Speaking of Rachael Ray/HORRIBLE TIPPER

[tlbwriter]

Of course they were related, I watched them both!

Really I knew many people who watched both and considered them hmmm...well not as role models but as examples. I always thought that Rachel Ray was a bad one, Samantha better. That's just my opinion. I wonder if either of them actually paid for anything? I honestly doubt it. So I guess, the point is sort of moot.

But my point is, it doesn't matter who paid. It doesn't matter if Rachael and Samantha were both completely comped, or both paid all expenses on their own. The point is that Rachael said "This is what you can get for $40 a day," and that's why it matters whether she tipped appropriately. Samantha never made any claims about the cost of her vacation, so her tipping is irrelevant.

 

[wasabi girl]

But my point is, it doesn't matter who paid. It doesn't matter if Rachael and Samantha were both completely comped, or both paid all expenses on their own. The point is that Rachael said "This is what you can get for $40 a day," and that's why it matters whether she tipped appropriately. Samantha never made any claims about the cost of her vacation, so her tipping is irrelevant.

Okay, I give, you win! but I still think that as examples of proper travel behavior, Rachel was awful. Samantha better. To be honest, I didn't consider whether people were being misled by RR about her $40/day budget. She just annoyed the heck out of me, so I just said "no" and flipped the channel.

So, is there another celebrity we can complain about now?

 

[Judique]

Oh, I can do it. Does it have to be nutritious, or can I make my own choices?

Going back to the Boston episode, she had a muffin (and coffee?*) for breakfast. I could get a pastry and coffee from my local Italian bakery for under $5; or a Dunkin Wake-up wrap and coffee for for under $4; or a bacon/egg/cheese & coffee for $4.95 (typical breakfast, so I know the price to the penny ); or oatmeal & coffee at McDonald's under $4. So, $5 for breakfast, all with tax.

Okay, lunch. McDonald's salad is, or was, $5.03 with tax; adding a drink at $2.13 comes to $7.16. Or at Kelly's I can get a roast beef sandwich (bad Bay Stater for not liking seafood... oh, wait, it's Kelly's Roast Beef!) for $6.25 and a soda for $1.95; with tax that's $8.75**. Or, since this is Anytober at Subway, I gat a footlong sub that would actually cover two meals for $5; add $2 for a drink, then tax, I'm at $7.45.

I think I'll go with the bagel sandwich and the chicken salad - so $4.95 + $7.16 = $12.11
That leaves me with $17.89 for dinner, beverage, tax, tip, treat (drink/dessert/etc.) Well, according to tv.com, some of the tips in the show say to order half portions, or appetizers as entrées... I'm going to cheat a little here .

Olive Garden's never-ending pasta & sauce for $8.95 I couldn't get the menu to display on my ITouch, so for my drink I'm just going to go with the ubiquitous water with lemon . The meal tax here is 6.25%, so for my convenience I'm going to calculate the tax+tip at 25% overall, or $2.26, for a dinner total of $12.25 - rounded up so I'm not tipping an odd number of cents.

Okay, subtract that $12.25 from the $17.89 I had left after lunch, and I have more than $5 left for my treat - a dessert, a decadent candy, a glass of wine... Personally, I'd hit up the Market Basket supermarket up the street from Olive Garden. They've got some lush individual pastries, and the Italian bakery I mentioned earlier would be closed by now.

Disclaimer: no, I never considered doing this before; all pricing is either based on actual purchases or researched while writing this post.

*I have the $40 a Day book around somewhere; I could get the actual detail eventually.
** where I calculated in my head, I tried to estimate high.

This is Kathieelder on $30 a day.....you can eat better! Or get yourself a glass of wine with that sweet treat!

(Check your math)

 

[tlbwriter]

So, is there another celebrity we can complain about now?

Are you kidding? There's an unlimited supply!

How about Paul McCartney. Was it insensitive for him to get married on John Lennon's birthday? Discuss.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is Kathieelder on $30 a day.....you can eat better! Or get yourself a glass of wine with that sweet treat!

(Check your math)

Oh, wow. That's what I get for calculating in my head .

Okay, next time I'm up early enough to fit three meals, I'm going to take the $40 challenge! Thanks for pointing out my mistake.

I can do this... and, apparently, splurge

 

[wasabi girl]

Are you kidding? There's an unlimited supply!

How about Paul McCartney. Was it insensitive for him to get married on John Lennon's birthday? Discuss.

Ha ha! Of course it was insensitive. Paul was always jealous of John anyway.

 

[elgerber]

Ha ha! Of course it was insensitive. Paul was always jealous of John anyway.

I just think he's insane to get married at all, considering how the last one turned out.

 

[wasabi girl]

I just think he's insane to get married at all, considering how the last one turned out.

Good point. He should have had good advisors like us, helping him make the right decision.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

1. Some of the places where she shows "tax and tip" don't have tips....

2. I ate at a resturant where she was doing the show one time. I am not sure what she actually tipped, but the truth was ... she didn't really even pay! LOL!

Was this really a budget board thread? Shouldn't "trash talking of celebrities" be on the Community board? (I know ANYTHING GOES on the budget board but... REALLY! LOL!)

