[alilmagical32]

Speaking form experience, at WDW, for ever table that leaves 25% on a hundred dollar check, there is at least one table that leaves 10% or no tip at all.

No offense to our foreigners, but tipping is not standard in other countries and as a result they do not tip here. In some places it is standard to leave 1 dollar. Try waiting on someone with a party of 5 for two hours and presenting their $435 bill and getting a dollar tip. It happens every single day.

[dixie]

Originally Posted by alilmagical32

Speaking form experience, at WDW, for ever table that leaves 25% on a hundred dollar check, there is at least one table that leaves 10% or no tip at all.

No offense to our foreigners, but tipping is not standard in other countries and as a result they do not tip here. In some places it is standard to leave 1 dollar. Try waiting on someone with a party of 5 for two hours and presenting their $435 bill and getting a dollar tip. It happens every single day.

Thats absolutley true, tipping is not automatic in the UK, and our waiting staff do not expect to be tipped. However, they do earn a set minimum wage which is higher than in the USA, so a tip in the UK is a bonus and not a neccesary top up for a meagre wage.

Here, we tip for good service and dont tip at all for poor service. The amount we tip is completely up to us, there are no percentages to work out! I also work in an industry where tipping happens and I never think untoward of a client that doesn't tip-thats their perogative, however, again, I earn a decent wage.

We do tip in the USA as we quickly learnt that it is expected and customary and as we are guests in another country then we adhere and abide to the customs of that nation.

However, I do find it rather sad that the minimum wage is so low that service industry workers rely on tips to substitute and top up an inadequate wage. Especially as one MB member pointed out earlier, that we do pay a substantial amount to be in WDW, it seems that is not reflected in the employee's wage packets.

On a lighter note, Americans are welcomed by UK service workers as they are considered 'big' tippers!

[M5ward]

I grew up in the food and beverage business. I have done serving, bussed tables, washed dishes, and even cooked. My dad always said that if you own that type of business you should be able to do everything; so I learned. I always start at 20%, and the service has to be pretty bad for me to go below that (but, yes, I start lower for a buffet unless I know the server is also responsible for refilling foods and removing empty platters from the buffet.)
If I get really good service, I go higher then 20%...TiW adds 18% to the check for gratuity, and I always leave additional tip in the form of cash because I assume (like in my business) that cash tips go directly to the server who would at the end of the shift tip-out the other staff (buspeople, cooks, bartenders) depending on the policy of the establishment. I could be wrong, and tips could be pooled and distributed by management. I do think that all tips on credit cards or those added to the slip by the establishment are not distributed at the end of shift, but rather at some other time after management has tallied them...I doubt that the server gets the entire percentage.
Now I have thoroughly confused myself!

[3DisneyDivas]

Originally Posted by M5ward

I grew up in the food and beverage business. I have done serving, bussed tables, washed dishes, and even cooked. My dad always said that if you own that type of business you should be able to do everything; so I learned. I always start at 20%, and the service has to be pretty bad for me to go below that (but, yes, I start lower for a buffet unless I know the server is also responsible for refilling foods and removing empty platters from the buffet.)
If I get really good service, I go higher then 20%...TiW adds 18% to the check for gratuity, and I always leave additional tip in the form of cash because I assume (like in my business) that cash tips go directly to the server who would at the end of the shift tip-out the other staff (buspeople, cooks, bartenders) depending on the policy of the establishment. I could be wrong, and tips could be pooled and distributed by management. I do think that all tips on credit cards or those added to the slip by the establishment are not distributed at the end of shift, but rather at some other time after management has tallied them...I doubt that the server gets the entire percentage.
Now I have thoroughly confused myself!

But that's the caveat to tipping- we don't know the restaurant policy. Personally, if I leave a really nice tip because my server did a great job, I want to know that he/she gets the tip- not forced to share it with other wait staff that had nothing to do with him/her earning that particular tip.... Anyone read "Nickel and Dimed" by Ehrenreich? She talks about this very problem....sorry totally off on a tangent from Disney tipping issue

[dixie]

Originally Posted by 3DisneyDivas

But that's the caveat to tipping- we don't know the restaurant policy. Personally, if I leave a really nice tip because my server did a great job, I want to know that he/she gets the tip- not forced to share it with other wait staff that had nothing to do with him/her earning that particular tip.... Anyone read "Nickel and Dimed" by Ehrenreich? She talks about this very problem....sorry totally off on a tangent from Disney tipping issue

I've read it- great book, very enlightening. I've also read 'The Working Poor' also very informative on a similar vein.

[KarenWDWCP]

I pretty much always tip 20%, a little more for great service, 18% for not as great service and 15% for lousy service. I work in a non-food related customer driven industry and know that I provide great service 98% of the time but there are sometimes outside factors that prevent me from giving my usual great service and I would not want to be punished for that so I don't punish others. I chalk it up to a bad day, leave 15% and move on.

The server would have to do something really terrible to get me to leave less than 15%.

