Really? I've been on a number of cruises and tips were never included in the cruise fare. You can have them added to your cruise cost at $XXX per day, or you may chose to tip on the last day of your cruise. I guess Viking or Crystal may include all gratuities in your cruise fare, but Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean??? Not that I know of!

Every cruise I have been on, you tipped out lump sum at the end as well.

And bring you your drink. Refill it, 2,3 times or more. Set up the buffet and break it down afterwards. Keep the plates and silverware stocked. Make the tea, make the coffee. Bus the tables.

Yea, I wouldn't tip at a buffet, just because I can get away with it. Heck, I could probably get away with never tipping anyone ever again. Could eat out 2-3 times a week more on the extra money :)

I normally tip 20% on the total bill and then round up! It's easier if the service deserves it. If the service is bad (not based on the food itself), then the tip goes down which is only right. If they don't want to work, they prefer to talk to the other employees or friends stopping by or texting or just ignore the customer, then the tip reflects the service.

Hey Ozzello, I'm offended that you inferred that I wouldn't tip at a buffet or ANY restaurant. Where did you get that idea? I rarely go to a buffet , Katie Bells now and then, but tip around 15%, not 0 as you said. 15% because the server has done nothing but take my drink order. I usually have to chase them down to get a coffee refill.
Usually 15% at buffets and at least 20% at restaurants where the server really is a server, not a drink order taker.

Same here. I usually do 20 or more but it was always 15 % being the norm. I to will give a poor tip for poor service. I hate it when they add an automatic tip for large groups as I've found a guaranteed tip almost always translates to lousy service.

Interesting question We normally tip 15 to 20% depending on service but tonight we went with friends to a restaurant in Mt Dora and a conversation with the waitress led to a discussion on tips. When this waitress realized we were from the villages, she proceeded to tell us she used to work at Mallory co club but quit because the villagers were very cheap with their tips. I was shocked to hear this and none of us wanted to get in a discussion with her on this topic so we paid our bill (with our normal tip) and left. Out of the mouth of a former villages waitress

I over tip. I worked as a waitress through college. It was the hardest job I ever had. I probably wasn't very good at it. My dear friend was a waitress for 30 years at a busy diner. She said most waitresses are single moms. If we can afford to go out to dinner, we can afford to take care of the people that serve us. We usually ask to be seated in an area where we know the server.

You don't tip fast food workers.

Twenty percent and most of our servers here in The Villages deserve much more than that. If I worked as a server for five minutes here, you would see my face in the mug shots.

Also thank them and say something nice if you find it in your heart.

Why did I say that? Of course you do that.

I am not your mom.

Good Morning everyone. It is another lovely day in The Villages.

Just curious, who decided that "standard" is 18% ?

I always thank the wait staff every time they come to the table. I hope, in some small way, it makes up for some truly atrocious behavior I have seen by some customers.

Not only do servers here make $5/hr....We also have to tip 4% of our TOTAL sales to the bussers and bartenders. So if you tip less than 4% (and some do) it costs us money to wait on you! Ex: If my total sales are $500, I have to give $10 to the bartender and $10 to the bussers.....

I was under the impression that your tips must bring your compensation up to $8/hour otherwise your employer must make up the difference. In other words, even if you received no tips during the day you would still make $8/hour regardless of the fact that 4% of your total sales needs to be paid to bussers and bartenders. Isn't that 4% going to be paid regardless of whether you have any tips and you are still guaranteed no less than $8/hour? Based on your post, it sounded like you could actually lose money (i.e. make less than $5/hour) because your tips didn't cover the 4% that is paid to the bussers and bartenders. I am just trying to understand how the law and restaurants operate.

Also, are you better off if we tip in cash instead of putting the tip on a credit card?

Just a thought. If there wasn't a buck to be made do you think anyone would be waiting tables any where?? You would think they would all quit working in the restaurants and go to the fast food places.

BTW, I do tip but that's between me and my server, I don't have to brag about it here on the board.

:mademyday: Best post of this thread.

Are you tipping enough?
 

Gotta agree.

I agree with your BTW!

20% minimum here unless the service is poor, than 10%. I will sometime ask if the wait staff keeps their tips or are they split. If they are split I will tip 15% for poor service and have a discussion with the manager. If service is excellent then 25%.....all before taxes.

[QUOTE=Ozzello;1032937]I live here full time. When I eat out (several times a week), I tip at least 20%. More if I feel the waitress/waiter provided good service. They don't even make minimum wage before tips. After taxes, most make about 50 bucks a week on their paychecks.

I hear it is common during 'season' for a few of the folks that stay here only a month or 2 during the winter, to sit down with 5, 6 or more people for a dinner, and tip 5 or 10% (or less even), like they do in Canada (where they make a LOT more by the hour) , or in Europe.

A 'comped' tip on your bill would be 18%. I know it isn't because you don't have the money, that you aren't tipping a fair rate. I am going to figure it is because you didn't know, and now that you read this ... you know. In my opinion, tipping a waitress/waiter anything less than 18% is stealing from them.


