Tipping at Buffet's

[mikeandkarla]

Do you tip same 18% at buffet as table service?

 

[belleatheart]

yes as long as drinks are kept refilled and plates taken away, the only thing they do not do is take an order, they probably are making more trips to your table because you will have more plates at a buffet than a TS

 

[Aimeedyan]

Yes, I do.

 

[septbaby]

I took my mother out for mother's day dinner. It was an upscale buffet $25pp. I left a $10 tip for the two of us. I thought our service was very good and clearly the staff was hard working. We went to get food, I think two trips each, but server brought rolls, beverages, extra silverware, dessert in addition to clearing plates. Our server was a young girl, always easy to find and very polite. I was happy to leave that tip as a way to reward the fine performance of a young person and encourage her to do more of the same next time.

The day before I took my 6yo nephew to his favorite buffet (he loves the ice cream bar there) our total was about $12 and I left $3. She had to clear away a lot of plates and we sat there an extra long time. My mother joined us later, but did not eat or drink anything. $2 would have been fair, but I thought given the extra time we sat there, the fact that she was cleaning up behind a 6yo and my mother sat there too $3 was fine. We ate with service for under $15; I can't complain about that.

Last year we were on the DP so tips were included. Honestly, at WDW I'll likely be a lighter tipper, closer to the 15-18% unless something is just extra special as it was at Narcoossee's last year where we left extra.

 

[stitchlover]

When we were there in March we left 18%-20% at the buffets. The staff seemed to be very attentive and I felt that was more than appropriate.

 

[Suzymouse]

I always tip 20% at WDW buffets, unless a unique circumstance arises. I feel that they do more work than a regular server. We've always had exceptional and memorable buffet servers at WDW

The ones I think that do the most work though are the "all you can eat family meal" servers. Oh my goodness, I couldn't imagine being them with a table of 4 hungry family members-what a work out!!

 

[disnut8]

Yes we do. Although when my mother-in-law is there we always have to discuss the whole thing.

If you think about it, you go to TGI Friday's. Your server comes around, takes your drink order and gets those while you look at the menu. You then order and he leaves. Your food is brought out but not by the server. Just food runners. The only thing your server needs to do after placing your order is to come back a few times to see if you need anything. Sounds exactly like what a buffet server does.

The only thing a non buffet server does differently is to bring out your food (if they even do that).

 

[ransom]

Yes, definitely. We tip the same whether it's buffet or standard table service.

 

[disneygal2007]

We tip for the service no matter where we are. This Saturday I took the kids to see HCM on ice and we went to a outstanding buffet before the show. The server was ok for a bill of 26 dollars I tipped 6 bucks then after the show and some time has passed my friends daughter who was with is asked to go back to go back to the same place and they ate off the buffet and I ordered off the menu and the bill came to 41.00 and I tipped 20.00 the server was so sweet and nice and even took time to help my son 4 do a word search and there wasn't a dirty dish on the table for more then 3 minutes. Thank u Candice

 

[srwarden1928]

I always tip 15% for table service and 10% for buffets. I slightly resent others telling me this is not acceptable. I have no problem with others tipping what I consider extra if they choose to do so. I increase the above levels for what I consider to be exceptional service. I have rarely decreased for poor service.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

10% is the generally accepted tip for buffets.

 

[joycepa]

We tipped 20% on our last trip. We had great service with the exception of The Crystal Palace. They work their butts off even though they aren't taking orders.

 

[rt2dz]

10% is the generally accepted tip for buffets.

That is the industry standard.

 

[jkid721133]

I consider myself an above average tipper, but i do not tip 18-20% on buffet service......you are getting your own food. I got somewhat bashed on a thread last month on this same topic, so tread lightly.

 

[TiffanyW1]

We usually tip 20% at full service and 10% at buffets.

 

[aymekae]

Forgive me for adding my 2 cents, because I've never had a buffet at WDW, but I think I can see where some of the confusion is.

I've regularly eaten buffets at Hometown Buffet and Souplantation. Neither place had real "servers". They did have someone walking through every few minutes to ask if we needed parking validation! No periodical clearing of dirty plates, no drink refills, no anything. I think it would be ridiculous to tip someone like that. But the way it was described at WDW is totally different. They ARE servers, and deserve something. As for percentage, I think I'll have to decide that on a case by case basis. (My basis would be how much did they do for us as compared to an average server at a regular restaurant.) I think it'd be in 10-15% range.

 

[java]

The only thing a non buffet server does differently is to bring out your food (if they even do that).

Um have you ever been a waiter? When I was a waitress I had to make the individual salads for the table- put the soup in the cup- and assemble the dessert. I had to actually WRITE DOWN an order and make sure the chef made it appropriately. I had to run up and down a flight of stairs if I was working the downstairs party room and I had to get all drinks from the bar.
So um yeah I did a hell of a lot more than a buffet server is doing.
If we get great service we tip 20% if not I will do as little as 10%- if they never refill my drink and don't take a plate away. Sorry I don't compare the 2.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Um have you ever been a waiter? When I was a waitress I had to make the individual salads for the table- put the soup in the cup- and assemble the dessert. I had to actually WRITE DOWN an order and make sure the chef made it appropriately. I had to run up and down a flight of stairs if I was working the downstairs party room and I had to get all drinks from the bar.
So um yeah I did a hell of a lot more than a buffet server is doing.

You will find many on the DIS who will insist that buffet servers work as hard as the TS servers. Even after I typed out all the extra things that TS servers have to do, people still insisted that those things (like taking the order, making sure it is plated correctly - sauce on the side and that kind of stuff) doesn't make any difference.

 

[septbaby]

10% is the generally accepted tip for buffets.

That is the industry standard.

Where is this standard noted or explained? I know that tipping it utimately discretionary and that 15-20% is seen as a norm, but I've never seen or been told by a server or restaurant proprietor that 10% is "standard" for buffets. What is your source for making this statement? I have left a 10% tip in the past, but have never understood that to a standard.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

If the server clears our plates and refills our drinks frequently we tip 20% even at the buffet. We don't have any buffets around here, we really only go to one while in Disneyworld.