As far as who sets the expected standard for what % to leave, I do remember being surprised when I went away to college and friends from other parts of the country all had different ideas about the appropriate amount to tip.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by dixie

However, I do find it rather sad that the minimum wage is so low that service industry workers rely on tips to substitute and top up an inadequate wage. Especially as one MB member pointed out earlier, that we do pay a substantial amount to be in WDW, it seems that is not reflected in the employee's wage packets.

I totally agree with that 100%.

[Mickeybug]

Originally Posted by KarenWDWCP

As far as who sets the expected standard for what % to leave, I do remember being surprised when I went away to college and friends from other parts of the country all had different ideas about the appropriate amount to tip.

That is so true. I read an earlier poster state that the going rate has been 18% for quite some time. That is not the case in our area. The average is still 15%. Guess that's why we were a bit set back after realizing we would be automatically charged the 18%. Not that we're that cheap, just not what we're used to.
And yes, many places overseas do not tip nor do they expect it. We lived abroad for several years and I recall an employee in Japan once chasing us out the door telling us we "forgot" our $ on the table.

[AprilandtheKids]

I'm in the midle. To me a tip is earned, but I try to remain compassionate. Unfortunately, not every guest is going to be happy/cordial/polite, and with the high traffic at WDW, it must be a really stressful job. Then there are all of the different regions of the world people are coming from. Not everyone understand the tipping concept, because it's not done where they are from. So servers may get stiffed several times over in a day. I've been a server and would never want to do it at Disney, so fast paced! If the service is awful, we may only leave 10%, but we'll always leave something.

[disneymania]

Originally Posted by rlcarmichael

Heck yeah. Bad service = bad tip.

Whatever happend to 10%? Now we're expected to double that for average service?

The job to have a WDW is at one of the high end resturants. Not saying they don't provide good service but think about it. We usually have 4 people and our bill is WELL over $100, and I'm guessing the average ticket is. The last time we were in the Wave, our waitress had at least 8 tables. At 20% she was making $160+ per hour!

Service was ok, but rushed.

I really think the tips have gotten out of hand in general. Next thing you know, they will have a tip jar at the toll booths too.

Does anyone know if Disney wait staff makes a standard wage like their cleaning staff or do they also rely on tips? Do they get to keep their whole tip or is it compiled and split at the end of the night? If they get about $5,00 a head like one poster said, where does the rest go?

[daveboyden]

I think $5 a head was when gratuity was included with the dining plans. Not sure how it breaks down now. Hopefully the is not just one person making $160 a hour.Spread the wealth.

[alilmagical32]

Originally Posted by dixie

On a lighter note, Americans are welcomed by UK service workers as they are considered 'big' tippers!

I mean this to be absolutely non-offensive my dear Dixie, because I am certain you are in the educated bunch who does follow the customs of the US, but servers here in America fight over who has to take Brittish tables because they know 8 out of 10 times they are getting stiffed!



I totally agree with you about the meals being overpriced and it not being passed on to the employees. Its a broken system!

[alilmagical32]

Originally Posted by disneymania

Does anyone know if Disney wait staff makes a standard wage like their cleaning staff or do they also rely on tips? Do they get to keep their whole tip or is it compiled and split at the end of the night? If they get about $5,00 a head like one poster said, where does the rest go?

I'm not sure what you are asking exactly with the do they rely on tips things? Servers (in WDW and everywhere else) make the tipped employee minimum wage which is around $2.50 an hour. They certainly rely on their tips.

Also, servers in WDW table service resturants split their tips with their bussers, their bartenders, their food runners and in some locations their hosts. This is called tipping out. The tipout percentages are set. So, if the bartender takes 15 min to make the drinks for your table, too bad, you still pay him a certain percentage. The food runners sit all the plates down in front of the wrong guests? Too bad, you still tip them out a certain percentage of your food sales.

It really hurts on a stiff, because it doesn't matter if the server is stiffed, you still pay tipout on that table.

[Mickeybug]

That is the reason I chose to quit waitressing years ago. One of my last shifts was soooooo slow that I only ended up with "1" customer the whole night, which stiffed me. I still had to tip out the busboy for the whole shift even though I hadn't made 1 dime. I had to borrow $ from another staff member to do so. Made up my mind real quick (well after 4 yrs of doing it) lol. Waitressing is really good "quick" $, but not consistant, even at WDW.

[jenbarnwell]

Originally Posted by alilmagical32

I'm not sure what you are asking exactly with the do they rely on tips things? Servers (in WDW and everywhere else) make the tipped employee minimum wage which is around $2.50 an hour. They certainly rely on their tips.

Also, servers in WDW table service resturants split their tips with their bussers, their bartenders, their food runners and in some locations their hosts. This is called tipping out. The tipout percentages are set. So, if the bartender takes 15 min to make the drinks for your table, too bad, you still pay him a certain percentage. The food runners sit all the plates down in front of the wrong guests? Too bad, you still tip them out a certain percentage of your food sales.

It really hurts on a stiff, because it doesn't matter if the server is stiffed, you still pay tipout on that table.

We only make $2.10 an hour and we have to tip out the busboy 10 % and the hostess 10 % and if someone tips by credit card we have to pay 10 % fee for using the machine. so if you tip 10$ by credit card we actually only get $7. Not sure what the policies are in disney world though.