And "google" LOL! Just because it's on the internet does NOT mean I have to believe it.. ("Google" Martians on Earth.... fun stuff there!)

Google isn't whacky or crazy it is actually a very useful tool for finding a range of things that happen to be posted somewhere out on the internet. Some information may be about dumb crap like aliens but it is also a good resource for a wealth of REAL information.

As for Rachael tipping 10% she never did tip 10%. Not on her $40 a day show. I never saw her tip 10% even one time.

And as for posting this on a budget board it is a post about a show that is all about a DAILY BUDGET for eating. I wasn't aware there were Budget board DIS police patrolling the threads to make sure they were budget board worthy.

 

[scrapquitler]

Just for fun, I did some figgerin' .

When she was in Boston, the tax on restaurant food was only 10% (ah, the good old days - when we could afford to dine out... ). Food Network lists the places she ate, but not what she ordered.
Breakfast was at a "local farmers' market" also known as Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market (obviously I have some comments on their designation, but I'll reserve those unless someone asks). If I remember correctly, and based on the recipe on the FN site, she had a muffin and coffee. The place she ate is a bakery counter - no tip.

Lunch was (again, apparently based on the website recipe) a clam roll from the world-famous Kelly's Roast Beef stand, which she shared with a seagull. No, that's not on. The site. I saw the episode. Again, not a tipping situation. Between the two meals, I don't think she spent $15 with tax.

Now, dinner was at a sit-down restaurant, Giacomo's. She had, i think, just a (meatless) entree; I don't recall what she drank, but for some reason water with lemon comes to mind. Whatever it was, no alcohol. Later she went to a bar for a drink (beer?) where, yeah, she probably tipped a dollar.

Now the money*:

• Start with $40
• Subtract $1.90, because $38.10 is 95% of $40, leaving 5% for tax.
• Subtract $4.97, because $33.13 is 85% of $38.10, leaving 15% for tipping.
• Subtract $13 because that's what I recall was spent on the first two meals.

That leaves just over $20 for an entree and a drink - it sounds plausible.

*I know different locales and even different items ordered would produce different results.

This is the only episode of the show that I have ever seen and yes, lets remember that two of the meals were NOT tipping type meals. And anything I've ever read also states that $1 per drink in a bar is a proper tip, so the only tipping would be on that dinner....

 

[scrapquitler]

I am really surprised by these regional differences. Here (CT and NYC) we always tip 20 percent. If I ever left 15 percent I'd be afraid to show my face again.

We had poor service tonight at dinner. DH told me 'tip low', so I did... I 'only' tipped $5 on a $35. tab. DH thought it was still higher than I should have tipped her, but I couldn't bring myself to go any lower. I rarely go low on the tip, the service has to be BAD.

 

[disney1990]

Nothing is real about a television reality show.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is the only episode of the show that I have ever seen and yes, lets remember that two of the meals were NOT tipping type meals. And anything I've ever read also states that $1 per drink in a bar is a proper tip, so the only tipping would be on that dinner....

I just realized - I said the meal tax was 'only' 10% back then. I meant FIVE percent!!! I based my calculations on the lower number; I just don't want to mislead anyone.

 

[Miz Diz]

I am from SC and here....10% is all your gonna get!! 15% at a really nice place-if you have 6 or more...and that's IF you're any good. The Disney's typical 18% tip is UNHEARD OF around here. That's a meal by itself. My husband has a VERRRRY hard time with this when we are at Dis. I have to say- we never leave 18%. The food is so outrageously expensive, we make it to Disney by the skin of our teeth! There really should be way to help out those families that really want to go, and can't because it's so expensive. The average person these days can't do it without getting a LOAN or just breaking the bank. The food always costs us more than the room or anything. And the food is not the greatest I've ever had and we've never had service that was even worth 15%...just "here's your dinner, would you like more tea and have a good night............" Nothing really outstanding. But...we don't go to Dis for the food we go for the FUN
Up north, people make a whole lot more money and Disney seems to think we all do. I LOVE YOU DISNEY, but the tipping fee is rediculous. I used to wait tables and I know it's alot of work (we did not even get 10%- "$1 per person" was the norm. And alot of folks here still think it! It was tuff... especially on busy nights with rude, hungry, tired people. But 18%... is just too much. When we are treated good, we tip accordingly. But to tell me I HAVE to leave 18%....nope. I would have flipped if anyone EVER gave me 18%!! NOBODY gets it in our town!

I am from SC and have lived at the coast, midlands, and upstate. I have never seen 10% be the norm. Where did you work? Golden Corral?

15-20% has always been the norm. Even in college, we always tipped 20%. 18% is not unheard of! I like it when Disney adds the 18% gratuity because it saves me money. I always tip at least 20% if I add it in myself.

 

[DisneyCher]

Oh, I can do it. Does it have to be nutritious, or can I make my own choices?

Going back to the Boston episode, she had a muffin (and coffee?*) for breakfast. I could get a pastry and coffee from my local Italian bakery for under $5; or a Dunkin Wake-up wrap and coffee for for under $4; or a bacon/egg/cheese & coffee for $4.95 (typical breakfast, so I know the price to the penny ); or oatmeal & coffee at McDonald's under $4. So, $5 for breakfast, all with tax.

