Table service tipping

[mjkacmom]

I never felt intimidated either, just smothered and coddled by strangers beyond my comfort level. There are cultural differences in what constitutes “good service”. And that has a lot to do with how we were conditioned by our restaurant culture, which in the US is strongly influenced by the reliance on tips.

And I’ve noticed many in the US will partially base tips on how attentive the server is, how many offers to fill drinks, ask about their food, bring the check promptly.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think Disney would get much good will if they banned tipping at all restaurants and at all places at Disney Springs.

Not if it included raising prices, which it would.

 

[Nancyg56]

When I was a server (20-30 years ago), the computer tracked our sales. When I went to clock out it gave me the total amount of sales for all of my customers - say in a 6 hour shift it was $620.55, it then asked how much I was claiming in tips to add to my gross income (so it could calculate my taxes). It wouldn't accept any number less than 10% (again years ago) - I don't know if that was the type of program my restaurant was using or if that's still a thing now. We couldn't clock out until we claimed atleast 10% of our total sales... Now with so much more credit card usage, I'm sure it's easier to accurately track how much servers should be claiming.

It is. I have several restaurants that I run payroll for. The servers are making, in general, a lot of money for the hours they are working, but for the most part only claim charge gratuities. I have it built into my system that everyone at least meet the minimum wage, so when a few of them were consistently falling below I spoke to the owner or manager to look at sales for those individuals. Funny how cash is now included in tipped income to bring it to at least 10 to 12 %. Our state is running audits on just about everything possible.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I never felt intimidated either, just smothered and coddled by strangers beyond my comfort level. There are cultural differences in what constitutes “good service”. And that has a lot to do with how we were conditioned by our restaurant culture, which in the US is strongly influenced by the reliance on tips.

It can also be where you are in the US. I’m from CA, my first trip to the east coast was WDW and I thought our server one night like disliked us and was aloof and maybe mad at people. My friend laughed and was like “nah, that’s East Coast. She’s perfectly happy! You’re too used to CA where they try to be your temporary new bff.”

 

[gottalovepluto]

Most “better” restaurants in NYC have given up on the no tipping rule; according to local news it was an abysmal failure as a social experiment.

Decades back it was easy to undercount tips received by employees for tax purposes but credit cards changed that.

Not surprised. It’s too deeply engrained into American society that we have to tip no matter what. Look at Uber. Remember how a selling point was no tip at the beginning? People just couldn’t deal with that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not surprised. It’s too deeply engrained into American society that we have to tip no matter what. Look at Uber. Remember how a selling point was no tip at the beginning? People just couldn’t deal with that.

The cruise line we did last year and will do next year has tipping included in the fare, it's their policy that it's not expected nor required, you can tip if you want but it's rarely seen visibly from anyone who chooses to do so. The comments on the several FB pages I'm on for that cruise line that ask "how much should we tip" "should we tip" "what about tipping" are always from the Americans. I have defended those questions to citizens of other countries who get tired of seeing those questions by explaining we're so used to tipping that we don't really know if we believe it if a policy is no tipping required.