HeatherWatson
Active Member
My mother would tell you leaving a penny would get the point across better 
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18% Auto gratuity for Party of 6?
- Thread starter WDW_Jon
- Start date
flynnibus
Premium Member
Can one of the servers explain to me how a table of six... Is more work than three other tables Of two?
The number of seats the server is covering isnt Changing really... I would have expected a table that is in sync is easier than seperate parties that could be staggered
The number of seats the server is covering isnt Changing really... I would have expected a table that is in sync is easier than seperate parties that could be staggered
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HeatherWatson
Active Member
For one, a table that sits together does not necessarily fall in sync together. Also while the number of people being waited on may be of no difference, a server will spend more time at, and doing things for, a table of 6 or more than they would at 3 2-tops. The staggering that you're talking about is what makes smaller parties easier to manage on an individual basis, and when a server is able to do that, they can provide a more individualized experience for the diner. Like orders going into the kitchen, it is much more difficult to handle a large number all at once than it is if the orders are broken up over even just a few minutes.
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DManRightHere
Well-Known Member
As 5 people will be charges on the bill I would not think there will be a gratuity charge, even though the reservation is 6 because a baby takes up room!Just booked chef mickeys for breakfast... Me, wife, 4 year old, 2 grandparents and 8 month old so officially a party of 6...
I'd asked if the 8 month old needs to be added as he won't need a full table setting etc and won't even be eating but I was advised he had to be included which I understand.
It says on the email that 18% gratuity will automatically be added for party of 6+. Now I can see why they do this some places but we aren't planning on paying $30+ for a child who isn't going to be eating anyway so any idea on what happens in this situation as we will only be a party of 5 as far as the check is concerned but the reservation has to be 6 im told?
In addition to this I find it hard to swallow also that you would have to pay 18% at a buffet!?
Any help appreciated
If the policy means we will get stuck with a child place we don't need or want to pay for in addition to the gratuity then I'll be reducing the ADR to 5 as someone will be holding the baby anyway!
I generally give 10-15% at a buffet. It all depends on service. I always feel full gratuity is not necessary at a buffet since you are mainly just brought napkins and drinks. Disney can be a bit different though. Like i said, all depends on service
EDIT: ughh I just realized this is on 11 pages, it must be a debate on tipping again.
flynnibus
Premium Member
And how common is that really? People eating different courses at different times?
Easier for who? The server or the kitchen?
HeatherWatson
Active Member
I don't mean a large party ordering at differing times; rather, I mean not every person at a large table is equally decisive. And the more people in a party the more likely at least one of them will change their mind no less than one time about something they want. Then, there's all the individual specifications of each order and ensuring the customer's wishes are correctly sent to the kitchen. Depending on how good the point of sales program the restaurant uses, it can take a surprising length of time to enter it into the computer. A larger party, if paying separately, can take a much longer time to settle individual bills for, especially if using credit cards. A party of two is generally a single check, so that too takes less time and attention than a handful of books with different tickets, credit cards and cash. It is equally tough on the kitchen receiving a large order that must be prepared all at once.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Ok, but this isn't really something unique to large parties... just some people are more 'needed' than others
Ok, this is a problem that is not tied to the size of the party, but how complex each person's order is. And maybe is even easier with one ticket vs multiple tickets. I don't see this being related to the size of the party.. except maybe the 'takes longer to get an order in' being an issue of when you have multiple customers ordering at once. Something that you still would have to face if you had multiple tables sat around the same time.
Ok, but here we introduce a NEW conditional... 'if paying separately' - That's not tied to the party size, and not something all parties do. Sure, the bigger the party, the greater chance of this being a split check... but again compared to the alternative of them being sat separately... would this work be that much different?
I read this as 'entering 3 checks is harder than 1 check' - so in that regard, having a party of 6 is preferable to lots of smaller parties.
Ok, but what does that have to do with how the waiter should be tipped?
I've not seen anything here that convinces me that the pay should differ. What I see is how the work is chunked differently, so it should be a management/scheduling problem to balance the count of large tables a staffer has to cover to ensure you can get to each in a timely manner. It's a quantizer problem, not a 'this is harder work' problem based on what you've highlighted.
I can see the point if someone says "hey, you are trying to stuff more people in than we normally sit... so that makes everything a bit more stressed... hence more tip" as being the source of why large parties deserve higher tips. But if you are seating a party of 10 in an area you always intended to sit parties of 10... I don't see the strain.
I would have expected reasons like
- large parties tend to turn over slower...
- large parties increase the exposure to being short tipped (if a party of 2 shorts.. you have 4 others that are tipping.. if 6 short at once.. greater exposure).
- large parties may require more staff to cover at the same expected response times (IE, serving hot food all at the same time)
Yet we don't base the 'rules' on any of that...
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mickey2008.1
Well-Known Member
As a family in the restaurant industry, nothing should be guaranteed. 18% guaranteed? Come on. You pay for what you get, good great service equals high tips, poor service equals zero. I know that there are some people out there that just dont believe in tipping, why I have no idea, and this leads to WDW charging 18% , but you better give me good service. WDW is not cheap to eat at in the first place, its just there way of making someone else pay.
Pleased someone commented on the original question rather than entering the worlds biggest debate on tipping
stevehousse
Well-Known Member
As much as I would say I am a good tipper, I'm feeling rather miffed I'm going to be autograted for Jedi Mickey dinner at DHS. I am using my dining credits to pay for the meal, which ends up coming out over $300 for the 5 of us (infant 7m with us make 6) and that means auto grat! That's gonna be one pricey tip for a buffet!
Tuvalu
Premium Member
Just think of it as a $10/per person cover charge to have a really cool (and rare!) experience with the characters in their Star Wars finery. Focus on the joy that will be on your kids faces as they interact with Mickey and friends
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EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
I rarely have a reason not to tip the standard 18-20% but what I don't like is, for instance, we ate at teppan edo where more than one family sits at a table. We had 3 couples total, each of us paying our bills per couple (one of which were on the dining plan), and they still did the automatic 18% stating we were a party of 6.
