Tipping at WDW on a budget -

[terri01p]

 

[Alesia]

Does anyone here know for sure if they have to "tip-out" at Disney restaurants?

Yes, they do.

 

[kmvand1]

I will put on my fireresistant suit, but I tip according to the service. I do not buy into the "rule" that I have to give at least 15%. If you take forever to get my order, I have to get up and get my own water refill, you do not check on my meal and I have to track you down to get my bill, you can darn well expect that I will not be tipping you. I also will be pointing things out to your management. I do not feel obligated in any way to tip anything for crummy service.


I waited tables for many years putting myself through college and have been known to take a second job waiting tables for extra money, so I am well aware of how important tips are and how little resturants pay their servers.


I just get so frusterated that it is expected that a server should get a tip simply because they are a server. You should expect a tip for good service. If you choose not to give good service, I should be able to choose not to tip you.

This said, I will tip ( and quite often tip well) and would budget for tips.

Regarding buffets, this one always stumps me. I really do not feel like I should fork over 20% when I get up and get my own food. Yes, you refill my drinks and clear plates, but......I do not feel that is "worth" the same amount of tip I would give someone who sat me, discussed specials, took my order, brought me drinks, bread, salad, food, took my dessert order and cleared my plates. So I tip less at buffets....go ahead flame away, but it is what I personally choose to do.

Agree with you 100%!

 

[shaylahc1]

Let me start out by saying I was a waitress for 2 years while i was in college. It is 100% out of control that when you eat out food costs 20% more because you have to tip. Servers should get a fair salary and insurance like any other job on the planet. An extra tip on top should be a surprise and an "extra". its a shame that food establishments can get away with making customers pay the salary of their staff! And don't tell me the price of the food would go up 20%... It wouldn't. The amount an average restaurant makes on soda alone could give a 10 dollar increase per hour per staff member. ( it costs about 7 cents to make a coke they charge 3 dollars for!) I just had a problem like this at a massage place called massage envy. They had a promotion for a 49 dollar massage, I decided to try it. After my massage I was informed that the reg price of the massage was 149.00 dollars so i was expected to tip on that amount. (25% suggested) so my 50 dollar massage turned into a 100 dollar massage! ( i was planning on a 20 dollar tip which i thought was a lot )

I agree completely. Tipping USED to be considered "extra reward for good service". Somewhere along the line it became mandatory. I very rarely ever get good service anymore. Why should anyone work harder if they know they're going to get a tip anyway? And 20% minimum? Really? It used to be 10%. Then 15%. Now 20%. The next thing you know it will be 50%. Or 100%.

Servers must make really good money. 3 or 4 tables, overpriced food....I bet some servers rake in $50+ an hour. To me that's sheer madness. Yes servers work hard....but so do many other employees in non-tipped positions. I worked at Target in college and I worked HARD on my feet all day scanning and bagging groceries. Did I get tipped? No. Why should my Starbucks barista get a tip? I already payed $5 for my drink. Shouldn't the cost of making the drink be included

I don't know that there is any other country in the world where tips are expected like they are here in the US. My family and I rarely go out to "sit down" restaurants and the high cost of tipping has a lot to do with it. Restaurants should pay their staff a fair wage and tipping can back to being the "extra reward for good service" that it used to be.

 

[aggie778]

I agree with Michele

 

[robinb]

And 20% minimum? Really? It used to be 10%. Then 15%. Now 20%. The next thing you know it will be 50%. Or 100%.

I NEVER remember 10% being the minimum and I started paying for my own meals in restaurants over 30 years ago. Back then the minimum used to be 15% and now at Disney it's 18%.

I don't know that there is any other country in the world where tips are expected like they are here in the US. My family and I rarely go out to "sit down" restaurants and the high cost of tipping has a lot to do with it. Restaurants should pay their staff a fair wage and tipping can back to being the "extra reward for good service" that it used to be.

Now that ... I agree with.

 

[mjkacmom]

I agree completely. Tipping USED to be considered "extra reward for good service". Somewhere along the line it became mandatory. I very rarely ever get good service anymore. Why should anyone work harder if they know they're going to get a tip anyway? And 20% minimum? Really? It used to be 10%. Then 15%. Now 20%. The next thing you know it will be 50%. Or 100%.

