Tipping at Victoria and Albert's

DougK

DougK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We will be having our first meal ever at Victoria and Albert's in just a couple of weeks! I am really excited! I was wondering how much most of you tip there. I am assuming the service is going to be the best I have ever had, so is 18% - 20% enough? Do you tip more? If so how much more? Any advice would be welcome. Again I am going on the assumption that the service will be amazing, if it is not I won't bother to tip extra.
 
Diablo

Diablo

Active Member
When I ate at the chef's table a few years ago, I'd budgeted to tip $100 for the meal.
You have to remember, the service you'll receive here is head and shoulders above 95% of eateries in the country. So is the food. It was recently named the #10 most expensive restaurant in the country, and as an Exec Chef myself, I completely understand why. The ingredients, the preparations, the service, the details are all in a very small league.
Enjoy the coffee. You'll want it every morning for the rest of your life.
Please share the menu and the experience with us when you return.
Bon appetit.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Diablo said:
When I ate at the chef's table a few years ago, I'd budgeted to tip $100 for the meal.
You have to remember, the service you'll receive here is head and shoulders above 95% of eateries in the country. So is the food. It was recently named the #10 most expensive restaurant in the country, and as an Exec Chef myself, I completely understand why. The ingredients, the preparations, the service, the details are all in a very small league.
Enjoy the coffee. You'll want it every morning for the rest of your life.
Please share the menu and the experience with us when you return.
Bon appetit.
Click to expand...

Really?

Wow. Off the top of my head I am sure I can think of 5 ro 6 places that cost more, and that's just in NYC and California - La Bernadin, Per Se, French Laundry, not Momofuko or Peche, the other one owned by Ko, and so on. Hack, even a good night at Peter Luger's can push V&A price levels. I thought that while V&A is surely not a bargin place to eat, that the prices there were not in the stratosphere.

-dave
 
real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Well my sister in law back in 2001 took us out to a restaurant in California In Calabasas.Our server was awesome,the food was awesome. I think it was called Saddle Peak lodge.It remains one of my best meals ever in this or any other world.;)
 
DougK

DougK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Diablo said:
When I ate at the chef's table a few years ago, I'd budgeted to tip $100 for the meal.
You have to remember, the service you'll receive here is head and shoulders above 95% of eateries in the country. So is the food. It was recently named the #10 most expensive restaurant in the country, and as an Exec Chef myself, I completely understand why. The ingredients, the preparations, the service, the details are all in a very small league.
Enjoy the coffee. You'll want it every morning for the rest of your life.
Please share the menu and the experience with us when you return.
Bon appetit.
Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing your experience with this I appreciate it!
 
s&k'smom

s&k'smom

Well-Known Member
I would love a report of your time there, it's on our list of places to dine on our 25th wedding anniversary as we ate there on our honeymoon it was amazing. We were all dressed up and at one of the tables was Burt Lancaster and Sidney Poitier!
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
I'd plan around 20%. TiW has a 20% mandatory tip here, while all the others are only 18%. The staff has less tables, less seatings per night, and are assigned 2 to a table. But the food costs are much higher which easily offsets it. If a party of 2 just gets the base food, and no alcohol, that would be a $50 tip to be split between the staff. Throw in wine, or the upsell for the food choices, and each person can quickly get to $200+, which would bring it closer to an $80 tip. This is one situation where they definitely deserve it. Far enough way to be out of your way, but close enough to notice anything that would require their attention. Refills always ready prior to being requested, and subtle assistance/explanation if you look unsure about the food or use of the utensils. They do a great job in pacing the meal, and not rushing anything out. Refolding/replacing napkins if you get up, escorting you to/from the restroom, all sorts of little things that just add up.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Trotsky said:
We also have a V&A appointment in November. Our intention is to tip at the 20% level, unless our servers attack us with dessert spoons. As long as the service is correct? Our personal feeling is that 20% is 20% - factor it into the cost of the experience.
Click to expand...

