I Don't Understand...

[amykissangel]

Why would Disney, who's outrageous prices and elegant accomodations seem to indicate that they cater to a rather wealthy clientele, introduce the Disney Dining Plan and add only a 15-18% tip?

I didn't realize this until I read another thread in which the poster was worried he/she wouldn't get good service because they were on the Dining Plan. People are paying $40 a day for this great dining service, and it doesn't even include a decent tip?

I live in Green Bay, WI, and a 15% tip is considered cheap, an 18% tip is satisfactory, and a 20% tip indicates that the customers knew how to treat a server, and vice versa.

We stay at a Value or Moderate resort when we go to WDW. I'm only saying this because my parents are by no means wealthy, but they tip 20% unless the service was sub-par. My friends and I stay at the Value Resorts, and we still tip 20% or more for good service.

Does anyone know why Disney would choose to do something like this to their employees? Are they "saying" that tip is included, but they still expect you to leave more money? Just curious. Thanks!

 

[shoppingnut]

It's an 18% tip they get on the dining plan. It also depends where you are from because tipping varies widely not only in the US but in other countries. For instance in Germany a tip is not expected at all because it is the responsibility of the restaurant owner to pay the servers. In the US depending on the state/city/town tipping can sometimes be 10% or less. I think the 18% they get from the dining plan works to their benefit and they are probably earning more money now then in the past because of people that tip below the 15% mark as a general rule. I also wouldn't say that disney caters to a wealthy clientle, I think it caters to a very diverse clientle.

 

[Ashitaka]

I live in Green Bay, WI, and a 15% tip is considered cheap, an 18% tip is satisfactory, and a 20% tip indicates that the customers knew how to treat a server, and vice versa.

I really can't make a comment about the Dining Plan, as I have yet to use it, but as for your list of tips - It seems to me that you are reversing how tips reflect on people.

Tips are about how the wait staff treated the customer, not how the customer treats the wait staff. It's not 15% if the customer is "cheap" and 20% is the customer "knew how to treat a server."

15% is the STANDARD tip (at least up here in the Northeast). If you get good, standard service, you leave 15%. If you get lousy service, well, maybe some deductions are in order (although it would have to be REALLY bad for me to go under 15%).

If you get great service - the staff is friendly, courteous, attentive, and went out of their way to serve you (as most CMs do), then a 20% tip is in order. By going above the standard 15%, you as a customer are showing that you appreciated their excellent service.

If the dining plan is only tipping 15% and you feel the staff deserves more, just leave some cash on the table.

But 15% is not cheap, at least not in NYC.

edit: Ah, and I think Shoppingnut is correct, if it is 18% on the Plan, then the Disney Staff are probably doing okay on it. As yes, unfortunately, there are many people who will tip under 15% even if service was good.

 

[amykissangel]

Sorry, I should've been more specific . Obviously Disney's deluxe resorts cater to wealthy/wealthier individuals, and I assumed perhaps more of them chose the dining plan (for sit down meals, signiture dining, etc.) than others. Perhaps not...it was just an assumption.

That's why I wondered about tipping - it's been my experience (and others I worked with) when I waitressed that the more money a customer had, the more they tipped. For example, the Packers tip quite a bit. Businessmen tip a lot. Someone who comes in dripping diamonds and gold...they tip a lot.

I guess after I read the other posts of folks who were trying to find all these innovative ideas of letting the servers know that they WILL tip 20% or more, I wondered how great the dining plan really was.

"I live in Green Bay, WI, and a 15% tip is considered cheap, an 18% tip is satisfactory, and a 20% tip indicates that the customers knew how to treat a server, and vice versa."

Sorry, you have every right to be confused...I confused the wording. I meant the the "server knows how to treat the customers", and therefore "vice versa." Sorry about that!

