Stupid Restaurant Tricks!

[dazyhill]

This is something that happened to my friend and some of her co-workers.
After a long shift at DL, they went out for a late dinner at a local coffee shop. The waitress was so rude to them and made it clear that they were not welcome. Rather than leaving nothing for a tip, they collected all their loose change (over $5) and arranged it in a pile with a note telling the waitress to treat them with more respect the next time.
I'm not saying this is right,but I offer this incident up as a way someone dealt with a problem with service.
BTW, most tip cards say to leave five cents for poor service to show that the tip was not forgotten. Despite the times I have had bad service, I can't bring myself to do that.

[lady ulrike]

Theres only been one time Ive had bad service at WDW that I remember- and left a tip that reflected it. It was at scifi. Service was so bad that I didn't want to use my cast discount since he'd get a tip automagically. So, I paid cash- exact change- and as a tip I left a quarter and 2 pennies in Mickey fashon with a note on the check:
You're working for this guy...

The service was that bad. :mad:

I've unfortunately encountered bad service at WDW as well, the first time was a time that we had mentioned we were CMs, so ever since we don't mention it and there have been a time or two that we have purposefully not used our IDs cause we didn't want the server to get the automatic tip. It wasn't as bad as yours and I think we left around 10%, but the automatic one is what 15 or 18%? So, I think we worked it out that we actually paid about the same amount but didn't give as much to the server.

[hobie16]

Cash. Don't leave home without it.

[bpgstudios]

I think its 20% tip if I remember correctly. Basically you dont have to tip with the discount. I could be wrong though.

[jjarman]

Some comments....

My wife and I do tip well. Over 20% to at least 25% for good service. Even more if the service was exceptional.

A pet peeve of mine though is if we pay in cash, the server "sees" a large tip (because there is a huge difference between the amount of cash and the amount of the bill), and the server just says "Thanks." Ah no. IMO, the correct 'term' is: "I'll be back with your change."

Usually the servers that do that are the inexperienced ones.

Let me tell you first I used to be a waitress so maybe that is why I am so tough on waitstaff. I haven't heard it in a while but I used to hear quite a bit when I paid cash, "Do you want your change back?" Uh, yes. I would say yes, all of it. They got not tip from me then.

[jjarman]

I'm not sure if there is any similar resturant system at WDW, but at the mall where I work, we have a couple of food outlets that are more "deluxe". You order at a register, recieve a beeper, and pick up your food. However, there is NO service at the table. When you pay with credit card, they give you a reciept with a "tip" field on it. I always feel awkward with this, because I don't feel that simple (and ususally substandard) counterservice is tipworthy. Any opinions on to tip or not to tip in this circumstance?

I don't tip in these instances. If I have to get my own food, they don't get a tip. I got a to go order from Olive Garden the other day. I went inside to pick it up (it was raining and I had no umbrella) and the food was ready. The guy was nice but I only tip in that kind of situation about $3. I mean, all he did was walk to the kitchen, maybe put the food in a bag, and bring it 20 feet to the podium. Now if it is a place that brings it to my car, I will tip a little more.

[WLStephanie]

