BuddyThomas
Well-Known Member
I've been to plenty of fine buffets, Dave, where they serve champagne, lobster, etc. They exist.
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Tipping is this fair ?
- Thread starter Kit83
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rt06
Well-Known Member
I've been to plenty of fine buffets, Dave, where they serve champagne, lobster, etc. They exist.
Bellagio is pretty darn impressive.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I've been to plenty of fine buffets, Dave, where they serve champagne, lobster, etc. They exist.
Have to agree to disagree. By definition, food on a buffet has to sit, therefore it is not cooked to order. Quality will suffer. I have had lobster and champagne at buffets as well. I would call them "better quality buffets" but by no means fine. The very fact that I have to plate the food myself precludes it from the "fine" category.
-dave
BuddyThomas
Well-Known Member
Just because you've never been to them, Dave, doesn't mean they do not exist. Here are links to just a couple. I could find you many others but this is just silly.
http://www.themanorrestaurant.com/the-manor-room.html
http://milleridge.com
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
But I HAVE been to plenty like those two. Many that are more impressive than those.
You could have the best chef in the world, the nicest decor, and the most attentive service. The fact that I have to pick up my plate, get it loaded with food, and then bring it back to my table means it is not fine dining.
I have been to some very nice buffets, and in comparison to other buffets, maybe they were fine. But in the grand scheme of dining, just as if I have to order my food at a counter, if I have to carry my plate around, it's not fine dining. You can put lipstick on a pig .......
-dave
BuddyThomas
Well-Known Member
Okay, Ms. Palin. You win. Carry on.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
Wow, way to take the high road.
Nobody is trying to "win". It is called a discussion. We were both presenting our opinions. Mine is, that by the very nature of a buffet, it cannot be called "fine dining". You apparently think that it can.
You presented a number of establishments that you consider fine dining buffets. I countered that they are not (lets not even get into the fact that i have eaten at one of them - the food is nothing special. Typical mass produced food that most likely comes from a Sysco contract). To me, fine dining involves wait service, that is part of what makes it fine - silverware is another, but that does not come to play in this discussion.
We can disagree, but I fail to see the need for added snark.
-dae
Sorry but this is truly wrong...
ssidiouss@mac.c
Well-Known Member
oh just tip 20% for hells sake and move on
mitch-fishguard
Member
Enjoyed reading. I never tip a percentage because of the "Burger v Filet" angle. I tip a cash sum ONLY because I believe I should. I dont like it, but i do it. Thats how other Brits have told me why they do it. So basically, we do tip from the UK
righttrack
Well-Known Member
20% is the rule of thumb for me, for everything.
Important also is that in the US often tips are shared. They are split and the backwaiter as well as bus person get some of that till as well. A waiter or waitress does not keep the entire tip, often there are tip-out rules:
15% to Maitre d
25% to Back Waiter
20% to Bus Person
10% to Sommalier
30% to Waiters
All of these tips are pooled and given by the management as part of the weekly pay and reported as income in large establisments. I'm not saying these are the exact policies, I'm saying they are common policies elsewhere.
Important also is that in the US often tips are shared. They are split and the backwaiter as well as bus person get some of that till as well. A waiter or waitress does not keep the entire tip, often there are tip-out rules:
15% to Maitre d
25% to Back Waiter
20% to Bus Person
10% to Sommalier
30% to Waiters
All of these tips are pooled and given by the management as part of the weekly pay and reported as income in large establisments. I'm not saying these are the exact policies, I'm saying they are common policies elsewhere.
MissingDisney
Well-Known Member
Of all threads to bump, why oh WHY!?!?!?
Mr Anderson
Well-Known Member
That sounds similar to how I tip...
Servers starts out at 15% -sometimes they stay there.
If they do a good job, they're up to 20%.
If they do great, they're up to 25%.
If they do a mediocre job, they're down to 10%.
If they do a terrible job of serving, I ask to speak with management - not a fun conversation to have. I've very rarely ever done this - but when I do, my wife said I'm a bit intimidating.
Usually at this point, management comps the meal based on whatever happened, and I'll leave a few bucks with them with the expectation that they provide it to the bussers.If they go above-and-beyond and provide World Class Service, I generally don't aim for a percentage, just a dollar amount, which varies from meal to meal.
We have only visited at a Signature restaurant once at DisneyWorld due to the higher cost & in turn, higher tips - I expect service to be great in a Signature restaurant. I believe we tipped around 25% when we ate... err... dined at Le Cellier - service was great, but not what I'd call World Class.
All of this being said - if their base wage was a living wage, I'd either a) expect the restaurant to have a firm "no tipping" policy (there are a few out there like this in the US) or b) if they didn't have that type of policy, only tip when service was absolutely outstanding - and even then, it would probably stay around 15% or so.
Britrepeater
New Member
I have come to realise the English interpretations of the word TIP means more to reward good service.
The American use would be better changed to reflect the meaning.
We are not tipping the staff in an English sense, we are paying them to serve us. As we pay a mechanic to service a car. All these problems would be solved if they just stuck a fixed service charge on the menus. You wouldn't take a car to get fixed pay for the parts and then decide how much to pay dependant on how well the car was fixed.
