Give me some tips on tips

sureshs · 01-03-2013, 08:19 AM

I got back from Honolulu after staying at an upscale "village." The buffet breakfast starting at 5:30 am was the only option for those planning activities in the morning. It came to be more than $83 for the three of us (every morning).

Now, I had anticipated this beforehand, and decided I will not leave my customary 15% tip (which I calculate after all taxes are already added, so it is more like 18% I think). For the first two days, I left only a $6 tip, figuring that $2 per head was more than enough for someone who just fetches coffee. I used to plan it in such a way that I would not make eye contact with the waiter/waitress, and then my family was instructed to quickly march out of the place as soon as we got up from the table. Idea was that I would be thought of as an eccentric man, and in any case, probably a new waiter will be around the next morning.

However, from the third day, the waiter/waitresses were extra friendly. I mean, just keep the coffee in a machine somewhere and we could get it ourselves. Instead of that, they tried to chat us up, kept asking a dozen times if we wanted more coffee, etc. So I ended up upping the tip to $10, but still avoiding eye contact and running out after eating.

What is the proper tip amount in such a situation? Remember that there was no room service at that time (and it would be the same cost or more if it was) and so the hotel was basically holding us to ransom. Also, the net cost of what we ate was probably less than a third of what we paid for.

ollinger · 01-03-2013, 08:35 AM

What is the proper tip in a hotel restaurant?? You answered it yourself -- the "customary 15% tip" (some would say 15-20) applies here. What's the mystery? You describe the place as upscale, so upscale prices are to be expected. Your odd instructions to your family (I imagine that can't have made them very comfortable going to breakfast) indicate you yourself felt you were leaving too little.

sureshs · 01-03-2013, 08:47 AM

Well, my 15% is based on the final amount after taxes, so it is more than the 15% of those who calculate it on the base amount.

The issue here is why should I tip more than a nominal amount if it is not full service? I don't tip at fast food places, even though I sit down and eat there, and the workers pack the stuff and put it on a tray for me. Why should I tip the regular percentage if only coffee service is provided?

sureshs · 01-03-2013, 08:52 AM

I think of it as exploitation. There were cheaper places inside the "village" for lunch and dinner, along with the expensive ones, because the hotel knows that people will go out if there are no cheaper options, and then that means the fancy shops and the expensive restaurants could all suffer. They have calculated that breakfast is a captive audience for those going on travel tours, catching flights out, etc. and jacked up the prices. Almost $30 per head (including taxes) is just not justifiable. I don't see why I should just bend over and be exploited.

Douggo · 01-03-2013, 10:28 AM

If they just get you coffee, tip on the cost of the coffee.

Okay, probably not really. Anybody know if servers share tips with cooking staff?

ollinger · 01-03-2013, 11:31 AM

My wife can teach you how to make those buffet breakfasts count --- grab a bunch of rolls and a variety of cheeses, roll it up in a napkin, now you've got lunch as well!!

sureshs · 01-03-2013, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ollinger

My wife can teach you how to make those buffet breakfasts count --- grab a bunch of rolls and a variety of cheeses, roll it up in a napkin, now you've got lunch as well!!

We usually skipped lunch or had it as part of a packaged tour or had very little. That is the way we made breakfast count.

Maui19 · 01-03-2013, 01:51 PM

No offense, but your first post makes you sound like a pretty weird dude.

My rule of thumb: leave what you think it fair. That will vary tremendously from person to person. In the situation you describe above, I would have left 20% on the total cost of the bill. I'm not saying that's what you should have done, just giving you a data point.

PureAlph4 · 01-03-2013, 02:32 PM

Scares the life out of me just thinking about the range of considerations involved in a tip-based service sector!

Having said that, the fact that the whole restaurant industry in the UK seems to have adopted the 'already included, but notionally optional' tip (usually 12.5%+) to their bills, as well as then leaving space for unsuspecting punters to tip further ('Add gratuity?' etc on Chip & Pin machines when paying), is in many ways worse.

