Few Questions About Tipping

[Guest]

Hello, new to the forum, and it's a good source of information.
I'm visiting with my gf in November and we're staying on International drive at the Enclave.

OK, there's a few questions I have about tipping. I here the general consensus is 15%-20% at restaurants, but there's a few things I'm unsure about.
I heard housekeeping gets tipped, which I now feel bad about, as last time I went with my friend, 7 years ago, we didn't leave a tip at the hotel for 2 weeks. Just didn't realise. They did seem kind of miserable, and we could have added to that.

I understand the need for tipping, but I do feel that it seems too high really. I know a waiter's only on 2-4 dollars an hour, but if every table gives you a tip of say 5-10 dollars, and you do several tables a hour, you could be making over 50 dollars an hour easily,which is actually a lot better money than I'm on. So I'm pretty sure they'll be making good money anyway, and even $2 per person would go a long way I reckon. But what do I know. Could be completely off on this.

Anyway my questions-

1) Do you tip for ice cream counters like cold stone creamery, or other general shop/stands?

2) You apparently tip bartenders a dollar a drink. I can imagine them making a fortune.However say I buy a drink for $2 and give a $5 and only want to leave a $1 tip, how do I get my change back of $2?

3) Do bar staff/ counter servers take your money, then give you the change? Then after that, it's your choice to give them some of that change? Just don't want to get to an awkward situation where you pay with a note, and want change, but they think it's the tip?


4) I've looked at some menu's of places such as Bubba Gump and planet hollywood, and a few cheaper places. The prices seem quite high compared to when I went Orlando 7 years ago. Especially considering a Dollar is now the equivalent of £0.79 or so now.
That with 20% seems like it's going to be expensive.
Any people who have been recently, have noticed it being overly expensive at all? Or is it cheap in many area's?

thanks, I'm excited for the trip!

[Th1nkT1nk]

Hi... I’ll be watching your post with interest! Tipping generally bewilders and stresses me - always worried about missing something and offending someone... and yes, I dread that awkward ‘moment’! I, like you, hadn’t realised that you should tip housekeeping and felt really awful when I read on here that it’s expected! I have to confess that I leave most tipping to dh as he doesn’t worry like I do. I think at the bar it depends whether you are having several drinks and a tab or just one drink. I think dh just says ‘take a dollar for yourself’ or gets change first then gives one dollar back etc. But not sure if this it the way it is ‘done’ by others. One thing I have decided I will do next time though is just ask. Staff must be used to many visitors not being used to a tipping culture as I’m sure they would rather I ask than get it ‘wrong’ iyswim!

[amarooney]

Welcome to The Dibb.
1. No, others may disagree
2. $1 per drink is the norm maybe more if it's a time consuming cocktail. If you don't tip they will do the best to ignore you if you want another drink. Tip a little extra and if you're having a few drinks you may end up with a 'free' round.
3. They will give you the change unless you tell them to keep it. When they give you change tip them then, see 1 above.
4. It is more expensive especially with the exchange rate. Lots of the bills at restaurants work out the varying tip amounts eg 15% is $8.32, 20% is... Pay at the lower end.

[mick]

Very emotive subject on here and people don't share the same views - understatement of the decade

Here's the DIBB guide which is a useful start.

https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/Tip...ando-p-40.html

Mick

[Gill H]

Housekeeping (in Disney anyway) is officially not a tipped position so tips are not expected. Many people like to. If you do, it is best to tip every day as you may get different people on different days. There are free patterns available for ‘mousekeeping envelopes’ if you want to use them. Otherwise write something on a note or envelope so they know it isn’t just money you’ve left out.

As for everything else, the Dibb tipping guide is a good resource.

This topic gets emotive and threads can get locked, so can I suggest starting with the Dibb guide and maybe searching some recent threads as a bit of background info?

Oh, and welcome!

[Burgmeister]

Originally Posted by Gill H

Housekeeping (in Disney anyway) is officially not a tipped position so tips are not expected. Many people like to. If you do, it is best to tip every day as you may get different people on different days. There are free patterns available for ‘mousekeeping envelopes’ if you want to use them. Otherwise write something on a note or envelope so they know it isn’t just money you’ve left out.

As for everything else, the Dibb tipping guide is a good resource.