Not that I'm making excuses for people treating you badly, but the reason for the 18% automagic tip is that CMs tend to treat waitstaff very poorly. There was a large portion using their discount and leaving downwards of a 10% tip. To the extent that I am pretty sure that one CM that I've taken care of got a notation on her record card for bad behavior in the restaurant. I've taken care of at least one other that would have if I'd have alerted a manager. The first caused an absolute scene when a portion of someone's drink (A non-staining liquid) got spilled on her. Disney policy is basically, if you are wet, we'll buy you a new piece of clothing. The manager did that and she continued to have a hissy fit in the store and choose the most expensive items and insist on an entire new outfit. She also tried insisting that he pay for dry cleaning of her existing garments. She said that she's not good at laundry. Supervisor said, "You don't have to be. That won't stain". Didn't go over well when he got back and I told him she was a CM. The second was drunk and verbally abusive to me and the other waitstaff.
Also (and I'm not saying that you wonderful CMs would do this), many CMs are high maintainance on purpose because they know that the gratuity is included. What's high maintainance on purpose? That's when you ask for one thing, then another when your server returns with that item, and another when she returns with that item, and another when she returns with that item. It's also asking for refills that you aren't going to eat or drink and you know it. It happens. Frequently. I treat all CMs like they are wonderful CMs. Probably 25% tip me on top of the gratuity. It's never the 25% that should. I'm green enough to not be burnt out and hold a grudge. Some of my fellow servers are not. If you are a standard person who needs 1-2 refills on your soda, eats off of the menu, and doesn't require your server to pull time away from her other 3-4 tables to take care of your 15 special requests, then 15% to 18% is fine. However, it seems that most of the CMs who come in need 5 refills on their Shirley Temples and want limes in them. They want extra sauce or no sauce on everything. They say, "Just give me a little piece of steak", but then send you to get 3 more pieces on 3 separate trips. And heaven forbid they don't look at their watch or know what day it is and come in on a non-discount day. Let's just say that most of my collegues have decided that it's worth risking a coach counseling to give them the discount. Not cuz they are nice, but because they know that if we follow the rules, almost none of them tip above 15% if it's not added.

[hhsrat]

If you are a standard person who needs 1-2 refills on your soda

I'm not sure that it's necessarily fair to judge someone on the number of times they need their glass refilled. I tend to drink quite a bit of soda when I go out to eat, and usually go through 2-3, sometimes even 4 refills. It's not because I'm trying to create work for my waitstaff, I'm just on a soda kick. (and I usually tip above the mandatory grat anyways)

[WLStephanie]

I'm not sure that it's necessarily fair to judge someone on the number of times they need their glass refilled. I tend to drink quite a bit of soda when I go out to eat, and usually go through 2-3, sometimes even 4 refills. It's not because I'm trying to create work for my waitstaff, I'm just on a soda kick. (and I usually tip above the mandatory grat anyways)

Your parenthesis says it all. My son goes through at least 4 glasses of Pink lemonade. Is he trying to be a pain? No. But do I understand that his 4 glasses of soda is more work than the small amount that the server will be gratted on a child's meal is worth? You bet. So, I toss a few extra dollars on. And it's not just the soda thing. It's a combination of things. The only restaurants at WDW that I don't always tip on top of the gratuity are the buffets. I figure that the 1-2 extra soda runs are balanced by the fact that I'm getting the food for my kids. I also got truly awful service at the restaurant in "Mexico" once. It's never acceptable to be missing from your section for more than 20 minutes. He didn't get anything extra and I left a note for his supervisor at the podium.

[Cheshire Figment]

A few comments in general.

I have never used my CM ID at a restaurant in WDW because I spend a bit extra for the DDE card every year. This gives me a lot of flexibility, such as time when I eat, ability to have alcoholic beverages discounted, and ability to determine the tip amount.

I generally try to not be "high maintenance", other than keeping my iced tea refilled. But I do warn the server in advance that "I drink iced tea as if it were made of water". I drink so much of it that if I am given one of the really large glasses at WCC I have been known to ask for a refill.

I will normally tip in a 10% to 22% range (based on prediscounted prices) which will vary with what I perceive as the quality of the service (and not kitchen problems). On occasion I will tip outside this range; if I do you can be sure I will contact a manager (and this is at any restaurant) and let them know that I tipped outside my normal range and why.

One side story - Thanksgiving Day 2005 for a variety of reasons I was having diner at a Denny's in Fort Lauderdale. The waitress was very effective and very upbeat, both with me and the other customers (but not hyperperkyitis) and not "down" for working on a holiday. Anyway, I left her a $20.00 cash tip on a bill that was less than $11; I felt she had earned it.