It's a difficult balance: either being able to punish sub-standard service at every opportunity, but only by creating a complex, sometimes pressurised environment (i.e US); or, being within a system where probably only the worst incidences of sub-standard service are punished, but which largely excludes a situation where public judgments are being made by every actor at every turn (i.e UK, most of Europe, Japan).

The 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Christmas tip episode is great, though!

Cindysphinx · 01-03-2013, 02:36 PM

Um . . .

It is a resort. Everything is wildly expensive and overpriced. That is no excuse to nickel and dime the staff.

If you do not wish to be ripped off or cannot afford it, do not stay in a resort. If you choose to stay there, you need to follow all of the tipping conventions. At the buffet breakfast, I would tip 10-15% on the entire bill.

Cindy -- who doesn't do resort vacations

Polaris · 01-03-2013, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sureshs

. For the first two days, I left only a $6 tip, figuring that $2 per head was more than enough for someone who just fetches coffee. I used to plan it in such a way that I would not make eye contact with the waiter/waitress, and then my family was instructed to quickly march out of the place as soon as we got up from the table. Idea was that I would be thought of as an eccentric man, and in any case, probably a new waiter will be around the next morning.

No words. I had so much fun reading this. If you really did this, I wish I was a fly on the wall to see the act every morning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

If you do not wish to be ripped off or cannot afford it, do not stay in a resort. If you choose to stay there, you need to follow all of the tipping conventions.

Agree with that.

jmnk · 01-03-2013, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

[...]

Cindy -- who doesn't do resort vacations

what kind of vacation do you do? (a serious question, just interested in options)

btw - a while, while back you had a thread on how few girls were going on a trip, rented a car, than somehow one needed to go one way, the rest another way - and there was a question on how to split the rental charges. How did that end?

President · 01-03-2013, 03:49 PM

Don't go to an expensive resort and eat an expensive breakfast if you cannot tip the servers. This thread is embarrassing..

v-verb · 01-03-2013, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Um . . .

It is a resort. Everything is wildly expensive and overpriced. That is no excuse to nickel and dime the staff.

If you do not wish to be ripped off or cannot afford it, do not stay in a resort. If you choose to stay there, you need to follow all of the tipping conventions. At the buffet breakfast, I would tip 10-15% on the entire bill.

Cindy -- who doesn't do resort vacations

Agreed. Look up how little servers get paid on an hourly basis. You'll feel pretty sheepish for cheaping out on them

Cindysphinx · 01-03-2013, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmnk

what kind of vacation do you do? (a serious question, just interested in options)

btw - a while, while back you had a thread on how few girls were going on a trip, rented a car, than somehow one needed to go one way, the rest another way - and there was a question on how to split the rental charges. How did that end?

When I go on vacation, I like to rent a house or apartment or something and live more like the locals. When that isn't practical, I like a cheap, safe hotel room. I am one of those people who launch themselves out of bed while on vacation and run themselves ragged exploring. As I am only in my hotel room long enough to change and shower, I don't wish to pay for resort features I won't use.

I don't do beaches and fancy pools and lying in the sun, so I rarely choose beach/island vacations where you find most resorts.

Ah, you remember my trip to IW for the BNP Paribas Open.

All went well. The one with the rental car drove herself around, and the rest of us took a cab. No drama, thank goodness.

We are all going again (although not one of us can afford it!). We just couldn't say no because it was such a blast last time.

tusharlovesrafa · 01-03-2013, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ollinger

My wife can teach you how to make those buffet breakfasts count --- grab a bunch of rolls and a variety of cheeses, roll it up in a napkin, now you've got lunch as well!!

You remind me of my aunt,who does the same..

tusharlovesrafa · 01-03-2013, 06:50 PM

Here you can get a whole lunch for 15$,difference in standard of living i Guess..

jmnk · 01-03-2013, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

When I go on vacation, I like to rent a house or apartment or something and live more like the locals. When that isn't practical, I like a cheap, safe hotel room. I am one of those people who launch themselves out of bed while on vacation and run themselves ragged exploring. As I am only in my hotel room long enough to change and shower, I don't wish to pay for resort features I won't use.