Servers must make really good money. 3 or 4 tables, overpriced food....I bet some servers rake in $50+ an hour. To me that's sheer madness. Yes servers work hard....but so do many other employees in non-tipped positions. I worked at Target in college and I worked HARD on my feet all day scanning and bagging groceries. Did I get tipped? No. Why should my Starbucks barista get a tip? I already payed $5 for my drink. Shouldn't the cost of making the drink be included

I don't know that there is any other country in the world where tips are expected like they are here in the US. My family and I rarely go out to "sit down" restaurants and the high cost of tipping has a lot to do with it. Restaurants should pay their staff a fair wage and tipping can back to being the "extra reward for good service" that it used to be.

Um, judging by the ages of your children, we are probably around the same age, and tipping has been 15 - 20% my entire life. I waitressed, and it was the hardest job I've ever had. When you work at Target, you are payed minimum wage. Yes, it would be nice if restaurants had to pay that, too, but they don't. Now, I don't tip at Starbucks unless they've gone above and beyond, and then it's just my change.

 

[finz2left]

Does anyone here know for sure if they have to "tip-out" at Disney restaurants?

I always thought it was funny that tips are based off the price of your order. It isn't any more work to bring my $8 burger and fries than it is to bring out my husband's $24 steak, yet the tip is three times as much. The same thing at the buffets... it isn't any more work to clear my table and bring beverages for dinner than it is for breakfast (if anything breakfast might be a little more work because i might want milk and juice to drink), yet since the buffet costs almost twice as much for dinner as it does for breakfast, the expected tip is twice as much for the same amount of effort

Now, don't get me wrong, I do tip based upon the order total, but I do find it to be an arbitrary way to decide...

For me, the scary thing is that the IRS expects servers to claim 15% for their income...YES, their income, even if they get less or tip out..sigh..... I'd end up in the hole some years if tips were bad and tip outs were still at the same percentage. Luckily, I moved on to better places .

 

[shaylahc1]

I wanted to add that what I meant was that 10% was the minimum for bad service. Now 15% is considered the minimum for bad service I know 15% is/was? the standard and yes we ALWAYS tip at restaurants but rarely more than 15%.

 

[robinb]

I wanted to add that 10% was the minimum for bad service. Now 15% is considered the minimum for bad service I know 15% is/was? the standard and yes we ALWAYS tip at restaurants but rarely more than 15%.

So, you always get bad service?

FWIW, the minimum for bad service is 0%.

 

[shaylahc1]

So, you always get bad service?

FWIW, the minimum for bad service is 0%.

No that's not what I meant. 15% is what some people say is the current minimum for bad/mediocre service. It's supposed to be at least 20% according to what some in this thread have commented. Let's just put it this way:

I think 15% is fair compensation for the amount of work involved in waiting a table. I rarely ever get "exceptional" service when I dine out (Disney is the exception) and if I did, then I think a greater tip is deserved.

ETA I have never left a 0% tip, even for horrid service.

 

[rockundergirl]

So, you always get bad service?

FWIW, the minimum for bad service is 0%.

I don't know where you got this from? When did she say she always tips 10%? I wonder what people consider bad service... taking to long to get your food is not the waiters fault , usually its the kitchens, same with getting the wrong food, or prepared the wrong way. Unless your server is rude to you, most of what people think of as "bad service" is the restaurants or the kitchens fault.

 

[shaylahc1]

I don't know where you got this from? When did she say she always tips 10%? I wonder what people consider bad service... taking to long to get your food is not the waiters fault , usually its the kitchens, same with getting the wrong food, or prepared the wrong way. Unless your server is rude to you, most of what people think of as "bad service" is the restaurants or the kitchens fault.

To me bad service is simply neglect. We dined out at a restaurant recently (we rarely go but we had a GC to spend) and the server started out fine but quickly disappeared. No refills on drinks. She didn't even clear away the dirty dishes. By the end of the meal we had dishes stacked up everywhere on the table and we couldn't find her to get our check. Finally we flagged down another server and she came back looking flustered....I guess she was dealing with another table that had 3 declined credit cards and no way to pay for their meal. We still tipped 15% if only because 1)we rarely go out to eat and poor service is sadly not uncommon anymore and 2)people have bad days and I generally like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

 

[MMitchell29]

Michele you don't need to defend yourself on what you leave as a tip. No one can tell you how to spend your hard earn money. If they don't like what you leave then that's their problem. I'll send you a pm in a few and tell you what I really think about tipping.