Okay, lunch. McDonald's salad is, or was, $5.03 with tax; adding a drink at $2.13 comes to $7.16. Or at Kelly's I can get a roast beef sandwich (bad Bay Stater for not liking seafood... oh, wait, it's Kelly's Roast Beef!) for $6.25 and a soda for $1.95; with tax that's $8.75**. Or, since this is Anytober at Subway, I gat a footlong sub that would actually cover two meals for $5; add $2 for a drink, then tax, I'm at $7.45.

I think I'll go with the bagel sandwich and the chicken salad - so $4.95 + $7.16 = $12.11
That leaves me with $17.89 for dinner, beverage, tax, tip, treat (drink/dessert/etc.) Well, according to tv.com, some of the tips in the show say to order half portions, or appetizers as entrées... I'm going to cheat a little here .

Olive Garden's never-ending pasta & sauce for $8.95 I couldn't get the menu to display on my ITouch, so for my drink I'm just going to go with the ubiquitous water with lemon . The meal tax here is 6.25%, so for my convenience I'm going to calculate the tax+tip at 25% overall, or $2.26, for a dinner total of $12.25 - rounded up so I'm not tipping an odd number of cents.

Okay, subtract that $12.25 from the $17.89 I had left after lunch, and I have more than $5 left for my treat - a dessert, a decadent candy, a glass of wine... Personally, I'd hit up the Market Basket supermarket up the street from Olive Garden. They've got some lush individual pastries, and the Italian bakery I mentioned earlier would be closed by now.

Disclaimer: no, I never considered doing this before; all pricing is either based on actual purchases or researched while writing this post.

*I have the $40 a Day book around somewhere; I could get the actual detail eventually.
** where I calculated in my head, I tried to estimate high.

I can also easily have a whole days' worth of food for under $40 while traveling, but I thought the whole point was to eat at local places and not chains like McDonalds, Subway or Olive Garden.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

We had poor service tonight at dinner. DH told me 'tip low', so I did... I 'only' tipped $5 on a $35. tab. DH thought it was still higher than I should have tipped her, but I couldn't bring myself to go any lower. I rarely go low on the tip, the service has to be BAD.

If service was really bad.. you might have gone lower because you still left 15%. =) I am sure that crappy server appreciates it.

 

[scrapquitler]

If service was really bad.. you might have gone lower because you still left 15%. =) I am sure that crappy server appreciates it.

I know. Like I said, I couldn't bring myself to go any lower knowing that she was working for $2.35 an hour or whatever the waitress 'pay' is. Its completely ingrained to tipe 20%, so that seemed really low to me (normally when we go to our favorite breakfast place with great waitresses we tip $5 and that's usually a $13 tab!)

 

[kaytieeldr]

I can also easily have a whole days' worth of food for under $40 while traveling, but I thought the whole point was to eat at local places and not chains like McDonalds, Subway or Olive Garden.

Yeah - I can do that... now that I know my math was off ! I'll still have lunch at Kelly's; it's a chain, but a local one (and was even when the Boston episode was taped). I'm just going to the local one, not the original. The prices are still the same.
Local bakery or Greek restaurant for breakfast, and non-chain place for dinner. I can probably even get a full entrée, but $40 a Day tips suggest appetizers or half-portions.

Yes, I can do this

 

[writerriann]

I was a head server at a restaurant in my hometown when Rachel Ray came to film one of her $40 a day episodes. She was a pain in the rear before she even set foot in the restaurant.

Those of us who interacted with her were told to not acknowledge her at all, don't say her name, avoid eye contact, etc. It was like we were her slaves. These were her rules - not a producer making assumptions. She actually blew up when one of our staff mistakenly directly addressed her as Ms. Ray.

She was a top notch witch. And, no, she didn't tip anyone hardly anything, and this is a little more upscale place (entrees $15-35). The whole incident made me never, ever want to see her on television or anywhere else ever again.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Well, ya know they could have put any Food Network celebrity into that role, it just happens that they put RR in there, so everyone dislikes her, she may well be that way, but who are we to judge.

I generally tip 18 to 20% depends on the service, I don't know the norm, but I suspect it is 15 to 20%. To me a tip is given for good service, have I been know to walk out and not leave a tip, no. Well not me exactly, but my old boss (a doctor) took me, DH and another co-worker out to a local restaurant, the waitress brings our food and knocks my tea over in my lap and into my plate of food and then just stands there like an idiot, they never replaced my food or apologized, so she didn't leave a tip and that was not like her, she was used to eating in higher end restaurants like the one given in the example of a $250 meal.

I start assessing you from the moment I am seated, if it takes you 20 minutes to come to my table, your tips starts to go down from there, especially if you have passed my table 5 times on your way to another table, then it depends on your attitude. If I have to chase you down for a refill, or extra napkins, or have to ask for a manager you might as well just give it up.

Most of the time when we go out, we go to certain places and know some of the waitresses, so we get treated right and I tip accordingly.