Tipping at buffets vs. being waited on??

[edk35]

Okay I was reading another thread about the new dining plan that is coming out and someone mentioned in a post that they tip 10-12% for buffets vs. other restaurants where they bring your food to you. So I thought I would ask what others do for tipping at buffets?? I know we always tip the same but maybe we shouldn't be since we are getting our own food. Thoughts please? Thanks

 

[ZoZo]

I'd say about 15% for a buffet (I sometimes tip 18% to 20% for really good service at non-buffet restaurants). I think 15% is fair if the server brings drinks (and refills) when needed, clears plates promptly, answers questions, etc. I might tip a little less if service isn't as good. I probably wouldn't tip more than 15%, since the servers don't take orders and bring the food.

A little off topic, but I sure wish our country didn't have a tipping practice in place - it sure doesn't seem fair to have your earnings be so unpredictable. Some people are generous tippers and some aren't (and it often isn't really dependent of the quality of the service received -- just on the habits of the tipper). Wait people work very hard for a living, and most really hustle. Let's reward them accordingly!

 

[just another guy]

I'd say about 15% for a buffet (I sometimes tip 18% to 20% for really good service at non-buffet restaurants).

agreed

 

[edk35]

not sure about other European countries......YOU DON'T EVEN TIP...so apparently they are paid well at restaurants. We went in July for 12 days and you never tip....except in some places you tip to use the bathroom. LOL

 

[tkldisney]

Unfortunately, Disney does not pay well. We tip 15% for buffets and 20% at sit down. If service is not good we still tip 10 -12 % at sit down.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We tip 20% at buffets and regular TS places.

 

[dqpowell]

10% is fair and customary at buffets.

http://www.azaz.essortment.com/tipping_rdef.htm
http://tipcollection.com/wiki/index.php/Tipping_guidelines
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/summer_tipping/

David

 

[edk35]

I am trying to remember....at the character buffets....is the gratuity already included on the check when they bring it??

 

[Hootch]

at buffets. I rarely eat at them outside Disney though. At Disney I usually tip around 15%, mainly because I'm in a really good mood because of the characters.

 

[Belle1962]

A recent thread here got me thinking about this also. Someone on that thread mentioned how they come to your table MORE often to fill drinks and remove dirty plates at a buffet. So when DS and I went to Longhorn the other night I tried to "count" the wait staff trips.

Welcome, drink order (same at buffet)
Deliver drinks, take order (deliver drinks same at buffet)
Deliver salads
Refill drinks 2x (same at buffet)
Bring meal
Check back (same as buffet sometimes)
Do you want dessert? start clearing plates(same at buffet)
Bring check (same at buffet)
Pick up credit card and check (same at buffet)
Reurn credit card for sig (same at buffet)

So we will probably still stick with our 20% tip even at WDW buffets. Unless we get NO drink refills and plates sit around collecting on the table.

 

[Jaime]

I had great service at BOMA & CP...better than some ts...our drinks were always full and table always clean...for that reason I always base my tipping on service and food quailty.

 

[meandtheguys2]

It seems to me, that when we go to a buffet, the staff actually have to work harder. We have a lovely buffet here, and they are right on top of dirty dishes, and cup refills, etc. So, we tip 20% consistently there.

 

[mom2my3kids]

We tip 20% but then again I am a server so I always tip well. I just feel guilty or something..

 

[just another guy]

10% is fair and customary at buffets.

http://www.azaz.essortment.com/tipping_rdef.htm
http://tipcollection.com/wiki/index.php/Tipping_guidelines
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/summer_tipping/

David

And disney isn't your average buffet, thus the 15-20%. There's a big difference between a weekly trip to the golden corral, and a familes once evert 4-5 year trip to Disney.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

A recent thread here got me thinking about this also. Someone on that thread mentioned how they come to your table MORE often to fill drinks and remove dirty plates at a buffet. So when DS and I went to Longhorn the other night I tried to "count" the wait staff trips.

Welcome, drink order (same at buffet)
Deliver drinks, take order (deliver drinks same at buffet)
Deliver salads
Refill drinks 2x (same at buffet)
Bring meal
Check back (same as buffet sometimes)
Do you want dessert? start clearing plates(same at buffet)
Bring check (same at buffet)
Pick up credit card and check (same at buffet)
Reurn credit card for sig (same at buffet)

So we will probably still stick with our 20% tip even at WDW buffets. Unless we get NO drink refills and plates sit around collecting on the table.

I don't know about Longhorn, but here are the steps I am accustomed to at full service restaurants. There's more to it than just the number of times your waiter visits your table. I have bolded the steps I have added or changed from your list:

Welcome, drink order (same at buffet)
Deliver drinks (same at buffet)
Take order - this is not done at a typical buffet. And the waiter has to be more knowledgable about the menu items
Places order with kitchen - this takes time when a buffet server could be refilling drinks or clearing plates from another table
Deliver salads/appetizers
Refill drinks 2x (same at buffet)
Checks to make sure meal was prepared correctly when picking up from kitchen - special requests were fulfilled
Bring meal
Check back (same as buffet sometimes - I've never had extra "check back" at a buffet except when combined with clearing plates & refilling drinks, which is already covered elsewhere in this list)
Do you want dessert? you get your own dessert at every buffet I've ever been to
Place dessert order with kitchen
Bring dessert and/or coffee
start clearing plates (same at buffet)
Bring check (same at buffet)
Pick up credit card and check (same at buffet)
Reurn credit card for sig (same at buffet)

So by my count there are at least 5 additional steps that typically occur in full service vs. buffet.

