Originally Posted By cape cod joe Not usually as I mentioned at the Ridge it's 3% beverage, 15% waitress and staff and it why I end up giving around 40% as these people do everything right down to the 10 or so diet cokes I drink MYSELF and the waitress does not keep the entire 15%. We have Brad's teacher who is NOW the assistant principal of the kids' school as our waitress all the time so we know everyone so it's even more important to be generous even though I am anyways.
Originally Posted By cape cod joe Addendum--even in the poor days it would be the same thing but we just never went out except to BK or Macdonalds. IMHO if you can't tip genrerously don't go out.
Originally Posted By ChiMike First- Another reason I really like Australia and Japan. Second- I still find it amusing that people don't have a problem tipping a housekeeper for housekeeping, but an attractions host or custodial host gets nothing. What's the difference? They all are doing their job's task. I have no problem leaving a tip for good service. A 25% tip in some areas of Chicago is very expensive and many servers here make more than anyone would imagine. I have no problem leaving tips for housekeepers, barbers, or anyone else who is already being paid for the work I am tipping. As long as the service is decent. I just want to point out the hypocrisy of the entire concept. I paid my doorman through assessments but was still expected to tip him for a variety of reasons. Why shouldn't I tip my child's teacher then? Why shouldn't I tip the CM who operates a watercraft that gets me here to there? Having married someone who got through college on tips I can't get the answers to those questions because I quickly become verbally abused upon asking them. So please, someone help me understand this. Third- I have noticed an extreme drop in the quality of service at Disney's restaurants. I blame the dining plan for the recent decline in service. The service I received on my last visit to the California Grill was uncharacteristically miserable. I'm not sure if the server was more shocked because I was the only one in their section NOT to be on free dining or that I had simply rounded up to the Dollar for the tip (paid w/ cash). Even my wife encouraged that one, which made me more shocked then our server. Whether it was the server's fault that the food arrived cold and untimely, the kitchen's fault, or the manager's fault for not having enough servers to begin with, they weren't going to get an automatic 18% out of me like they were with everyone else. The thing is that we had such attentive service the next night at Trail's End that I tipped the server who simply helped us w/ drinks the 20% on the buffet cost (which is extreme in itself for a buffet) + what I would have given the California Grill server on my $150.00 tab the night before. I was just so thrilled to finally have attentive service after 3-4 days at Disney. Also, I have never seen the restaurants filthier and more overbooked then when I was there and guests had free dining (End Sep. '05). The wait times with a P.S. that were occuring were simply unacceptable. Not to resurrect the term, but I certainly felt what once was the gem of the WDW experience had become Walmart-ed by the free dining promotion.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>only one in their section NOT to be on free dining<< Sorry. To be fair, when I was at the California Grill, it wasn't during free dining, just while the dining plan was available.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORGOCH: Hmpf! Never did believe in tippin' folks, my own dang self. After all, nobody tips me fer the kind a work I do--does they? An' I can cast some pretty mean spells, let me tell ya! But not one time fer as long as I cain 'member has anybody ever tipped me fer all them great curses I been known ta cast!! Where's the justice in that?!
Originally Posted By ChiMike I was always under the impression that your line of work does not qualify for tips, while, say, The Fates' prognostication warranted additional gratuities.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> Whether it was the server's fault that the food arrived cold and untimely, the kitchen's fault, or the manager's fault for not having enough servers to begin with, they weren't going to get an automatic 18% out of me like they were with everyone else. << So, "free range" tipping does seem to work to encourage service and quality aspects of the dining experience. And automatic "pre-paid gratuities" works to diminish it.
Originally Posted By Labuda Not in my experience, EXCEPT for the crappy server Sandy we had at Kona Cafe last year. She was jsut HORRID - the ONLY one of our servers on our free dining play who didn't get anything above & beyond the included gratuity. In Italy is where we tipped the most over - 30% based on the pre-tax total for what we ate - our service there was jsut INCREDIBLE. Absolutely amazing, it was! Ditto Mama Melrose's - what's the deal with us getting the best service in the Italian joints? hehe