And I have friends who've waitressed in Chicago, Milwaukee, the Twin Cities...and to them, 15% is not standard. 15%, after tipping out the bussers, the bartenders, and the host/hostess, it leaves them nothing. They always said 20% was standard, so I was going on that :~)

Anyways, just wondering about everyone else's experience or thoughts...

 

[New2WDW]

Those are some good points from Aaka.

The only thing I have heard in regards to the Dining Plan tip is that CM's have urged guests to get what they wanted especially the desserts and appetizers because the bigger the bill the more the tip!

I could see that being bad if the server is shoving food down your throat! Here.....you really need some more chocolate cake!:lol:

 

[Ashitaka]

Sorry, I should've been more specific . Obviously Disney's deluxe resorts cater to wealthy/wealthier individuals, and I assumed perhaps more of them chose the dining plan (for sit down meals, signiture dining, etc.) than others. Perhaps not...it was just an assumption.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the Dining Plan is geared more towards average folks, the people who need the deal. Real high rollers (such as the Green Bay Packers you mention) I doubt are spending their time thinking, "Well, I can use two sit-down meals on the plan for this one meal at California Grill." :animwink:

Sorry, you have every right to be confused...I confused the wording. I meant the the "server knows how to treat the customers", and therefore "vice versa." Sorry about that!

Whoops, I did miss the "vice versa."

 

[Ashitaka]

I could see that being bad if the server is shoving food down your throat! Here.....you really need some more chocolate cake!:lol:

Hey, doesn't everyone need some more cake? I sure do!

 

[Chape19714]

Here in Centeral Florida 15-20% is quite acceptable for a tip.

 

[SteveUK]

Coming from the UK, I find the concept of having an 'obligation' to tip slightly strange. Here in the UK, if I receive very good service I will leave a tip, in such a case 10-15% would be considered quite generous. If the service is not very good, then we have no issue with simply not leaving any tip. There is no problem with not leaving a tip, because the staff are being paid to provide a service. I'm not sure how it works in the US, but here the tips that such staff receive are a bonus for going the extra mile, not an expectation for simply doing their job.

 

[New2WDW]

Hey, doesn't everyone need some more cake? I sure do!

Honestly.....NO! When we did the Free Dining plan last year and the dessert choices were minimal....I definitly had tooooo much chocolate cake.:hurl: :lol:

 

[disneymojo]

When my family and I went to Disney last December, the wait staff was very happy to hear that we were on the Dining Plan. You get more then enough food and the more expensive the meals the larger their tips.

 

[MKCP 1985]

There is no prohibition against giving your server a larger tip. If a person feels they have received excellent service, they are free to up the ante, and some do. I know I do and 20% is by no means a ceiling on a tip for great service.

However, I know this from hearing the complaints of friends and family who have ever had waitstaff positions - there are many, many people who do not tip at all. By getting a guaranteed 18% across the board, the staff do just fine, because they will still have some who "make up the difference," but they will not get stiffed by anyone.

 

[ErickainPA]

Dining plan as mentioned is for those that want more of a deal on getting to eat at nice places instead of having to shell out of pocket , plus it was the convience factor. Many times on our December treat our plan paid for itself in what we got to eat. If your a rich person and want to have a deal, be on the plan, if you would rather pay outright for your meals do so. It's nice not having to carry around a lot of extra cash, knowing the tip is already worked in. We take a little extra for if we get great service. We had a meal at Contemporary at the Steakhouse, we learned from our waiter that he was new and would do his best. We were glad he told us, so when we asked to have our bill split a certain way for hubby's work expense, he was helpful and said he would have one of the other wait staff help him figure it out. He did really well since it was his first day, so we left a few extra bucks and we thanked him for great service.

