Red Lobster, tips, and Gift cards. :-)

[glitzybabes]

I was wondering if you could use a gift card for the tip at Red Lobster?
Thanks!

 

[MrsPete]

I was wondering if you could use a gift card for the tip at Red Lobster?
Thanks!

You know, I've been meaning to ask the same question. I don't want to "stiff the help", but I really don't know whether the last $5 or so can be used towards the tip.

I do need to know this because right now I have A TON of restaurant gift cards. We had quite a few rewards points saved up on our credit card, and they announced that they were making changes to the program -- not changes that'd be in our favor, of course -- so we cashed them ALL in.

 

[4boys531]

Yes, you can. They will bring you a receipt that looks like a credit card receipt, except it will show you the balance left on the card. It will have a blank line for tip, so you can fill it in and then total it up.

 

[Lashawn131]

Absolutely, we usually give restaurant gift cards and we figure in the tip of an average meal for two so the person that receives it have a totally "free" dinner including tip.

 

[andrews_dad]

Do it all the time with the tip off the GC. I use my Amex rewards for Red Lobster GC. Sign-up for the email club and you'll get $4 off two meals all of the time, too.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Wait - maybe I'm missing something. Are you leaving the balance of the gift card for the tip? Does management give cash to the servers, or are they stuck with the balance of the gift card? I know very few servers who want to eat at the restaurants where they work - they're sick of the food.

I didn't think gift cards had any cash value.

 

[SandrA9810]

No, it's cashed out at the register. So it works the same way as when you leave a tip on the CC.

I've never done it at red lobster, but I've done it at Cracker Barrel. And that's even when I haven't used the entire balance.

 

[pixiewings71]

We do it all the time, we get Red Lobster cards as special gifts regularly and we often leave the tip on the card, of course we normally end up leaving cash as well......

 

[marthachick]

I do need to know this because right now I have A TON of restaurant gift cards.

Chili's works like this too. There's a line below your total that you can add the tip just like with a credit/debit card.