Table service tipping

[Squishie]

We are budgeting for our trip and trying to plan on what to expect. I see for large groups, Disney charges 15 - 18 percent gratuity. We are a family of 5 so will tip for ourselves. My question: is everyone basing tips on the high price of the food? Are you tipping in the 15-18 range? Are you tipping pre-tax(like Disney) or after tax?

 

[rangerxenos]

Unless service is bad, I generally tip 20% on the entire bill, less the tax. If service is exemplary, I will tip 25%. Minimum wage for waiters and waitresses is a little less than $9 an hour in FL, and most of them are working their butts off.

And if you get a discount of any kind on your meal, you should tip on the total before the discount.

 

[Squishie]

Unless service is bad, I generally tip 20% on the entire bill, less the tax. If service is exemplary, I will tip 25%. Minimum wage for waiters and waitresses is a little less than $9 an hour in FL, and most of them are working their butts off.

And if you get a discount of any kind on your meal, you should tip on the total before the discount.

Wow, even for Disney employees? With the cost of the food - I expect them to pay their employees better.

 

[rangerxenos]

Wow, even for Disney employees? With the cost of the food - I expect them to pay their employees better.

I don't know what they're actually paying them, but the minimum they are required to is $8.98 an hour.

 

[HopperFan]

No idea what Disney pays their servers, and it likely varies by many factors. But I know I periodically check what jobs they have open and you never see positions for servers. I think they are quite coveted, probably due to the higher tips that guests pay based on Disney prices.


Minimum is a combination of "Basic Combined Cash & Tip Minimum Wage Rate" of which Florida's is currently $12.00 with the Base being $8.98. But that rate will move to $9.98 in September* and continue to go up through September 2026, so it will then be $11.98, plus the Tip Minimum.

*"The Florida minimum wage is scheduled to increase by $1.00 every year on September 30th until reaching $15.00 on September 30, 2026."

Florida is one of the higher minimum server wages in the country ..

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped

 

[focusondisney]

Are you tipping pre-tax(like Disney) or after tax?

I’m not sure Disney’s suggested tips are pretax anymore . I remember reading posts that the suggested tips are with tax included. I checked on our trip in February & sure enough any I checked were figured with tax included. I don’t have any receipts to check, but maybe check when you’re there.

For myself, I calculate pretax. We’re 2 adults, usually order apps & entrees (usually a pricy steak & seafood), soft drinks, no alcohol. Even in signature places we’re often out in 1 hour. Except for a coke refill for my husband, there’s almost nothing we need. I keep telling my husband we’re going to do 15- 18% since prices are so high I feel that’s still a good amount for what we require. It usually ends up at 20% or so anyway. Hats just easier for me to calculate quick in my head. And if we’re doing cash we round up to whatever bills we have so we don’t wait for change.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

DH and I typically tip 20% on the entire (after tax) bill. Like a PP if tipping cash we round up and don't wait on change. Actually come to think of it, I round up on CC tabs too. I just typically tip in whole numbers.

 

[_19disnA]

What % to tip to me is based on the quality of the service. If the server never returns to refill drinks, forgets to bring the rolls/breadsticks or can't find them if we have a question or disappears before bringing the bill is a different level of service then someone who checks back to see we are satisfied. Always round the tip to the nearest dollar. Who wants $.37 in change anyway? Various people often seem to have differing opinions about tipping in cash vs. adding it to the credit card charge.

New employees likely start at the lower end of the pay scale and over time it probably goes up. Base pay is determined by the employer and has nothing to do with how much I decide to tip. I never know/ask how long someone has worked there since it isn't any of my business.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I tip at Disney the same way I tip at home. Generally 20% unless the server was particularly bad, I will do a lesser amount or if they were top notch, I will do a little more.

 

[pens4821]

I tip the same at Disney as at home. I base it off post tax. 10-15% for not so good service. 20% for average/good service. 30% for great service. I’ll tip up to about 50% if the service is exceptional.

 

[mjkacmom]

20%. We are a family of 7, so many times the tip is added automatically. I will add more if it’s only 15%.