I don't do beaches and fancy pools and lying in the sun, so I rarely choose beach/island vacations where you find most resorts.

Ah, you remember my trip to IW for the BNP Paribas Open.

All went well. The one with the rental car drove herself around, and the rest of us took a cab. No drama, thank goodness.

We are all going again (although not one of us can afford it!). We just couldn't say no because it was such a blast last time.

I didn't know it was a trip to IW for the BNP Paribas Open. I'm talking about this thread here:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=362905
so you are saying she did not give you guys a free ride to the airport?

dParis · 01-04-2013, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maui19

No offense, but your first post makes you sound like a pretty weird dude.

Noob.

$10Tips

sureshs · 01-04-2013, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tusharlovesrafa

Here you can get a whole lunch for 15$,difference in standard of living i Guess..

Here you can get a whole lunch for under $5

01-03-2013, 08:19 AM	#1
sureshs Talk Tennis Guru Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 25,829	Give me some tips on tips I got back from Honolulu after staying at an upscale "village." The buffet breakfast starting at 5:30 am was the only option for those planning activities in the morning. It came to be more than $83 for the three of us (every morning). Now, I had anticipated this beforehand, and decided I will not leave my customary 15% tip (which I calculate after all taxes are already added, so it is more like 18% I think). For the first two days, I left only a $6 tip, figuring that $2 per head was more than enough for someone who just fetches coffee. I used to plan it in such a way that I would not make eye contact with the waiter/waitress, and then my family was instructed to quickly march out of the place as soon as we got up from the table. Idea was that I would be thought of as an eccentric man, and in any case, probably a new waiter will be around the next morning. However, from the third day, the waiter/waitresses were extra friendly. I mean, just keep the coffee in a machine somewhere and we could get it ourselves. Instead of that, they tried to chat us up, kept asking a dozen times if we wanted more coffee, etc. So I ended up upping the tip to $10, but still avoiding eye contact and running out after eating. What is the proper tip amount in such a situation? Remember that there was no room service at that time (and it would be the same cost or more if it was) and so the hotel was basically holding us to ransom. Also, the net cost of what we ate was probably less than a third of what we paid for.

01-03-2013, 08:35 AM	#2
ollinger Hall Of Fame Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,418	What is the proper tip in a hotel restaurant?? You answered it yourself -- the "customary 15% tip" (some would say 15-20) applies here. What's the mystery? You describe the place as upscale, so upscale prices are to be expected. Your odd instructions to your family (I imagine that can't have made them very comfortable going to breakfast) indicate you yourself felt you were leaving too little. __________________ Angell 105 WC Silverstring

01-03-2013, 11:31 AM	#6
ollinger Hall Of Fame Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,418	My wife can teach you how to make those buffet breakfasts count --- grab a bunch of rolls and a variety of cheeses, roll it up in a napkin, now you've got lunch as well!! __________________ Angell 105 WC Silverstring

01-03-2013, 02:36 PM	#10
Cindysphinx G.O.A.T. Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 14,079	Um . . . It is a resort. Everything is wildly expensive and overpriced. That is no excuse to nickel and dime the staff. If you do not wish to be ripped off or cannot afford it, do not stay in a resort. If you choose to stay there, you need to follow all of the tipping conventions. At the buffet breakfast, I would tip 10-15% on the entire bill. Cindy -- who doesn't do resort vacations __________________ -- Random Error Generator, Version 4.0 -- Master Moonballer

01-03-2013, 06:50 PM	#17
tusharlovesrafa Hall Of Fame Join Date: May 2011 Location: On Suresh's balcony! Posts: 2,125	Here you can get a whole lunch for 15$,difference in standard of living i Guess.. __________________ The-champ on rafa - he has been struggling like an asthmatic 70 year-old trying to satisfy a seasoned prostitute.