What Waiters Get From Dining Plan

[Cheshire Figment]

Yesterday I was talking to the area manager for one of the World Showcase restaurants and discussing the dining plan. I brought up the concept that I had heard that the waiters try to get people to purchase the most expensive items on the menu so their tips will go up.

He said that it was not correct. The restaurant receives a fixed amount of credit from Disney for each meal. The waiter's gratuity is based on this fixed amount and all of his staff is aware of that.

This had been the way gratuities were handled under the old Gold packages, but now the upsell has no eff3ect on the gratuity.

The only exceptions to this are if the Guest decides to leave an additional tip which is percentage based and, of course, for items (such as alcoholic beverages) which are separately billed.

 

[Lewisc]

Most restaurants had me sign a bill that listed the price for everything including a 15 or 18% gratuity for the waiter.

France didn't show the price and Earl of Sandwich (CS) actually showed a dining discount which presumably reduced the bill to the amount that Disney was paying them.

My guess is different restaurants have different arrangements. If all of the restaurants are paying the waiter based on a reduced amount I'm sure we would have heard about it. Le Cellier showed the price, maybe the WS restaurants that were added have different terms than the rest of the restaurants.

 

[Colonel]

A co-worker is at Disney now under the free dinning plan. He call today to check on things. (Sick, I know, calling work while at Disney.) He said he is loving the dinning plan. He asked a waitress if the tip was included. She said yes they get a tip. He then pushed her for how much. After asking a couple of times, she said they get $3 per table. May be that was just a average she through out. Seems really low. Has anyone else hear that they get tiped a flat rate per table?

 

[Lewisc]

A co-worker is at Disney now under the free dinning plan. He call today to check on things. (Sick, I know, calling work while at Disney.) He said he is loving the dinning plan. He asked a waitress if the tip was included. She said yes they get a tip. He then pushed her for how much. After asking a couple of times, she said they get $3 per table. May be that was just a average she through out. Seems really low. Has anyone else hear that they get tiped a flat rate per table?

Doesn't make sense to me. Many of the Disney meals are buffet or a flat price for all you care to eat. Ohana is around $25 so 15% would be around $3.75 per head, kids meals are $11 so the tip would be around $1.60 Maybe the waitress meant she gets around $3 per head and not per table.

 

[jodistar]

Okay - I haven't really thought about it but, do we still tip when on the Dining plan - or do we not?

 

[lovemygoofy]

Okay - I haven't really thought about it but, do we still tip when on the Dining plan - or do we not?

I think it depends on you and your dining party. We received some great service from a cute girl at Le Cellier so we tipped extra. On the other hand, the service at O'hana was just so-so we honestly we didn't tip anymore. So it's just really up to you if you want to tip extra.

 

[honeymo78]

We take it this way - if we were paying out of pocket, would we have tipped the server more than 15%? If not, then no extra tip. If we otherwise would have left more, then we leave a few bucks more.

 

[jodistar]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate it! Nice to know that my meals and the tips are already taken care of.