Don't assume cause someone has money they will tip better than if your average middle class gives a tip. I know many people that work in the food industry and they had a table rich looking people and got a lousy tip, while they had other small tables that gave terrific tips. Only once did my hubby, myself and 2 friends and their infant son not leave a tip, it was for the simple reason the waitress left us sitting at the table and never even got us our check and actually we found out she had clocked out and went home already. She never had someone take over our table or mention that she was leaving. We had to go to the manager and ask about our check and that's when we found out she left for the night. We could have very well walked out and not paid for our food at all, since it was as if we didn't even eat there. In NJ a 15-20% tip is reasonable. I base it off of how often the server came to our table to refill our glasses, to make sure every was going well and such. Sorry but if you are hanging out in the corner talking to other waiters and not even bothering to see how I am once, you will get a much lower tip than if you check on us.

 

[Scar Junior]

I agree with some of your sentiment, but you must take something into acccount. You live in Wisconsin. Your servers are paid something like $2.50-$3 an hour. Thus, a higher tip is logical.

In the Twin Cities it depends on where you eat. A sports bar or something "normal" (cheap) will usually have a 20% or so. The bill is only around $25-30 for 2 people. However, when you eat at a "real" restaurant and pay $30 for an entre, then it depends on the server, food, experience and 15-22% is the range.

Also, Disney doesn't want you to have to pay 20-22%. There is nothing stopping you from throwing down an additional $10 if the server made the meal better.

 

[New2WDW]

It is funny here in Jaw-Juh, and I am sure elsewhere, because I noticed how restaurants now put a tipping scale at the bottom of their receipts to kindly help people figure out what they should give the waiter/waitress! I think it is usually 10%, 15% and 20% with the amount for your ticket next to each.

 

[sydsmom1997]

Coming from the UK, I find the concept of having an 'obligation' to tip slightly strange. Here in the UK, if I receive very good service I will leave a tip, in such a case 10-15% would be considered quite generous. If the service is not very good, then we have no issue with simply not leaving any tip. There is no problem with not leaving a tip, because the staff are being paid to provide a service. I'm not sure how it works in the US, but here the tips that such staff receive are a bonus for going the extra mile, not an expectation for simply doing their job.

I was a server in a rural area of NY a couple of years ago. I was paid $3/hour plus tips. At the end of the night I was expected to tip the busboy, dishwasher, hostess, and bartender 10% (which I did not mind doing at all b/c they work hard too!). I never had a lot of experience getting "stiffed", but the average tip was about 15%. I always tip at least that, much more for excellent service, because who can live on $3/per hour? I hope in the UK restaurant owners pay a descent wage.:animwink:

 

[shoppingnut]

Coming from the UK, I find the concept of having an 'obligation' to tip slightly strange. Here in the UK, if I receive very good service I will leave a tip, in such a case 10-15% would be considered quite generous. If the service is not very good, then we have no issue with simply not leaving any tip. There is no problem with not leaving a tip, because the staff are being paid to provide a service. I'm not sure how it works in the US, but here the tips that such staff receive are a bonus for going the extra mile, not an expectation for simply doing their job.

Tips here in the US for the wait staff are not a bonus because they are paid under the minimum wage. The tip is then supposed to make up the difference to bring their salary to at least a minimum wage level.

 

[kal1484]

You would be suprised on how many disney guests dont tip period. They go with the "I'm spending enough here, they are getting paid to be magical" frame of mind. The 18% just insures that the CMs get a tip. I tip 20% for good service in disney. If it's THAT good, more, or bad I give barely any.

 

[Rayray]

The acceptable tip rate was recently moved from 15% to 18% (or so some magazine or book says). 15 to 20% is an ample tip.:wave:

 

[tink81]

Not sure how this works in other states, but in PA servers are required to report at least 20% of their tips for tax purposes. Obviously, this is hard to do with cash tips. So when you pay for your meal and tip with a credit card, that is more trackable. So my question with the Dining Plan is wouldn't servers want to pay a little more attention to you so you leave them some cash? I mean, the tips they get from Dining Plan patrons are tracked through Disney and would show up somewhere, hence making that money reportable and therefore taxable. A few extra dollars per table can add up!
Or is this maybe not the case in FL?