WOW - What a week at WDW

[Tony the Tigger]

You dont have to tip if you get bad service and nobody is entitled to receive a tip

It’s a small worldview after all.

You should always expect to tip at least 15% at a restaurant (and not more than any auto-gratuity.) The one or two times in your entire lifetime you get poor enough service that you don’t tip at all is so rare, there’s no point mentioning it as a standard day to day option. You don’t sit down and say, “OK, impress me. And…go.”

When you are good at your job and care about people, you will get an average of 15% from most people, and you will get sometimes significantly more than that - from people like the Chef guy here, from people who are/were in the biz, from people hitting on you (keeping it real) etc.

But you immediately took what I said as some people don’t tip because of “poor service.” No, some people tip extra because your service is extra. You listen to them at the bar. You remember them from another visit.

Some people don’t tip or don’t tip well because they think their server is something they don’t like politically. Some don’t tip because they don’t know any better (foreigners, younger people, etc.) Some genuinely can’t spare the money, and I have some empathy in that regard. I had a local regular when I was a bartender who could barely afford the happy hour drinks, and rarely tipped - but it wasn’t out of animosity. He would bring me grapefruit from his tree sometimes. That’s a situation where you just appreciate the filled seat and don’t blame the person. Others more than made up for it, that’s the way business goes.

But if everyone had your attitude, that would be bad for people in the industry.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

You realize that wait staff don't make minimum wage, right, or have you never worked at or known a person in the service industry? What a charmed life.

Again, this is incorrect.


Argh! The amount they make is variable, but must always be at least min wage.
I worked as a server.

I actually worked some shifts- if weather was bad- I would have made less than min wage, but on those days the business had to pay me enough to get me to my state's min wage (which was above fed min. Other states use the fed min wage as a baseline).

But tips- by law - are only part of a waitperson's wages. The business must pay all servers SOMETHING per hour, no matter how much the server makes in tips.

On days when I made $50/hour in tips alone -the business ALSO had to pay me an additional amount, which was about $2.75/hour when I started, and went up over time.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

They make that kind of money only for a couple of hours, usually on the weekends.

Hospitality is a tough business. I don’t begrudge the people who decide to make serving people in restaurants a profession based on the fact that they may be able to make much more than minimum wage.

Remember they have to serve people of all sorts, including the ones who post on these forums.

Um, not exactly.

Now clearly there's a great deal of variability, but one place where I worked the highest tipping was breakfast. Another place it was the lunch shift. But in both places it was not JUST those shifts that made solid tips per hour.

Breakfast was mostly regulars, and they liked when staff memorized thier 'regular' orders. Like bringing coffee and orange juice as soon as the customer is seated without them having to ask for it. People loved that! (I think many people dine out because they are a bit lonely, and they appreciate being welcomed. Think maybe back to the show Cheers. I am pretty sure Finnegan's Pub in Universal is actually like that. Every time I go there, it appears to be a lot of regulars.)

Lunch shift is kinda interesting. Workers usually want to eat quickly, so the peak rush is often a bit short, but lunch customers also reward speedy service. So many places, the lunch shift is great. Mind, after lunch slows down, but that can also mean I had time to offer more personalized service.

Some places also attract weeknight customers. Mondays tend to be slow, and that is what some places are closed. In some places Sunday is the slow day.

Now WDW is another beast altogether. Right now, WDW dining is a bit slower than it was historically. For many years, most WDW TS were pretty packed at all hours they were open. Places like 'Ohana.

Now some places are only open for dinner, but they tend to be very high end. Even still, if they don't have weekday customers, they usually don't last long.

Also, one thing I learned was that it was often hard to predict which customers would tip well, and which ones would not. Some people dine out 3 times per day or more. Some people have to save up just to be able to buy a coffee. I learned tipping is not the ONLY way customers express appreciation. (I may have periodically even someone an extra free coffee or pastry.)

Er then again....Some customers, sadly too many, expressed an inappropriate kind of appreciation to some waitstaff (perhaps too off-topic for this thread). Some talked down to waitstaff. Some complained in an over-the-top way to try to get free food.

Again though, many people eat out because they are kinda lonely or bored. Even if they dine with others. Some of the best tippers prefer to eat at slower times. It was not always the case that busy shifts = the highest tips.

 

[Chi84]

Um, not exactly.

Now clearly there's a great deal of variability, but one place where I worked the highest tipping was breakfast. Another place it was the lunch shift. But in both places it was not JUST those shifts that made solid tips per hour.

Breakfast was mostly regulars, and they liked when staff memorized thier 'regular' orders. Like bringing coffee and orange juice as soon as the customer is seated without them having to ask for it. People loved that! (I think many people dine out because they are a bit lonely, and they appreciate being welcomed. Think maybe back to the show Cheers. I am pretty sure Finnegan's Pub in Universal is actually like that. Every time I go there, it appears to be a lot of regulars.)

