Letting server know you tip like a local

[aqualiv]

Hate the whole tipping culture, wish they would just include a service charge, it genuinely spoils the experience for me of eating out

[Firekat]

Originally Posted by dpmcalister

Only once have I had an issue with tipping and like some above, it was the server who heard the British accent and started to explain about tipping. I cut him off and stated that know how to tip and, despite the Scottish accent, I'm more than happy to leave an appropriate tip. He was really apologetic and provided us with comp drinks by way of apology. The rest of the meal was excellent and I happily left 20%. I do think a lot of it is because of the accent and I really wish there was a badge we could wear that indicated we knew how it all worked

I've never stayed on-site though so can't speak for those restuarants.

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THIS ^^^^^

I was reading this thread and thinking I wish there was a badge we could wear hat said 'Yes I'm British, but I know how to tip! Serve me well.'

[silver_age]

Originally Posted by aqualiv

Hate the whole tipping culture, wish they would just include a service charge, it genuinely spoils the experience for me of eating out

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Damn right. I sometimes think the whole system is just designed to lower the headline prices on the menu. If you want to sell a meal for $24, let’s have it on the menu at $24, not at $20 and have the waiting staff have to put on a song and dance to get the rest out of the customer. I’m just buying food and drink, I’m not interested in the delivery of it being a compulsory add-on at 15-20%.

[aqualiv]

Originally Posted by silver_age

Damn right. I sometimes think the whole system is just designed to lower the headline prices on the menu. If you want to sell a meal for $24, let’s have it on the menu at $24, not at $20 and have the waiting staff have to put on a song and dance to get the rest out of the customer. I’m just buying food and drink, I’m not interested in the delivery of it being a compulsory add-on at 15-20%.

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Spot on

[Firekat]

Also to add, when we went to Disney in 2017 we had the DDP and had what I would consider good service most of the time (Not OTT just decent take your order and bring what you asked for top up your drinks etc.)
Each time we tipped the higher 20% rate, except when we had breakfast at CP, had to ask twice for 'Hot Tea', that finally came with no milk. Asked for milk, but in the end sorted ourselves out from the cereal station. On that occasion we only tipped 18%, but to be honest they probably didn't think it was a low tip, just an expected tip - should probably have tipped 15%.
As for asking for a manager, seems like a fuss. The server should be able to do something as simple as bringing the drink you asked for, I shouldn't have to ask to speak to a manager for that.
I know it's how things are done in America, but I see asking for a manager as a last resort when your server can't resolve your problem. Like if something serious had gone wrong.

[ROO]

My DH is manager of a fairly big hotel (140 rooms) they get American tour groups 3-4 times a week all summer long & have been getting them for about 4 years now, they never tip anyone !

[macdonald]

Originally Posted by shoei

My family are from Sarasota and I have been visiting since I was small. There has been a noticeable decline in the quality in service since it became more popular as a British holiday destination, so yes, I do think it is a definite decision by certain servers not to treat brits as well. I would say that when I have visit places that have less British tourism, I haven't received poor service.

I would also say. Most of the service I have received, even the poor service is better than a lot of the service I have received in the UK.

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...Really? ..

[JoJo88]

Originally Posted by silver_age

Damn right. I sometimes think the whole system is just designed to lower the headline prices on the menu. If you want to sell a meal for $24, let’s have it on the menu at $24, not at $20 and have the waiting staff have to put on a song and dance to get the rest out of the customer. I’m just buying food and drink, I’m not interested in the delivery of it being a compulsory add-on at 15-20%.

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But then the way I look at it in your example, the meal is $24, but if the service is less than what you’d expect then you can choose to pay less. We had pretty good service across the board during our visit earlier this month. There was just one occasion in Miller’s when we had to ask for almost everything, cutlery, drinks top ups, straws, the tortilla to go with fajitas etc, and waited an age to pay the bill, our server just seemed to go missing, it’s not as if he was busy with other tables (or that’s how it seemed), so we will have have paid less than the $24.

Just remembered another occasion when we paid a lower tip. It was an IHOP and we popped out for a quick breakfast which took well over an hour in the end as every stage we were waiting, even just for the coffees to begin with.

As for the servers fawning over customers, we were in Applebee’s and the table behind us had what we would’ve thought an unbearable server, he was leaning up against the booth, regaling them with stories of when he was a child, every time he stopped by there was another story. I don’t know what they thought of it, and I don’t know how we would’ve politely asked him to stop if he’d have been our server, but it would not have been welcome!

As it happened, our server was very young and seemed very nervous, but was really attentive and seemed genuinely delighted with his tip, which wasn’t over the top, but he shook DH’s hand and thanked him

[BarryL]

Originally Posted by shoei

My family are from Sarasota and I have been visiting since I was small. There has been a noticeable decline in the quality in service since it became more popular as a British holiday destination, so yes, I do think it is a definite decision by certain servers not to treat brits as well. I would say that when I have visit places that have less British tourism, I haven't received poor service.

I would also say. Most of the service I have received, even the poor service is better than a lot of the service I have received in the UK.

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I've been to hundreds of restaurants in dozens of states over the years and I can't say I've ever been aware of being treated differently because of my accent. Maybe I've just been lucky.

British visitors make up about 2% of annual tourists to FL. I don't think we're to blame for occasional bad service.

[MrIncredible]

Bad service = no tip.

I'm always flabbergasted when people say they got terrible service so "only" left 15%!

If I get rude or indifferent service they get 0%.