And your TiW card pays for itself in one meal. :)
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
dreamfinder said:
I'd plan around 20%. TiW has a 20% mandatory tip here, while all the others are only 18%. The staff has less tables, less seatings per night, and are assigned 2 to a table. But the food costs are much higher which easily offsets it. If a party of 2 just gets the base food, and no alcohol, that would be a $50 tip to be split between the staff. Throw in wine, or the upsell for the food choices, and each person can quickly get to $200+, which would bring it closer to an $80 tip. This is one situation where they definitely deserve it. Far enough way to be out of your way, but close enough to notice anything that would require their attention. Refills always ready prior to being requested, and subtle assistance/explanation if you look unsure about the food or use of the utensils. They do a great job in pacing the meal, and not rushing anything out. Refolding/replacing napkins if you get up, escorting you to/from the restroom, all sorts of little things that just add up.
Click to expand...


And the skill of knowing your customers and attention to detail. My (now-ex) wife and I ate there. She does not eat seafood, and requested her menu to be adjusted accordingly, which they did. However, when the amuse bouche came out, it had cavair on it - maybe 5 or 6 eggs worth. The waitress noticed it when she sat it on the table. "Oh my, I am so sorry there is seafood on that, I will have it corrected!" My ex tried to convince her that it was no big deal and she could simply move the cavair to the side, or she might even want to try it. The waitress would hear nothing of the sort. She removed her dish AND mine, had them both re-done, so they both came out at the same time at the right temperature, and since I had drained my wine glass while waiting, that was refilled on the house as well. After the meal, we got to go into the kitchen to meet the chef, and HE apologized as well.

That is the level of service that is there, and the efforts they go to in order to try and please a guest.

-dave
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
Phonedave said:
And the skill of knowing your customers and attention to detail. My (now-ex) wife and I ate there. She does not eat seafood, and requested her menu to be adjusted accordingly, which they did. However, when the amuse bouche came out, it had cavair on it - maybe 5 or 6 eggs worth. The waitress noticed it when she sat it on the table. "Oh my, I am so sorry there is seafood on that, I will have it corrected!" My ex tried to convince her that it was no big deal and she could simply move the cavair to the side, or she might even want to try it. The waitress would hear nothing of the sort. She removed her dish AND mine, had them both re-done, so they both came out at the same time at the right temperature, and since I had drained my wine glass while waiting, that was refilled on the house as well. After the meal, we got to go into the kitchen to meet the chef, and HE apologized as well.

That is the level of service that is there, and the efforts they go to in order to try and please a guest.

-dave
Click to expand...
All servers should do that. Bring seafood to a table where the person told you they were allergic to it...that is about as bad as it gets.

Good servers should catch before it was at the table and make them fix it in the kitchen.

That is not exactly a story of a great waitress. It is a story of an average waitress with semi-decent customer service skills.

Eta: I re-read it. You didn't mention an allergy. Still and all, if you specifically say, "No seafood" the waitress ought to check for that when she glances at the plate to make sure everything is right before she takes it out. She did the right thing by correcting the mistake, but she should have caught it sooner.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
luv said:
All servers should do that. Bring seafood to a table where the person told you they were allergic to it...that is about as bad as it gets.

Good servers should catch before it was at the table and make them fix it in the kitchen.

That is not exactly a story of a great waitress. It is a story of an average waitress with semi-decent customer service skills.

Eta: I re-read it. You didn't mention an allergy. Still and all, if you specifically say, "No seafood" the waitress ought to check for that when she glances at the plate to make sure everything is right before she takes it out. She did the right thing by correcting the mistake, but she should have caught it sooner.
Click to expand...

I think the reason she did not catch it is because it was, as I said, about 5 eggs of cavair. Barely noticable. It is not as if a #12 shirmp was perched on the top.

I have had waitresses in other places either notice incorrect food, or be asked to correct food, and in no way did they go through the effort that they did at V&A, including re-firing the dishes for both people at the table.

-dave
 
njDizFan

njDizFan

Well-Known Member
Phonedave said:
I think the reason she did not catch it is because it was, as I said, about 5 eggs of cavair. Barely noticable. It is not as if a #12 shirmp was perched on the top.

I have had waitresses in other places either notice incorrect food, or be asked to correct food, and in no way did they go through the effort that they did at V&A, including re-firing the dishes for both people at the table.

-dave
Click to expand...
that is exceptional...

That really shows the server had the culinary IQ to understand the importance of having all parties eat at the same time as well as refilling the paired wine.

Also, I agree there has to be dozens of places in NYC where a tasting menu tops $250/person. But to be fair some of those restaurants (Per Se etc.) do not require a tip...service is included
 

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