Letting server know you tip like a local

[duchy]

I think that's two different issues.
I'm happy to tip between 15 and 20% of a meal as that's the custom
I'm not happy to pay Disney top dollar for table service meals that have fallen in quality and standards over time.

The tip is irrelevant, if service is good the percentage will be the same if the bill is $20 or $200. If it's poor it will be substationally less however I won't find fault needlessly just because I want to save money.
I saw a ridiculous post on Facebook this week from someone who was justifying not tipping "because I don't earn enough to afford tipping for two weeks so I'm entitled not to tip as it's too expensive for me" with that kind of mentality it's hardly surprising *some* servers are less than enthused to hear a British accent !
It's not new though , I was eating out in Vegas with friends,the server heard my accent and took it upon themselves to educate our table of eight on how we should tip ... they hadn't picked up on the fact the other seven were all Americans , who proceeded to make an enormous fuss about the server's discourtesy (me I'd have said nothing to the server and spoken to the manager )

Originally Posted by scoobydooby

For me, talking specifically Disney, the issue with tipping isn’t the tipping. We can debate all we want what is normal but every US travel guide printed will tell you 18-20% is normal. That’s the answer. Also I’ve been visiting WDW for 20 years and can count the bad service experiences I’ve had in less than the fingers of one hand. For me the issue is the price of the table service meals in relation to their quality and value which has been on a rapidly declining scale for the last 4 years or so. I object to the cost of the 20% tip because the food is not worth what they charge even accounting for the captive audience surcharge. I’m never sure what people are expecting when they complain about bad service. If I receive my food and drinks in a timely manner from a polite server who can answer any questions about the menu I’ve had good service. I’m not expecting a performance because of the tipping culture.

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[richard29]

What amazes me is that the 'tip suggestion' has risen from 12-15% to 18-20% and over in the last year!

[duchy]

Originally Posted by richard29

What amazes me is that the 'tip suggestion' has risen from 12-15% to 18-20% and over in the last year!

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It's not that recent

[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.

[silver_age]

We’ll be offsite for all of our evening restaurant meals. I reckon they’ll come in at about $80-$100 a go as there won’t be any alcoholic drinks to push the price up.

I think a 15% tip of $12-$15 would be fine for the kind of place we’ll be going to. I can’t imagine what kind of performance they would be able to put on to justify 20%. Say our average visit is an hour and our server looks after 6-8 other tables as well as us in that hour. That puts them on $84-$135 per hour just in tips.

[LunaNyteskye]

Originally Posted by boltyboy

I was wondering if US tourists visiting the UK tip in accordance with our tipping culture?

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My mum used to work in a hotel and always said US tourists were the worst for not tipping.

[kipperphill]

Originally Posted by silver_age

We’ll be offsite for all of our evening restaurant meals. I reckon they’ll come in at about $80-$100 a go as there won’t be any alcoholic drinks to push the price up.

I think a 15% tip of $12-$15 would be fine for the kind of place we’ll be going to. I can’t imagine what kind of performance they would be able to put on to justify 20%. Say our average visit is an hour and our server looks after 6-8 other tables as well as us in that hour. That puts them on $84-$135 per hour just in tips.

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You are assuming it goes to your server and not split to the server, welcome desk, welcome server, bus boy, chef x 5, etc

[deanobrown]

Originally Posted by Sioux

I've been going to the States for over 20 years and know the tipping culture well. I always budget for a 18 - 20% tip for full service meals but the last couple of years I've noticed we've had some really poor service and downright rude servers. One time we were given the bill BEFORE our main course arrived! The manager was called and we did get an apology and offered free dessert but it really bothered me that they just wanted to get us out as quickly as possible.
This, whilst also observing the same server giving American families seated near us a much better service. I'm beginning to think it's because some don't expect British tourists to tip well and so give the bare minimum they think they can get away with. Now I should say this doesn't happen a lot but it's enough to make me wonder if I should make the server aware at the start that I know how to tip properly. Anyone else do this, or had similar experiences? I'm mainly talking about offsite restaurants btw.

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As others have said, Brits on the whole are known to be much better tippers that the Americans... I've seen many American families walk out without tipping over the years, even when there has been nothing wrong with their meal!

[vowels]

Bad service should be addressed immediately, if you are not happy, say so.

A tip is a reward for good service, not a bribe to receive adequate service.

As for tipping like a local, how can you possibly know how someone else is going to tip?

[deanobrown]

Originally Posted by ERICSMUM

Exactly ! Many’s the time I’ve watched an American family make a fuss from start to finish. The worst case scenario goes like this:
They’re awkward about where to sit, takes them ages to decide what to eat and drink, order then change their minds, then expect it to appear instantaneously. Then they decide they’ve got the wrong order. It’s cold. Cutlery is dirty. Other things go on throughout the meal, and they summon the server by raising a hand or calling a female server “excuse me Miss”.

Then they go through the bill with a fine tooth comb and query something. When they go, they leave behind a messy table, kids have spilt stuff, decent food left on plates. The server has to get out a carpet brush (Ewbank type) to sweep the floor.

The only thing I don’t manage to observe is how much of a tip they leave.

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Excuse me Miss?! I'd say they're POLITE Americans I've seen some (especially at breakfast) just wave their coffee cup in the air and shout "more coffee" at the waitresses!