Lunch shift is kinda interesting. Workers usually want to eat quickly, so the peak rush is often a bit short, but lunch customers also reward speedy service. So many places, the lunch shift is great. Mind, after lunch slows down, but that can also mean I had time to offer more personalized service.

Some places also attract weeknight customers. Mondays tend to be slow, and that is what some places are closed. In some places Sunday is the slow day.

Now WDW is another beast altogether. Right now, WDW dining is a bit slower than it was historically. For many years, most WDW TS were pretty packed at all hours they were open. Places like 'Ohana.

Now some places are only open for dinner, but they tend to be very high end. Even still, if they don't have weekday customers, they usually don't last long.

Also, one thing I learned was that it was often hard to predict which customers would tip well, and which ones would not. Some people dine out 3 times per day or more. Some people have to save up just to be able to buy a coffee. I learned tipping is not the ONLY way customers express appreciation. (I may have periodically even someone an extra free coffee or pastry.)

Er then again....Some customers, sadly too many, expressed an inappropriate kind of appreciation to some waitstaff (perhaps too off-topic for this thread). Some talked down to waitstaff. Some complained in an over-the-top way to try to get free food.

Again though, many people eat out because they are kinda lonely or bored. Even if they dine with others. Some of the best tippers prefer to eat at slower times. It was not always the case that busy shifts = the highest tips.

No, I was directly responding to someone who went to Capital Grille and asked if he was expected to tip $120 for 2 hours of service on a $600 check.

Capital Grille isn’t open for breakfast or lunch, which was why I said the servers only make that kind of money for a few hours, and usually on the weekends (depending on location).

 

[DisneyHead123]

I wonder if tipping culture is being scrutinized more as wages for service work have changed.

I can agree that it feels weird to leave 15-20% tip at a character buffet (where your server typically brings out drinks and points you in the direction of the buffet) while knowing retail workers and janitors and stockers get nothing. It seems like we should have a better system in place somehow. That said, at this point in time the 15-20% is expected and servers structure their budgets around it, so not paying it is pretty unfair.

 

[DKampy]

1. Gaston's closes at 7pm, so an evening snack was out of the question.

Is Gaston’s the only place to grab a snack at Disney world?

 

[WondersOfLife]

It’s a small worldview after all.

You should always expect to tip at least 15% at a restaurant (and not more than any auto-gratuity.) The one or two times in your entire lifetime you get poor enough service that you don’t tip at all is so rare, there’s no point mentioning it as a standard day to day option. You don’t sit down and say, “OK, impress me. And…go.”

When you are good at your job and care about people, you will get an average of 15% from most people, and you will get sometimes significantly more than that - from people like the Chef guy here, from people who are/were in the biz, from people hitting on you (keeping it real) etc.

But you immediately took what I said as some people don’t tip because of “poor service.” No, some people tip extra because your service is extra. You listen to them at the bar. You remember them from another visit.

Some people don’t tip or don’t tip well because they think their server is something they don’t like politically. Some don’t tip because they don’t know any better (foreigners, younger people, etc.) Some genuinely can’t spare the money, and I have some empathy in that regard. I had a local regular when I was a bartender who could barely afford the happy hour drinks, and rarely tipped - but it wasn’t out of animosity. He would bring me grapefruit from his tree sometimes. That’s a situation where you just appreciate the filled seat and don’t blame the person. Others more than made up for it, that’s the way business goes.

But if everyone had your attitude, that would be bad for people in the industry.

This is the funny thing. I say tipping should be eliminated. People say "Why get rid of something you're not required to give?" Then I say oh so its not mandatory and they go "You should always tip."

Make up your minds.

Tips are service based. Bad service doesnt get a tip.

I hardly ever get bad service.

 

[Chi84]

This is the funny thing. I say tipping should be eliminated. People say "Why get rid of something you're not required to give?" Then I say oh so its not mandatory and they go "You should always tip."

Make up your minds.

Tips are service based.

They’re different people.

 

[Nubs70]

But what's with tip inflation???

Going from 10% to 15% to 18% and higher?

Some may say, due to inflation. However, the price of the meal is already increasing. The tip will automatically increase since it is based on a percentage of the higher bill.

Service now requires an increased percentage of an increased bill??

Seems like a bit of double dipping to me.

 

[Figgy1]

But what's with tip inflation???

Going from 10% to 15% to 18% and higher?

Some may say, due to inflation. However, the price of the meal is already increasing. The tip will automatically increase since it is based on a percentage of the higher bill.

Service now requires an increased percentage of an increased bill??

Seems like a bit of double dipping to me.

Tipping has always been 15 to 20 percent as far back as I can remember at any restaurant
When I get my hair done, I round up to around 20 percent, if just getting my bangs trimmed usually 50 percent because I walk in, get the next chair, get charged next to nothing and never leave unhappy after any service.