Stevie Amsterdam
Well-Known Member
Friends, with the risk of coming accross as blunt - appologies - I cannot help but think this is a European vs American approach to it. I always stick to the 20% rule and more if it was exceptionally good , but that doesn't mean I agree with the concept of paying someone's salary directly to them. However, when I'm abroad, I inform myself about (and abide to) local culture and standards.
Thankfully, we all seem to agree that servers* have the right on a fair living wage, but I strongly suggest that we add 'paid for by their employer'. Some of us say it's disrespectful to the waiter to pay a low tip, but is his employer that much more respectful by telling his staff "I don't care how good or experienced you are, you will all earn the same salary and the rest of it should be coming from someone else".
Instead of paying our waiter, we're really 'paying' the employer / establishment owner and subsequently keeping this practise alive. Compared to almost any other business outside the service industry, we do not tip the individual employee because part of the money we spent there is allocated to the salaries of the employees.
From a respect-point-of-view, I firmly believe it is the employers responsibility to pay a decent and fair living waige and I have no problem with prices for meals and drinks inevitably increasing, because at the end of it, I'd be paying the same amount. This is the European way and any tip you give to your waiter is because he wanted to make your evening special and not for economic reasons.
*in many European countries the term server is extremely offensive and we refrain from using it (we're afraid the waiter will spit in our food)
Thankfully, we all seem to agree that servers* have the right on a fair living wage, but I strongly suggest that we add 'paid for by their employer'. Some of us say it's disrespectful to the waiter to pay a low tip, but is his employer that much more respectful by telling his staff "I don't care how good or experienced you are, you will all earn the same salary and the rest of it should be coming from someone else".
Instead of paying our waiter, we're really 'paying' the employer / establishment owner and subsequently keeping this practise alive. Compared to almost any other business outside the service industry, we do not tip the individual employee because part of the money we spent there is allocated to the salaries of the employees.
From a respect-point-of-view, I firmly believe it is the employers responsibility to pay a decent and fair living waige and I have no problem with prices for meals and drinks inevitably increasing, because at the end of it, I'd be paying the same amount. This is the European way and any tip you give to your waiter is because he wanted to make your evening special and not for economic reasons.
*in many European countries the term server is extremely offensive and we refrain from using it (we're afraid the waiter will spit in our food
)
s8film40
Well-Known Member
I can understand and even agree that it would be better to pay servers a higher base pay and make the tip more of just a small incentive. However when you walk in and are seated in an American table service restaurant you are essentially agreeing to this practice by patronizing that restaurant. I don't understand why people feel that it's okay to force their opinion on how a restaurant should operate in another country by circumventing the established general standards. If I went to Europe ate at a restaurant and then demanded the manager significantly adjust the servers pay based on the service I received simply because this is the way it is done in my country and I think it makes more sense, this would not go over very well. Unfortunately I think the real issue is some people just don't want to pay the extra money and use this justification to cheat the servers and not feel bad about it, sorry you don't get a pass just because of this. If you truly want to change the system simply do not patronize table service restaurants. The reality is if a restaurant in America did what you want it would go out of business. Things are slowly shifting a little though as the fast casual concept seems to be growing. I think it's also important to think about future visitors from your country and how they will consequently be treated. If a server has several tables and is very busy odds are very good that if one of those tables the guests speak with an english accent they will be the lowest priority for that server. It's an unfortunate perception but it's a common sense business move on the servers part, they are going to put more work and effort into the tables that are going to pay well.
Great post.... If you can't afford to leave 15-20% tip, go to a cheaper place.... The burger vs filet argument holds no weight.... If you can't afford to tip on the filet get the burger...
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
You can say that all you want(and in a perfect world that is how it should be), but that's not how it is. By not tipping, you are not "sticking it to the employer", you are cheating the server. The laws of the nation would need to change in order to put this into affect. Anyone who feels this way should lobby their congressmen to get the laws change. But do not go out to eat and cheat the server who is trying to make a living.Friends, with the risk of coming accross as blunt - appologies - I cannot help but think this is a European vs American approach to it. I always stick to the 20% rule and more if it was exceptionally good , but that doesn't mean I agree with the concept of paying someone's salary directly to them. However, when I'm abroad, I inform myself about (and abide to) local culture and standards.
Thankfully, we all seem to agree that servers* have the right on a fair living wage, but I strongly suggest that we add 'paid for by their employer'. Some of us say it's disrespectful to the waiter to pay a low tip, but is his employer that much more respectful by telling his staff "I don't care how good or experienced you are, you will all earn the same salary and the rest of it should be coming from someone else".
Instead of paying our waiter, we're really 'paying' the employer / establishment owner and subsequently keeping this practise alive. Compared to almost any other business outside the service industry, we do not tip the individual employee because part of the money we spent there is allocated to the salaries of the employees.
From a respect-point-of-view, I firmly believe it is the employers responsibility to pay a decent and fair living waige and I have no problem with prices for meals and drinks inevitably increasing, because at the end of it, I'd be paying the same amount. This is the European way and any tip you give to your waiter is because he wanted to make your evening special and not for economic reasons.
*in many European countries the term server is extremely offensive and we refrain from using it (we're afraid the waiter will spit in our food
Claps....