Tipping Advice from former waitgirl!

[madalex]

Now days, 18 to 20% is the norm for regular service.

Since when? I know 18% is Disney's standard service charge, but I was not aware that the "standard" tip had gone to that rate (although I am not surprised that someome hoping to receive that tip would like me to think that it has).

 

[Mermaid_Ariel]

I have a wife who won't let me stiff the waitstaff. She was also a waitress during college and sympathizes with most of our servers.

Gotcha.

 

[my3disneygirls]

Hello All! Not trying to be rude or pushy but I used to be a wait staffer and manager, as well as a bartender.

Now days, 18 to 20% is the norm for regular service. I know that when I take my children, who I make be as neat as possible, I start at 30% and go down, depending on service and messiness of my children.

I do understand that many people are on a budget, but can you imagine how many non-tippers and parents with messy children are at DW places on a regular basis? Remember, many of these people work there for jobs, not for fun! (Hard to believe not everyone loves DW, huh?) Also, they have to split tips with the bartender and the clean-up crew, and many times the hostess that seats you. And they take the brunt of frustration about bad food, or just bad day in general.

As a former waitstaff, please be generous to them as much as you can. It is a lot easier to get great service when you tip well, and are considerate to the server. I always say thank you and please, and try my best to keep neat because the work is hard and you would be super suprised the quality of the service you can get most of the time.

Just some advice from someone who knows!!!

Many establishments do have the wait staff share the tips with the bussers, but their % is going to be smaller than what the server gets to keep. If you are tipping more because of your messy children, then why not just give the busboy 10 bucks. He is the one cleaning up after your kids, not the waitress.

I have no intention of picking up the slack for poor and non tippers. I tip my server based on the service that I am given not because some cheapskate stiffed my server.

I don't see how tipping well gets me better service unless it's a place I go to all the time and the waitstaff knows me. When I'm seated, the server has no idea if I'm a good tipper or not since they don't get tipped until the end of the meal.

 

[stoudt6]

Your thinking that working and picking up for messy kids should get a 30% tip got me to thinking what a CHEAP-SKATE I am for leaving Disney Housekeeping only $5 each day. It should be $67.50 a day(based on 30% of the $225 room charge at AKL.)

 

[crisi]

I have no intention of picking up the slack for poor and non tippers. I tip my server based on the service that I am given not because some cheapskate stiffed my server.

Tipping - libertarianism in action.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I am a server, yes its nice to get those out of the blue Great tips but 15-20 percent of the bill is still very good.

 

[Quiksilvr]

I don't see how tipping well gets me better service unless it's a place I go to all the time and the waitstaff knows me. When I'm seated, the server has no idea if I'm a good tipper or not since they don't get tipped until the end of the meal.

This is why I wish I could negotiate with the server at the beginning. I'm always willing to pay a premium for good service.

After re-reading the OP's comments, I don't think she's telling everyone that they should pick up the slack for those who don't pay tips, but is encouraging people to be generous and pay well for good service and to remember that being a waitperson is not exactly an easy job (in other words, be considerate).

If a client calls me at 5:30 and says they need something the next day, I'm a lot more willing to work another six hours with something approaching a smile on my face if it's a client that is generally nice to me and usually considerate of my time. If the client is always a demanding jerk I'm not nearly as happy about the situation. Of course the job still gets done, but I'm more likely to feel sullen about doing it. The waitperson is in a similar situation...it's not like he/she can just not serve your table if you're difficult. They still have to perform, but how they do the work is definitely something open to influence.

 

[sjaakie]

Your thinking that working and picking up for messy kids should get a 30% tip got me to thinking what a CHEAP-SKATE I am for leaving Disney Housekeeping only $5 each day. It should be $67.50 a day(based on 30% of the $225 room charge at AKL.)

I just did my math also.
Room at the Grand Floridian 800 dollar.
30 % tipping is 240 dollar.
Eating at Narcoossee's 400 dollar ,thats 120 dollar tipping.
Total tipping is 360 dollar per day.
I'm sorry but with that amoud of extra money I must stay at home.

 

[wezee]

Being an ex-waitress (many moons ago) and the Mom of a 3rd yr.(full time) college student who works evenings as a waiter....... I can't help but think......there are a whole lot of people who need to put on an apron and spend a few evenings as a server!!!! It's not as glamorous or profitable as it looks.