This topic gets emotive and threads can get locked, so can I suggest starting with the Dibb guide and maybe searching some recent threads as a bit of background info?

Oh, and welcome!

See more...

We left Mousekeeping envelopes every day last time we were there. They were never taken by the staff

[Guest]

Originally Posted by amarooney

Welcome to The Dibb.
1. No, others may disagree
2. $1 per drink is the norm maybe more if it's a time consuming cocktail. If you don't tip they will do the best to ignore you if you want another drink. Tip a little extra and if you're having a few drinks you may end up with a 'free' round.
3. They will give you the change unless you tell them to keep it. When they give you change tip them then, see 1 above.
4. It is more expensive especially with the exchange rate. Lots of the bills at restaurants work out the varying tip amounts eg 15% is $8.32, 20% is... Pay at the lower end.

See more...

you say bartenders will do their best to ignore you if you don't tip. I now remember being at a bar with my brother there like 10 years ago and i was at a relatively quiet bar waiting to be served for ages, and they seemed to be ignoring me, and I was close to confronting them on it. But maybe it's because I didn't tip. See back then I had no idea you tipped bar tenders, or anything else. Just assumed it was waiters.
Think about how many drinks you can pour a hour, and if your getting a dollar a time, you'll be loaded! I think it's a bit much to tip bar tenders, but will do if that's the rule.

[josephus_fl]

A key thing to remember is that tips can often be shared out amongst back room staff. There are often cooks, support waiters, bar staff, entrance staff and cleaners who will be taking a slice of that tip. At the end of their shift they can easily be paying a percentage of all the food they've served or a fixed amount per drink. By not tipping or under tipping, you can easily be forcing a person to be working for a negative pay.

So if your bill was $60, it would be fair to assume that your waiter is already committed to giving away the first 7-10% of that tip. It doesn't matter what you actually leave, they will be putting $5-6 into a communal pot when you leave even if you failed to leave a tip. It's for this reason you hear of stories of waiting staff chasing customers for a tip if nothing is left.

Additionally, tipped workers will have peak hours where they can earn what seams like a small fortune. But they will be working shifts that span quieter periods and before and after hours when they'll be working for virtually free setting up their work place and cleaning everything down before they finish.

When you break down the average hourly pay for their entire shift it's rarely close to the high estimates.

[josephus_fl]

Minimal wage in Florida is just under $8.30. Restaurants will pay their staff significantly less as they assume they will get tips that take them above the minimal wage. If staff fail to earn sufficient tips them the business will make up that shortfall.

In theory it looks like if you don't tip then the restaurant will just pick up the flack, but it doesn't work that way. As long as the average hourly wage across the shift is above minimal wage then the restaurant won't need to pay any extra.

Let's say a person is earning $2 an hour and works a 10 hour shift from 2 pm to midnight. From 2pm - 4pm it's probably quiet and they'll be earning close to minimal wage. From 4pm - 9pm it'll be busy and they earn $25 an hour, 9pm - 10pm it's quieter and they earn $15 and then from 10pm - midnight they are closed and so earn $2 an hour.

Over that shift they've earnt $160 or $16 an hour.

It's also interesting to note that most servers don't get any paid breaks. That means if they are scheduled to work 10 hours then you work 10 hours. If you want a break then you need to ask for it, but it's going to be unpaid and if it's busy then you won't get it. On the flip side, if the restaurant is quiet they can also force staff to take an unpaid break. So a person working 2pm - Midnight could come in to work and then be sent straight on an unpaid break till 3pm. Over the above example, that would drop their hourly rate from $16 to $15 for that shift.

They also will get no paid vacation and no sick pay.

So whilst that $16 an hour doesn't sound too bad, they need to save and fund any vacation time they want. Most people can't afford to take time off sick.

[Shooby doo]

I'll start this by saying that what a person does or doesn't make an hour should be irrelevant, Disney wait staff are $1.76 & Disney & other employers are allowed to make this up by including what they make on discretionary tipping- food for thought where a party of 6 or more are charged an automatic tip this is no longer discretionary & the Employer is allowed to keep it! But anyway back to my first point do you complain when a lawyer makes £200/hour? A surgeon earns £100+k a year ….. We all would like to earn more so shouldn't begrudge others doing so.


Can't wait for the bun fight !
Sd