Wittnessed a Small Human Drama at Le Chefs.

[Dreamfinder2]

A few months ago, at a dinner at Le Chefs, we watched an intriguing little interchange between a waiter and a party of four adults. If you've been to Le Chefs, you know that some of the tables are so close together that you can't help but overhear conversations (altho I'll admit to eavesdropping a little as this one unfolded.)

This foursome was on the DDP, as we were. After they were seated and the waiter came by, one of the gentlemen gave the waiter a $5 bill before placing any order. "Thank you for taking care of us tonight," he said.

Well. For the rest of the evening, the waiter just swarmed over this party - not in an intrusive way, but just attentive to the nth degree, keeping the table cleared, glasses filled, etc. And always with a smile.

I left wondering - is it appropriate to tip in advance of the meal? Would the waiter have shown the same attentiveness without the up-front gratuity? Could he have taken it as an insult?

We've tipped a little extra on occasion when I felt that the service warranted it. But never really gave it a thought to tip first thing.

Your thoughts?

 

[suzimar57]

that is odd - tipping ahead (even when the DDP includes 18% tip)

i'm just a little surprised the waiter worked so hard for only $5....

 

[ReggieB]

$5 isn't a huge amount. I know that the tip is already taken care of with DDP, but if the service was great at the end of a meal I would probably leave a little more extra, and have done. We usually have wine with meals, so we need to tip extra on that anyway. Interesting to see it done in advance, perhaps the server was just good anyway. Would the guy ask for his money back if the service wasn't as he had hoped???!!!

 

[*love*2*shop]

my inlaws have more money then needed...they Do this ALL the time when we are with them and They DID it at DISNEY,gave the person taking names for a table 20.00 at the RAINFOREST Cafe to get us in quicker!!! at Downtown Disney....

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Hey, *love*2*shop*, I can see why your FIL would do it to get preferential treatment in seating. But with a server, does he think this'll inspire them to give them just a little extra added attention? And, typically, what kind of response does he get?

If it were an "important" meal to me, and I felt that it would encourage my server to make it a bit more special, I might do the same thing. But I'd hate to come across as portentous or something worse.

I'm just not sure what etiquette dictates on this one.

 

[bradk]

i think what may be lost here is that a $5 at the beginning isn't the tip. it's an incentive and implies there may be substantially more when all is said and done.

i guess it probably just works more often than not and it's worth $5 to guarantee better service throughout the meal to them rather than leaving it up in the air and having to tell the server how they feel after the fact.

 

[KKB]

i think what may be lost here is that a $5 at the beginning isn't the tip. it's an incentive and implies there may be substantially more when all is said and done.

i guess it probably just works more often than not and it's worth $5 to guarantee better service throughout the meal to them rather than leaving it up in the air and having to tell the server how they feel after the fact.

On cruise ships it is fairly common practice to tip your room steward at the beginning of the trip.
We have never done this...

18% is quite a good tip...CM on another thread said that DDP has been QUITE nice to their pocketbooks...hope that some have not taken advantage of the guarenteed tip & gotten lax about service. (there certainly has been some discussion about this on cruise boards w/ the auto-tip option)

 

[PortieOwner]

Give the hostess $20, and the waiter will get the word you tip really well.

 

[lynninpa]

5 bucks? As a former server I would have been insulted.

 

[lynninpa]

One more thing...the tables are so close that you could see it was a 5 dollar bill? Yikes!

 

[ranthony]

Having lived overseas for 5 years I can say that this happens all the time. Quite frankly, it's how everything gets done...not just dining out.

 

[easleygrls]

I have noticed this a lot when I am in big cities.....very often in NYC, Chicago, and to a lesser extent Atlanta. I was puzzled too at first, but as ranthony said, it seems to be how everything gets done. I dunno, it justs seems strange to do it at WDW.

 

[rockstargeisha]

I'm not really sure if I'm for or against this gesture. I'm a bit "on the line" with this. I'm always appreciative of good service and a smile. Though isn't the Disney experience about receiving that service without having to pay extra? Maybe I'm just being cheap?

This post relates to my thoughts on leaving tips to mousekeeping. I've heard of families receiving no added touches by mousekeeping having left no tip, and then families who had who are greeted with quite a few. I'm eager to see surprises left by mousekeeping during my July vacation but I'm curious as to wether they will leave any "towel swans" or other creative gestures if I don't tip. I will at the end of the vacation if I think they did a good job but otherwise, is tipping prior to your judgement of the service appropriate?

 

[nbodyhome]

18% is quite a good tip...CM on another thread said that DDP has been QUITE nice to their pocketbooks...hope that some have not taken advantage of the guarenteed tip & gotten lax about service. (there certainly has been some discussion about this on cruise boards w/ the auto-tip option)

I spoke with a CM from a popular character meal, and he said he made around 80k last year.

 

[Sammie]

my guess is it was a $50.

 

[perd]

i think what may be lost here is that a $5 at the beginning isn't the tip. it's an incentive and implies there may be substantially more when all is said and done.

i guess it probably just works more often than not and it's worth $5 to guarantee better service throughout the meal to them rather than leaving it up in the air and having to tell the server how they feel after the fact.

That was my thought too, it's a promise that there is more to come at the end of the meal if the service is good.

 

[bradk]

This post relates to my thoughts on leaving tips to mousekeeping. I've heard of families receiving no added touches by mousekeeping having left no tip, and then families who had who are greeted with quite a few. I'm eager to see surprises left by mousekeeping during my July vacation but I'm curious as to wether they will leave any "towel swans" or other creative gestures if I don't tip. I will at the end of the vacation if I think they did a good job but otherwise, is tipping prior to your judgement of the service appropriate?

absolutely no correlation. i will speak from personal experience that the one day i did get one at POP was the day i forgot to leave a tip. i won't get into it further on this thread but anyone who suggests there is a correlation between tips and special treatment from housekeeping knows not of what they speak.

 

[AnninIowa]

When we went and were on the dining plan, we always told the waiter up front that we tipped extra. We said it in a semi-joking way, but made sure they knew we meant it. I was fearful of not getting good service since we were on the plan, so an extra $5 for each table service meal was worth it. Plus, I feel sorry for the staff as they have to wait to get their tips from those on the plan. Service staff make so little hourly that those tips are important to their income.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

linninpa, it was indeed a $5. If you're sitting along that back wall facing you as you enter, you are REALLY up close and personal with your neighbors.

According to my math, $5 would be an appropriate tip on a $28 meal - a typical Chef's entree. So added to the automatic 18% the server is already getting, and that seems generous.

Food for thought. I'm just wondering about giving it on the front end.

Thinking about it as an incentive does make more sense.

 

[rentayenta]

One more thing...the tables are so close that you could see it was a 5 dollar bill? Yikes!

That was my thought. Almost as insulting as the dreaded verbal tip!