A recent trend is to ask to add a tip at some non Disney counter service locations (Gideon’s for example). It’s been discussed here. I generally do not tip, it’s not mandatory since these employees are not paid at all tip rate. But that’s your call! It is customary to tip at table service restaurants.
Good point
@Mle8308. Notes below for anyone coming from outside the US, that may not know the difference in the way waitstaff vs employees at the different restaurant types are paid because the US is different than most of the rest of the world—
At table- or full-service restaurants (sometimes called sit-down restaurants) waitstaff are paid a “tipped wage” (TMW) which is a special category of minimum wage that is substantially lower than “regular” minimum wage (MW). Federal law sets TMW at $2.13 and MW is $7.25. Most (but not all) states set wages higher than Federal minimums. In Florida, the minimum wages are higher but tipped positions are generally paid $3 less than non-tipped employees. Notably, in WA there is no TMW, all employees must be paid at least $16.66… in Seattle (and Sea-Tac) the minimum wage is actually $20 & change.
Minimum & Tipped Wage by State in US
At fast-food and quick-service restaurants, where you order, pay, and pick up your own food at a counter, window or similar set up, all employees are paid at least regular MW. Not to say that is a sufficient pay rate in general… just saying there’s not usually any TMW positions in that sort of restaurant. The problem with this new trend of asking the customer if they want to add a tip to their total, is that employers are under no obligation to forward these tips to the employees in most instances. For the most part, the tips solicited by quick service restaurants go into the till and basically go straight to the restaurant owners. In some cases, the restaurant management get to keep the gratuities collected.
Obviously, anyone can can give a gratuity to anyone they want to. And unless the employer prohibits it, employees are typically free to accept any gratuities offered. But if you come from a part of the world where tipping is not part of the cultural norm, then you may not know when it’s normal to tip and when it’s being asked for inappropriately. Or at least times when it’s not necessary or expected, as
@Mle8308 mentioned. And you may not realize the difference in how or when those tips are given to the employees (although I think that part’s true for most customers, honestly).
A few other things that I think are important for everyone to know nowadays:
Another new (& I think) strange trend in some restaurants (especially non-chain restaurants) is a an added flat charge ($3-5) for something like “employee health surcharge” or “employee benefits allowance”. Every time I’ve seen this added, I’ve asked the server if they are given that, or if they get it applied to what is taken out of their check for insurance or other benefits— and bar none, they have told me that they never see it. The owners keep it. They see no change in their benefit premiums no matter how much is collected ostensibly for that purpose. They always tell me I can cross it off and decline to pay it.
Other shenanigans happening sometimes, are just attempts to take advantage of patrons who aren’t paying close attention.
For example, even when the gratuity has already been added to a check, there’s almost always still a line to add a tip on the signature slip. People have been known to inadvertently write in [another] 18-20% tip and total it out when signing. Usually because they haven’t been paying attention to the fact that it was previously included, or sometimes because they’re on “autopilot” and forget it was already added(§). Obviously, you can choose to use the space to add a little extra to bring an automatic 18% gratuity up to 20% for example. But if you aren’t going to add anything more— always write a heavy line across the space or ZERO written in letters, and
especially important total out the check. **
AND ALWAYS TAKE YOUR COPY!** There’s an increase in instances of servers altering the amounts on the signature slip when it has been signed only without a total written in.
And another scam on the rise happens when servers to use the blank “customer copy”, add a larger tip, and forge a signature, and destroy the real slip signed by the customer. Since either copy can be remitted to the bank, and signatures are almost never looked at unless fraud is reported, dishonest waitstaff can really rake in some $$, and may not be caught for a long time, if ever.
Why these scams are happening more frequently is a debate for a different forum. I just wanted to let people know they’re out there. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.
§ This happens all the time when my husband’s boss takes a large group out to eat. He literally never looks at the “bill”, and just slips his card in the booklet and hands it straight back to the server. Then when the slip comes back for his signature, he adds ~25% of the total on the tip line and signs it. So the servers at their table end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of a 45% gratuity!
(I haven’t done the exact math, but the 25% is figured on the total that already includes a 18-20% tip, so I think it would usually end up being 45% or more of the original amount. I haven’t done no desire to do the algebra on it— but if anyone else wants to show your inner math nerd
, please go right ahead….)