 

[Ava]

I think a better question is whether or not people tip based off the TOTAL bill (after tax) or the pre-tax amount. This can make a huge difference especially at places like Disney with much higher tax rates.

I think this discussion enters into every tipping thread on this board. But here we go...

I tip on the pre-tax amount. That is the cost of the food I ordered, so that's what I tip on. Here the tax is 8.875%, so I just double the tax amount printed on my bill & round up; this gives the server 18% and makes my math easier.

 

[robinb]

I don't know where you got this from? When did she say she always tips 10%?

She said she thinks the minimum for bad service is 15% and that's what she tips . It doesn't matter what she usually tips at home because a tip of 18% will automatically be added to her bill at WDW since they are a family of 6.

 

[chobie]

Michele you don't need to defend yourself on what you leave as a tip. No one can tell you how to spend your hard earn money. If they don't like what you leave then that's their problem. I'll send you a pm in a few and tell you what I really think about tipping.

Regardless of how you feel about tipping, you do tip the customary amount when you get good service, right?

 

[csmommy]

Excerpts from Tipping Etiquette Guide:

http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

Custom says that tips are calculated pre-tax, but many people just use the total bill either for the sake of simplicity or to be more generous. In other words, either way is fine. If you are in a situation where the tip is automatically added in, it should be pre-tax.

If you get awful service, talk to the manager. The manager cannot correct the situation if he doesn't know about it. Skipping the tip will not accomplish anything, and the next poor customer who gets that server will get the same service you did.

Restaurants report a percentage (around 12%) of the gross sales for food and beverage to the IRS for their staff. This means that if you have a $200 food bill and $200 wine bill, the restaurant will report 12% of $400 or $48 as income to the server. In other words, the server has to pay tax on it whether you tip it or not. If the restaurants do not report it accurately, the restaurant and the wait staff get audited by the IRS.

Please don't get hung up on the 12%. It is just a reasonable example. I recommend tipping 10-15% on the alcohol and 15-20% on the food. 10% on the wine is perfectly acceptable. Whether to tip 10 or 15 percent would depend in large part on how helpful the server was in choosing the wine and serving it.

* Food server - 15-20%.
* Self-service restaurant or buffet - Nothing unless there is some service. Tip 10% if the server delivers all or part of your meal or keeps your drinks refilled.
* Takeout - If you get good service, in other words, the waiter gets and packages the food, then at your choice you can tip $1-2 or up to 10%. Nothing is really necessary.
* Drive through - Nothing.
* When breakfast is included in the price of the hotel room - Estimate the value of the meal by looking at a menu. If there is no breakfast menu, consider the quality of the hotel and the price of an evening meal, then make your best estimate. Your tip is 15-20% of your estimate.
* Teppanyaki chef - 15-20% of the total bill. The gratuity will be split among the wait staff and the chef.
* Counter service - 15-20%.
* Cocktail server - 15-20%. For free drinks in Vegas, tip $1-2 per round.
* Bartender - 15-20% or $1 per drink. If at the bar before a meal, settle up with the bartender before you go to your table.
* Wine steward or sommelier - 10% of wine bill.
* If a bar has a cover charge, you do not tip on it.
* Busboys - Nothing, unless he did something extra special like cleaning up a huge mess. Then give him $1-2.
* Maitre d' - Nothing, unless he gets you a special table or the restaurant is full and you had no reservation. Then give $5-10 or more.
* Coat check - $1
* Restroom attendant - $1
* Separate checks - If you want separate checks, ask the server to go ahead and add 18% gratuity to each check.
* Musician that visits table - $2-3 if you make a special request. Optional if he just stops by and plays.
* Musician in lounge - $1-5

 

[chobie]

Michele you don't need to defend yourself on what you leave as a tip. No one can tell you how to spend your hard earn money. If they don't like what you leave then that's their problem. I'll send you a pm in a few and tell you what I really think about tipping.

Regardless of how you feel about tipping, you do tip the customary amount when you get good service, right?

 

[disney1990]

Having a daughter that supported herself as a server, I know how little servers make outside of their tips. We almost always tip 20%; sometimes 15% if the service is not good.

I try to remember that everybody has an off day. If I went to work one day and wasn't feeling well and didn't work quite as hard as every other day, I would hate for my boss to say, well you only worked 90% today, so you only get 90% of your pay.

I'm not telling other people what to tip. But my feeling has always been, if I can't afford to tip, I can't afford to eat out.