Since the recent tipping post, I have to ask....

[Mum2Mercury]

17 hours ago, Longford said:

Troubling to me is the seemingly condescending attitudes / comments about waiters.  I suspect persons making those comments might be accustomed to stiffing waiters, generally (not just on cruise ships) or leaving gratuities not commensurate with service they may receive ... because they think better of themselves.  I hope my suspicion is inaccurate.

If you're referring to me and what I wrote, you're confusing the term "professional job" with "professionalism".  Similar root words, different meanings.  Not an insult to the wait staff. 

 

I always pay auto-tips up front (I've never pulled auto-tips and don't anticipate ever doing so). but I do not generally tip extra until less someone goes out of his or her way for me.  

17 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

I certainly did not mean it that way. My only point was that waiters and managers in non-cruise ship restaurants are trained much differently than cruise ship staff. That does not mean anyone should not tip wait staff on cruises. Only that imho one can not compare the two different jobs. The training and performance are different.

Agree that waiting tables on land is not the same as waiting tables at sea.  After all, when I was younger and worked as a waitress, I never had to deliver luggage or manage a muster station between meals.  

16 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

And they are the main means of the guest experience. Pressure from both sides.

They and the cabin stewards.  

2 hours ago, kirtihk said:

Correct; however, what the difference (in efforts) for any above when serving $10 glass of wine vs say $200 serving of something?  Is it really 20 more work involved?  If that's true, then if for $10 serving it takes say 10 min of total work then it would be almost half of entire 8-hour shift for $150 serving.  It sounds about "right".

I can see that argument.  

[time4u2go]

2 hours ago, Carnival Cheerleader said:

But why? The tip is a percentage of the bill so as prices in restaurants rise, tips rise without adjusting the percentage of the tips. If prices have gone up 3x since then and now you double the tip, the the tip has gone of 6x in that timeframe. Getting ridiculous IMO.

I've always wondered about this as well.

[Longford]

3 hours ago, Carnival Cheerleader said:

Doing one's job as written is not classified as "great" service to me.

 

Thank you.

[Longford]

3 hours ago, Carnival Cheerleader said:

In those states, tips are no longer needed because you are not bringing the server "up to" anything. They are already there.

 

Not "needed" to bring someone's wage up to the statutory minimum ... but, rather, discretionary if a server delivers service over and above the "norm".

[HappyTexan44]

I don't think many people would wait tables for minimum wage.   You work your butt off, and are compensated for it. It is the ONE job I can think of where you immediately get more money for doing a better job.   Only reason I stopped was because my RLS was keeping me awake all night and waiting tables made it worse.   If I'd known about Potassium back then, I'd have done it longer and lots of other things in my life would have been different. Maybe better, maybe worse.
 

[ReneeFLL]

On 2/23/2023 at 9:10 AM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

you shouldn't have tipped them. You rewarded poor service....

You shouldn't feel obligated to tip extra for subpar service. Let go of the guilt!

 

On 2/23/2023 at 9:25 AM, PamelaHunt said:

You are totally correct.  

If you are referring to the food coming out which I think you are, you are forgetting that the servers can only serve when the food is ready. If it’s not cooked they can’t bring you anything. You need to see the bigger picture.

[nelblu]

47 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

 

If you are referring to the food coming out which I think you are, you are forgetting that the servers can only serve when the food is ready. If it’s not cooked they can’t bring you anything. You need to see the bigger picture.

We have to place blame on someone, therefore if no the servers then it’s the chefs. 😀

[S.A.M.J.R.]

On 3/2/2023 at 8:32 AM, HappyTexan44 said:

I don't think many people would wait tables for minimum wage.   You work your butt off, and are compensated for it. It is the ONE job I can think of where you immediately get more money for doing a better job.   Only reason I stopped was because my RLS was keeping me awake all night and waiting tables made it worse.   If I'd known about Potassium back then, I'd have done it longer and lots of other things in my life would have been different. Maybe better, maybe worse.
 

You know what would happen if true minimum wage was enforced (instead of this "make it up via tips" malarky)?

 

I agree wait staff would not work for just minimum wage.  So, here's some options...

1) They get minimum wage and patrons would still be EXPECTED to tip.  I'm guessing still probably 20%.  But, since restaurant owners will need to pay more in salary, they increase cost, which then increases the tip.  

2) Restaurant owners would not find enough people to work, so they'd either go out of business or keep raising rates to attract the workers.  You know, what fast food has had to do over the last couple of years.  

 

I would hope #2, and then tips truly be a sign of "above and beyond" service, and no EXPECTED percentage, but I don't see this happening.

 

Every other job, the impetus to do a good job is to keep the job. 

[not-enough-cruising]

4 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

 

If you are referring to the food coming out which I think you are, you are forgetting that the servers can only serve when the food is ready. If it’s not cooked they can’t bring you anything. You need to see the bigger picture.

If the food isn’t cooked in a timely manner, and ready to be brought out, why would I participate in an auto gratuity program that tips the behind the scenes personnel, when obviously the behind the scenes personnel failed