And to those of you who simply say...."If you don't like it, find a new career" .....some people, my son for instance, is limited in his job options, while attending college full time.

PS.....It's not easy being a "great" server....I remember, I sucked!!!

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Tipping is getting out of control. 30%? That's nuts! I think 20% is nuts for most places. When I was a teenager the standard was 10%. Just a few years ago it was 15% now it's 18-20%. Why has it risen so much? Do servers work 10% harder than they did 15 years ago? Who makes these decisions?

I do not feel bad for servers. They make good money. My best friend has a college degree in social work but waits tables because the pay is better. She comes home with a hundred plus dollars in cash after a 4 hour shift. Sure, people are rude and sloppy sometimes, but that isn't unexpected when you work at a restaurant. If you don't like the rude people and food messes, don't be a server. This is America, if you don't like your career, you can choose a different one.

 

[Jimdvc]

It's not as glamorous or profitable as it looks.

Few jobs are, that don't require an investment of time and money in a college education.

With that being said, I do agree with you that most waitress or waiters work very hard for very little.

But I have no doubt that a waitress at a WDW resort eating place that may have $2000.00 in reciepts a night, does quite well, and in fact makes as much if not more then many of the guest they are waiting on

 

[SnowWhite]

1. I tip based on the level of service

2. I do not give a specific % although I generally do not go below 10%

3. I have been known to give "extra" based on exceptional service (Chef at Mama Melrose walked across park to 50's to get grilled cheese for my DS) Gave the "extra" directly to him however.

4. I think 30% is a little over the top and I don't really like being told that is what I should start at...I think that is my choice.




** Just wanted to add...I do some serving, only no tips are involved and yes I am on my feet 8 hours a day and I still give 110% to the customers although no tip is involved**

 

[Family Fun Mom]

Being an ex-waitress (many moons ago) and the Mom of a 3rd yr.(full time) college student who works evenings as a waiter....... I can't help but think......there are a whole lot of people who need to put on an apron and spend a few evenings as a server!!!! It's not as glamorous or profitable as it looks.

And to those of you who simply say...."If you don't like it, find a new career" .....some people, my son for instance, is limited in his job options, while attending college full time.

PS.....It's not easy being a "great" server....I remember, I sucked!!!

Try being a cashier, or working at McDonalds, or stocking grocery shelves. They are all thankless jobs where you deal with rude customers, pushy magangers, no respect, and very low pay. Once you factor in tips, waiting tables is far more profitable. Far more.

 

[kimsuenew]

OK... I am a generous tipper but "start at 30%"... no way! I think 20% is a wonderful starting point! I will go up for A-1 service, and down to 15% but only if the wait staff is incompetant (their personal fault, not the kitchen's). I have even been known to go to 30%, but I won't start at 30%! A server needs to earn their tip, just as I need to earn my wage... with earn being the operative word! It is not a given!

 

[Gymbomom]

Too be fair ( and I dont agree with the OP) you should get a manager and give them the tip money explaining to give it to the busboy, hostess, food runner and also the bartender. It really is too bad that a bad waiter means the sometimes these people get overlooked.

-Becca-

You know where our favorite place is to divide up our tip is the Hibachi places. We always have 10% ready to go for the guy that cooks at your table. It is the one time we get to pay the CHEF who is making our food. I am not giving $20 to the order taker and bringing drinks....then we pretty much get ignored.

 

[waynesgirl]

The three members of the staff assigned to our table did an unbelievable job. It didn't bother me to tip them 40% of a $120 dining bill. They deserved every friggin' penny.

Quiksilvr-thank you. I was hoping that people would look at this from a standpoint of when they do the once and a while sit down thing. I didn't realize that everyone ate at expensive places every night at DW-I sure don't.

I tip according to service. And yes, a lot of times I do tell the server ahead of time that I do tip well, so please make sure to assist. But I also do not settle for cruddy service. In New Orleans, I eat at the Emeril's a lot when I visit, and my bill is usually, for 2, close to 150.00 with drinks for dinner, and that's being conservative. The servers always outshine the last visit's servers and they generally get a $50 tip because they go out of their way to know my name, spend several minutes with me for my preferences, etc. But I don't eat there every night either.

