Advise needed about tax and tipping!

[Fromeurope]

Hi, I am from Europe and don't know much about your tax and tipping habits. For example when I go to Boma at AKL for dinner and the price is $24.99, what do I actually have to pay?
Thanks again

 

[Fromeurope]

Oops I just found out that the right price is $23.99

 

[AirForceRocks]

I believe the tax rate is 6% then add 15% - 20% for the tip.

So, for $23.99, you would pay approximately $30.00.

 

[w&g2003]

There is no set amount you should tip, but people usually tip somewhere between 15% and 20%, depending on the service. If the bill total comes up to $23.99, the tip should be between $3.60-$4.80.

Be careful though, because some restaurants add the tip to the bill before you get it at the end of the meal, read the check carefully before you pay or tip.

 

[Forever42]

Actually, the tax is up to 6.5% here in Orange county.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

 

[AirForceRocks]

I don't even think a lot are aware of that. How can you be if you don't wait tables for a living??

Gee, if the servers get to decide what the minimum is, why not just set it at 25%?

The fact is that there is no set in stone minimum, though as far as I know, 15% is pretty much the standard minimum. And when I say minimum, I mean for acceptable service. My percentage goes up if the service is exceptional, and drops way down for substandard service.

 

[madalex]

Originally posted by Tiggerlover91
From a server's perspectative here it is plain and simple:

Gratuity is 17%...MINIMUM, so you should base what you tip on that percentage.

I've said enough and hope that no one takes offense to the 17% minimum gratuity that I mentioned. I don't even think a lot are aware of that. How can you be if you don't wait tables for a living??

I don't take offense, I just wonder what your basis is for claiming that 17% is the required minimum gratuity.

 

[MHopkins2]

I'm not touching the tip question but the tax is easy - it's automatically added to your bill before they bring it to your table.

 

[disney4us2002]

I used to wait tables when in college so I don't think I'm unaware of the stuff involved with wages and what not but it is rare for us to tip more than 15% at a buffet. IF service is exceptional, perhaps, but there just isn't much involved in buffet waittressing imho. Sit-downs are a different story of course. With most of the sit-down establishments in Disney we generally tip at least 20% and my insane hubby has been known to double that on occasion, lol!

 

[crisi]

At a buffet meal like Boma, it isn't unusual for an tip expert to recommend a tip as low as 10%......

Tipping is suppose to be up to you. The standard for a full service sit down meal with acceptable service is between 15-20%.

Apply tip after tax.

If you "use up" the table for a long time (i.e. lower turnover on tables for the waitstaff), or underorder (get dessert only), have been a particular pain in the back end to your server (lots of drink refills, special orders, small children) tip more.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

On a site for tips, it suggested 10% for buffet, as you are in fact serving yourself other then drinks. 15-20% for full table servive

Restaurants/Buffets/Lounges:
One of the most important things to remember when dining is that the tip is based on the service, not the quality of the food. The standard tip in a full-service restaurant is 15%-20% of the total bill. If you are using a coupon, or other discount, the tip should be based on the full price before the discount is applied. If you've had exceptional service a great way to show it is to leave a bigger tip than normal. Along those same lines, if the service is below par you can make a statement by leaving a much lesser tip. Depending on how badly it is you can leave 25¢ to 10% to show that the tip was not forgotten.

Server at a partial service restaurant 10% of your total bill. Use discretion based on how much the server is expected to do for you.

 

[chamonix]

so what does everyone think about the before or after tax thing?

Do you tip on the total including tax (which I always do) or the total of the food before tax is added? (which I have heard is actually proper--after all, the server is NOT paying his taxes based on 15% of the full tax total, only on 15% of what food is actually sold) So, in this example, do you tip 15-20% of 23.99, or the 15-20% of the final total that includes tax?
We are very generous tippers, we add at least 20% most of the time, on the final bill, including tax. In this example, I would leave about $30 or $31 to pay the bill. (of course, this depends on the service experience)

23.99+1.56(tax)+5.11(20%tip)=$30.66

 

[chamonix]

One last question: we never eat at buffets at home, only at WDW where we are "forced" to for character dining, LOL. So everyone is only tipping 10% at Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace, etc? They must love us, LOL!

 

[BillPA]

I never tip on tax. But usually it doesn't matter. I tip more than most, but the wait staff did nothing but add in the tax, Do they need a tip for that? jmho

 

[crisi]

I tip after tax, because tipping before tax is too much math! Its easier to look at the bottom line and figure 10% and then half again as much.

Besides 15% of 6.5% is .00975% - I can afford a 1% markup. Guess I really tip 16%!

 

[Aimeedyan]

I usually do before tax... here at home, tax rate is about 8 or 8.5, so we take the tax amount, double it, and either pay that rounded up to an even amount, or add a bit more. That way, we KNOW the server will be getting at least 16% and usually a bit more.

If we sit for a looooooong time, they are extra great, or we have lots of special requests, we add extra always.

But I have been known to leave less than 15% if the service sucked. I feel no shame in this. This is rare, though. We usualyl have great luck with service... and have never had a problem with Disney service (knock on wood!)

For buffet, we do closer to 10% if all they do is refill drinks...

 

[Fromeurope]

I think I've started a discussion
Here in the Netherlands you tip, when the service is really great and then 10% is considered a lot. Most people never tip at all.
But here it is just an extra thing for the waiters, they get a normal salary as well. So thank you for the advises.
Now I know what I really have to pay...
Ofcourse I understand that I am not forced to tip, but I really want to make friends at WDW, no enemies.

 

[goathogan]

I always tip at least 15% for good service. But I have thought about "flat tipping." Say like $5 or $10. If I am out with my wife at Outback Steakhouse and we each get chicken the bill would be $20...if we each got the fillet the bill would be $40. Now the waiter would have to do the same amount of work whether he brought us the chicken or the steak...so why should I have to tip him more just because we got the steak???

 

[kathylovesdisneyworl]

One of the reasons you should tip according to the total of the bill is that the servers are also sharing there tips with other empolyees of the resturant. For instance, I have 2 kids that work at a TGIF's. They share tips with bartender(if it applys)bussers,food runners and the hostess. The tip shares are a percentage, so if you don't bother to tip 15-20% they still pay the other workers. The resturant keeps track of total sales and decides what each server owes. Now not all resturants have this policy, but most have aleast a busser and bartender.