 

[hsmamato2]

standard I do anywhere is 20%-pretax b/c I don't tip on taxes charged. for great service I'll go 25-30%

 

[dioxide45]

Always round the tip to the nearest dollar. Who wants $.37 in change anyway?

It isn't like you are usually tipping in actual cash. Most people just add the tip to the credit card receipt. They then add all their tips up for the day. So it isn't like they have 20 tables that all tipped some change and they have a pocket full of change. They may also have to tip out to back of the house, bartenders and perhaps also front door hosts. So that round dollar gets split up anyway.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We're like many here. We start at 20%, but pre-tax, since that's the actual food and drink bill. If we have great service, we'll do more, bad service we'll do less. We also base it on the actual bill for food and drink, not the discounted amount if we are eating someplace we can use DVC discounts. Just like we don't tip on the tax amount, we don't cheat the server by tipping on the discounted amount - just the original bill.

 

[dioxide45]

I always find it interesting to read the amounts that people say they tip when in forums like these. Almost like they are trying to brag. But if you ask most servers, they rarely get tips this high, sometimes no tip at all.

I don't worry about tipping on the tax amount or not. In Orange County it is something like 6.5%. I just calculate the percentage I use in my head and round up. Say 20%, that 20% of the 6.5% is really not all that significant or insignificant. It's just a rounding error.

 

[hsmamato2]

I always find it interesting to read the amounts that people say they tip when in forums like these. Almost like they are trying to brag.

???? That's an odd thing to say, I hardly consider a decent tip on good service a brag lol....I call it part of the cost of eating out.

 

[mistysue]

I end up tipping around 18-20%, and usually feel bitter about it because the cost of food drives that up to an absurd hourly wage for a server. I mean sometimes you get really great service, but more often than not it's like "uh, I just paid $30-60 for an hour, wasn't your only table, and never got a refill" At the low end there, if they've got four tables and WDW is paying them $10, that's $70/hour if half the tables stiff them. Hour by hour that's the same pay as an exec making $140K. This whole tipping culture needs to stop, employers need to pay people so they can have reportable income and benefits. I guarantee it would save the typical customer money and most servers would think they were making more because they wouldn't be walking off with unreported cash. (which everyone knows is commonly spent before it's accounted for, leaving the feeling of being broke)

 

[rdaky]

I always find it interesting to read the amounts that people say they tip when in forums like these. Almost like they are trying to brag. But if you ask most servers, they rarely get tips this high, sometimes no tip at all.

And those servers think it's pretty lousy when people don't tip at all or give pathetic tips. Because yes, some people just don't tip. Even if the service is excellent, food was great, they seem to have a positive interaction back and forth with their server, and they leave absolutely nothing. There are American citizens who eat in restaurants regularly and do not tip.

Disney tipped food and beverage is currently fighting for better working conditions for their employees. I'm pretty certain their pay is $8.98/hr. I don't know if their union covers break issues, but the state of Florida does not require breaks for servers unless they work 8+ hours. I know someone who works on Disney property, but not at a Disney owned restaurant, and earns $8.98 as a server and does not get any breaks ever and works 8 hour shifts. This person completely depends on tips. Thankfully there are generous people who tip well as they make up for those who don't tip at all.

 

[Cadiewampus]

DH and I typically tip 20% on the entire (after tax) bill. Like a PP if tipping cash we round up and don't wait on change. Actually come to think of it, I round up on CC tabs too. I just typically tip in whole numbers.

yep sounds like us most places we go but we do have one place we go pretty much every saturday morning thats different. We sit at the bar as bartender is a friend of ours. There are about 6 of us regulars. We generally stay for 3 or 4 hours so I make sure I tip at least 25%. Most of the time more as we are taking up space for so long

 

[TwoMisfits]

I tip on vacation like I tip at home - 20-25% (depending on my allergy needs), pre-tax and pre-discounts (I do use a lot of Groupons and get lunch deals so I add back the amount the regular price would be to my bill before computing tip).

HOWEVER, usually (not always) I am in a party of 6. So, if the auto-tip is added, I don't add any further tip. The wait staff decided they wanted to decide the tip vs me, so on the tip line, I just add the words "already included."