USA too. That would be more equitable!

ITA! The funny thing is that is was included in the DDP last year and was removed (according to Disney ) because people said that they would rather tip themselves to ensure better service. Some people here on the DIS said the same thing.

 

[jinia]

That was truly awesome! I love Disney! Don't work you'll work out the hair thing!

When my daughter was three we were dining at Ohana's we were watching the fireworks display from our table. A very large man distracted by the fireworks dumped a stinky, foreign beer right down my daughters back. She was crying, her hair was wet, her dress was wet and being a newly single daddy, I wasn't handling it too well.

The magic could have been taken right out of that night but a waitress spoke with the manager. They got us a room key so that my daughter could have a bath, gave her a really big t-shirt and someone laundered her dress while she watched tv. The waitress that had helped us was not our waitress. Since we had not been charged for the meal or the room. And the waitress had went far above and beyond expectations she got $50 or $60 I can't remember which. But she saved the magic of that night. That waitress even braided my daughter's hair (something I have not quite ever mastered).

I still think that Disney should not serve beer at its resorts or parks but that goes to another topic.