MatzoRella
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2011
- Messages
- 231
I just did some quick math to figure out the true savings associated with using the Tables in Wonderland card. Upshot: TIW saves you the equivalent of tip and part of what you would normally pay in tax. It generally becomes cost-effective once you purchase about $350-$375 in food and drink.
Here are the results for anyone who wants to avoid pulling out the calculator:
Assumption: You purchase the card for $75, not $100. With 6.5% tax, the purchase price is $79.88. If you change this assumption, the conclusions concerning break-even points will be different.
Conclusion 1: Your final bill (including tip and tax) will be equal to 1.032 times the sum of the menu prices. So if the items you order add to $100 on the menu, you will owe a total of $103.20 with tip and tax already included in this total. This conclusion holds regardless of what you pay for the TIW card. Without the card, the same items would cost you $124.50 once tax and an 18% tip were included (or $126.50 with tax and a 20% tip). Math: 100 – 20 + (.065*80) + (.18*100) = 103.20. Tax is on discounted price; tip is on pre-discounted price.
Conclusion 2: If you would normally tip 18% even without the TIW card, the card pays for itself once you purchase $375.02 worth of food (based on menu prices; you don't need to consider tax or tip). Math: 79.88=1.245M-1.032M, where M=sum of your meal’s prices on menu. M=375.02.
Conclusion 3: If you would normally tip 20% without the TIW card, but are willing to tip just the 18% automatically added when you use the card, the card pays for itself once you purchase $342.83 worth of food (based on menu prices; you don't need to consider tax or tip).
Conclusion 4: If you wish to add 2% to the automatically included tip (and these tips are based on the pre-discounted food total) to bring it up to 20%, and assuming you normally tip 20% even without the card, the card will pay for itself once you purchase $375.02 worth of food, as in conclusion 2.
If you purchase the card for $100 instead of $75 ($106.50 with tax), the break-even points in conclusions 2 and 3 are $500 and $457.08, respectively.
Bon appétit!
Here are the results for anyone who wants to avoid pulling out the calculator:
Assumption: You purchase the card for $75, not $100. With 6.5% tax, the purchase price is $79.88. If you change this assumption, the conclusions concerning break-even points will be different.
Conclusion 1: Your final bill (including tip and tax) will be equal to 1.032 times the sum of the menu prices. So if the items you order add to $100 on the menu, you will owe a total of $103.20 with tip and tax already included in this total. This conclusion holds regardless of what you pay for the TIW card. Without the card, the same items would cost you $124.50 once tax and an 18% tip were included (or $126.50 with tax and a 20% tip). Math: 100 – 20 + (.065*80) + (.18*100) = 103.20. Tax is on discounted price; tip is on pre-discounted price.
Conclusion 2: If you would normally tip 18% even without the TIW card, the card pays for itself once you purchase $375.02 worth of food (based on menu prices; you don't need to consider tax or tip). Math: 79.88=1.245M-1.032M, where M=sum of your meal’s prices on menu. M=375.02.
Conclusion 3: If you would normally tip 20% without the TIW card, but are willing to tip just the 18% automatically added when you use the card, the card pays for itself once you purchase $342.83 worth of food (based on menu prices; you don't need to consider tax or tip).
Conclusion 4: If you wish to add 2% to the automatically included tip (and these tips are based on the pre-discounted food total) to bring it up to 20%, and assuming you normally tip 20% even without the card, the card will pay for itself once you purchase $375.02 worth of food, as in conclusion 2.
If you purchase the card for $100 instead of $75 ($106.50 with tax), the break-even points in conclusions 2 and 3 are $500 and $457.08, respectively.
Bon appétit!
Tables in wonderland card INCLUDES alcohol, and is available at nearly every restaurant on property, including Le Cellier. Scroll down to the bottom of the page in this link to see the list of restaurants. (thanks to the OP for the math info, we've had the card for years and definitely get our money's worth....especially for the wine we drink!)