GOOD POINT!! I grew up on Long Island and my father was from Brooklyn, NY....my father always said "IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO TIP, YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO EAT OUT"!!....Our family always tips 20% minimum unless its a buffet then it's 10%..

Absolutely! If the service is good but the food is par at best, don't take it out on the server. Complain to management. I've seen so many people leave 10 - 15% tip, and not necessarily Canadians or Europeans, either.

And please tip on what the tab would have been before specials, comps, two for ones. Our servers work just as hard for your discounted meal as they do for those who pay full price.

20% has been the standard for years. I usually never tip below that but would never tip less without telling the server why......otherwise nothing gets better and all they remember is you are a non tipper. I remember when I was working, if my performance wasn't up to expectations I was told about it.....we should do the same to those that don't meet our expectations.

Tip for service not food quality.
 

I tip according to the service provided to me. The tip is never based on the quality of the food. I also like to thank the person if the service was great. The manager also likes to hear positive feedback on good employees.

We tip 20% most of the time but when service is terrible, Imam NOT GOING TO TIP 20%! A tip is not a given ~ they need to actually earn it by providing good service. When the service is excellent, the tip goes above 20% without hesitation.

When I eat out, which isn't that often, I always tip at least 20% and always in cash

When we eat out we tip good for good service and tip poor for poor service. If the food is not as ordered or of poor quality we let them know so they can try and correct the problem. When we do let them know that the food is not up to standards we also advise them that we do not want a compensation, we just want them to know.
My wife and I owned a café for several years and know that something can't be corrected if you don't know.
In regards to servers getting bad tips.......bad servers should get bad tips and find a job doing something they are better at.
Servers can and do make good tips when they pay attention to the customer and do a good job. Cream settles to the top!

I agree. This is correct. In some areas in Europe tipping is only a dollar or two. Tipping is just that...a tip for good service not something that is mandatory and certainly not an excuse to not pay regular wages!

Good service....good tip. Not so good service....not so good tip. Usually around 20% for good.

I always tip at least 20%...except for last night.

Went to a local restaurant and when we checked in, we told the hostess that we wanted a table vs a booth. When our buzzer went off, we were escorted to a booth. We told the fellow that we had requested a table. We had to stand there in the dining room for several minutes while they found us a table.

We ordered our meals plus a shared appetizer. The entrees arrived but we never got the appetizer. I had to request that they take the app off the bill.

The waitress never came back to check on us. I had to hail her down to ask for a beverage refill. Twenty minutes later, we were finished with the meal and I never received the refill.

The waitress finally came over and asked if we wanted a box or a dessert. I said no and asked for the check. It took a little over ten minutes for the check to arrive.

In the tip section, I wrote the words "zero...see reverse" and wrote all the above on the back of the check.

Hate on if you must, but in my view there was no reward merited.

Another area that servers must just love is when couples split a meal. We know a couple who always split a meal and order water with lemons. Invariably, the water comes with a lemon in it but the waitress is then asked to go back and get lots more lemon which is then used to effectively make free lemonade. Then, because the split meal is really not enough to fill both of them up, the waiter has to make at least one additional trip for more free bread and butter. By the end of the meal, the waitress has worked more than the normal amount that a couple would require but is tipped on the $10-12 that a single entree costs. If a restaurant has a charge for meal sharing, they won't return. No wonder there is such turnover in the waitstaff in The Villages.

What restaurant was that?
I want to add it to my AVOID LIST.

Skip

I love the way that servers in TV are happy to split the bill by individual or by couple.
We were very surprised at that when we first started dining out in TV.
Perhaps it's a courtesy thing in Florida that waiters do for tourists.
It's not automatically done in other states where I've eaten, or in Ontario.
Since it's extra work for the servers who cheerfully offer to split the bill, that is worth an extra special tip IMHO.

We have been here 5 years --I do not think I can remember any more than 2 times we had bad service --

I find service here and around the villages to be fairly good in restaurants

We always tip 20 % of the entire bill including tax --its easier to calculate

We usually tip in cash --our son was a waiter in NY while in highschool and college --the owner would hold back the credit card % when paying the server

the wait staff usually has to also take care of the cooks bartender and runners

We have found if the wait staff are bad they will not last

I also agree your tip should be based on your bill before any coupons

I am just so happy and blessed to have lived long enough to enjoy this place

:beer3::pepper2::a040::MOJE_whot::2excited:

We tip on the bill before tax and give it as cash not on any card. If the service is good then we leave a good tip, regardless of the cost of the meal and always at least 20%. If not good service, then maybe speak to the manager so they can correct that. The minimum wage in Florida is $8.05 and sometimes much less with reliance on tips, so with we try and do what we can. The same applies to good service with tradesmen and especially hairdresser! It must be nice however for some people to be able to dine out several times a week lol!

Minimum wage for Florida servers is $5.03, not $8.05 !

Skip

Whenever they do a decent enough job, I try to give a few percentages more than 20. Still reminds me of my college days working when I was so appreciative when customers tipped me a little etc. if one can afford now, why not help out.

I believe the law states that the $8.05/hour figure must be met by a combination of the $5.03/hour plus tips (tip credit) or the employer must make up the difference so the employee makes at least $8.05/hour.