Tip what you want to tip, but I tip based on the personal service that is provided. There just isn't as much personal service at a buffet, so I tip accordingly.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

And disney isn't your average buffet, thus the 15-20%. There's a big difference between a weekly trip to the golden corral, and a familes once evert 4-5 year trip to Disney.

No, a Disney buffet isn't your "average" buffet. It's way more expensive! So those 10% tips really add up!

 

[dburg30]

Unfortunately, Disney does not pay well. We tip 15% for buffets and 20% at sit down. If service is not good we still tip 10 -12 % at sit down.

Ummm I dont think that's specific to Disney with waiteres / waitresses.. Pretty sure most places dont pay waitstaffs well, hence the tipping being needed..

 

[just another guy]

Take order - this is not done at a typical buffet. And the waiter has to be more knowledgable about the menu items

"What can I get for you" is a lot shorter than explaining the setup of the buffet, where the meats are vs the salad or soup, etc.

Places order with kitchen - this takes time when a buffet server could be refilling drinks or clearing plates from another table

Any chain restaurant probably has 6-10 units throughout the restaurant. Its takes all of 15 seconds to enter in a password, select new table, enter the table number, hit the coke button, the t-bone steak rare button, and hit send. Your server at a disney buffet has to ring things in just the same.

Checks to make sure meal was prepared correctly when picking up from kitchen - special requests were fulfilled

Any decent disney buffet server should check back with the guests to see how things are tasting for them.

Check back (same as buffet sometimes - I've never had extra "check back" at a buffet except when combined with clearing plates & refilling drinks, which is already covered elsewhere in this list)

Just because they simply don't ask "how is everything" doesn't mean they are not checking back. The server could be removing plates from another table, glance over at your table, see you laughing with the kids, have no dirty plates, not needing refills, and thus see no reason to bug you.

Place dessert order with kitchen

another 10 seconds at a computer screen, so you're not gettin gcredit for that "step" either.

Bring dessert and/or coffee

A buffet server at disney would still have to get coffee.

So by my count there are at least 5 additional steps that typically occur in full service vs. buffet.

Funny, looks like the count is back to dead even now.

 

[princess_sexton]

I have the disney dining plan, is tips included in that package? for some reason i thought it was, if not i want to tip wdw employees do a great job!

 

[smartestnumber5]

So when DS and I went to Longhorn the other night I tried to "count" the wait staff trips.

[snip]

So we will probably still stick with our 20% tip even at WDW buffets. Unless we get NO drink refills and plates sit around collecting on the table.

I agree. I've done the counting thing too (mostly by memory though) and don't see that there's a big difference btw buffets and table service in terms of amount of work. We frequent Red Robin a lot and they seem to have a big systems of "runners"--people who are there just to deliver your food; we almost never have any food delivered by our actual server when we go there, but I don't tip less because of it. Also the comparison really depends on the # of courses we are assuming are being eaten at the full service restaurant. I just don't see how it is possible that a server at a full service restaurant who serves a table ordering only entrees could possibly have significantly more work than a server at a buffet.

Take an entree only meal at Concourse Steakhouse vs the buffet at Boma:

Concourse
Welcome & drink order (1 stop)
Drop off drinks & take order (1 stop)
Refill drinks (2 stops)
Drop off entrees (1 stop)
Check on table (1-2 stops)
Clear dishes (1 stop)
Bring bill (1 stop)
Take bill (1 stop)


Boma
Welcome & drink order (1 stop)
Drop off drinks (1 stop)
Refill drinks (2 stops)
Check on table (1-2 stops)
Clear dishes (3-4 stops)
Bring bill (1 stop)
Take bill (1 stop)


So there's probably a few extra stops at Boma for clearing dishes, but there may be a bit more time required for some of the stops at Concourse so things probably even out a bit.

Total bill at Concourse (2 steaks + 2 drinks) = 51.36. 20% tip = 10.27
Total bill at Boma (2 adult buffets) = 51.98. 20% tip = 10.40

That seems right to me--about the same amount of work and about the same amount of tip.

Of course, many people at Concourse are going to get more than one course for dinner. So most of the time, servers at Concourse are probably doing more than those at Boma (dropping off three courses worth of food, having to check back for each course), but they are also getting a higher tip because the total bill will be higher. If we add appetizers and dessert at Concourse, the bill gets up to 82.61 and a 20% tip = 16.52. So for the extra work involved in those extra courses, the server at Concourse appropriately gets a 60% increase in tip.

The way I figure it there just isn't any way for tipping to be exactly fair even if we consider full service vs. full service restaurant. Take a 3 course meal at the Plaza vs. a 3 course meal at Le Cellier. A 3 course meal for 2 at the Plaza = 45.00. 20% tip = 9.00. A 3 course meal for 2 at Le Cellier = 85.32. 20% tip = 17.06. The server at Le Cellier gets almost twice as much for the same # of courses. To me, that's a much more "unfair" situation than the server at Boma vs. the server at Concourse.