I was just trying to give a viewpoint, I see so many people asking about tipping for the conceierge and other people. If you are willing to tip a housekeeper $5 per day, for a 5 day trip, for something she makes money for anyway (Yes, I do tip the housekeepers very well also and leave them little gifts from ATL where we are), then why not the waitstaff who have to work just as hard? I mean, you tip someone to pick up your luggage from the Magical Express-they even say they take tips.

I am really sorry to everyone who was offended, but even on MSN Money you can see that 20% is now becoming the norm in acceptable tipping, especially in larger cities. I just said that I start at 30%-when I have my children. Of which I have 4-one of which is small and one of which is picky so I make sure the wait staff is always hoping around.

 

[Quiksilvr]

Your thinking that working and picking up for messy kids should get a 30% tip got me to thinking what a CHEAP-SKATE I am for leaving Disney Housekeeping only $5 each day. It should be $67.50 a day(based on 30% of the $225 room charge at AKL.)

Tipping on a percentage basis is the custom for restaurant servers, but not necessarily for every type of server. I remember during my wedding prep we had to tip just about every person who provided us any type service and the wedding guidebooks advised specific dollar ranges and not percentages of the bill. I think housekeeping is probably similar. Housekeepers are also paid at least minimum wage, so you're not really comparing apples to apples when you compare them to restaurant servers.

And to the poster who scoffed at paying a 30% tip at Narcoossee's... does that mean whenever you go to an expensive restaurant you tip a specific dollar amount that's not tied to a percentage of the bill? Because 20% of $400 is $80, which is still a significant tip in absolute dollars. Servers at high-end restaurants are often extremely good at what they do, which is why they have jobs at high-end restaurants (obviously this is not always the case, so no flaming me about that please). High-end (at least two-star Michelin) restaurants often assign more than one waitperson to your table, so any tip is first split among those servers. I once had lunch in NY at a very well-rated French restaurant and we had four people assigned to a table of four. I'm curious how the split on that worked out!

 

[stoudt6]

Few jobs are, that don't require an investment of time and money in a college education.

With that being said, I do agree with you that most waitress or waiters work very hard for very little.

But I have no doubt that a waitress at a WDW resort eating place that may have $2000.00 in reciepts a night, does quite well, and in fact makes as much if not more then many of the guest they are waiting on

Lets just estimate on the low side. Say a server has 4 tables each hour. 2 tables are party of 2 ($50 bill) and 2 are party of 4 ($100 bill) thats $300. We''l say they work 5 hrs that day so thats $1,500. we''l go low and only give 10% tip thats $150 in tips for day times 5 days =$750 week times 52 weeks = $39,000 plus there hourly rate . And remember 2 things these are low estimates and WDW Dining is busy 365 days, it not like your baggage guy at a resort who during value season its slow and doens't get as many people and tips.

 

[waynesgirl]

And also, I am sorry that some of the people who feel like paying $800 per night for a room at DW condemn someone who chooses to give a little more to the people who are making my stay so great. I applaud the fact that people even tip at all, I was just giving an alternate point of view. I didn't imply, by any means, what people should tip. Just saying that is what I do in a food circumstance, based on the fact that I have children with me and yes, they are messy, so I should compensate that wait staff for it.

No, couples shouldn't compensate for messy families, but then again, anyone should understand why your server has a stain on their shirt, or your food takes a little longer because the party next to you that has 3 kids can't control them and it takes a while to get to you.

DW is supposed to be for fun and great times but somebody's gotta make that fun happen. Same at any eatery, valet parking service, etc. I have watched people at DW pay big money for their car to be valet parked but stiff a bellman who carries their bags.

Again, really sorry to rattle anyone

 

[wezee]

First of all most servers at a decent TS could never turn over 4 tables an hour. And also all classy TS have a limit on tables per server at one time.....usually 2 or 3. So I am sorry, I can not follow your math. Also you forgot to add in the deduction for splitting tips with the hostess, busboy and bartender!

PS, I agree, starting at 30% maybe a bit steep.....but I have no problem with starting at 20%, and working up or down....especially at most TS at WDW, and all of the Signatures.