Tipping at a Buffet -- How much is enough?

[Ranger X]

Went out to a japanese buffet and had my all-you-can-eat sushi dinner. The bill comes out to $96 and my roommate cards the meal and collects cash from everyone. He leaves a 1.7% tip and I was the only one who noticed that the workers there were talking about us and glaring at us afterwards. One lady even walked up real close to the table to see if we left any cash on the table. Anyway, we forked over more money before we left and the tip came out to be 10%.

Needless to say, we won't be eating there anytime soon. Some say tip them nothing, some say tip them well because actually do more work at buffets. Some say tip them between 5%-10% only and not the standard 15%.

What are your thoughts on tipping at a buffet?

 

[sygyzy]

How do you figure they do more work at a buffet?

 

[PanzerIV]

How do they do more work at a buffet? The ones I go to I get a plate and serve my own food. All the waitress does is provide the drinks. I think they should still get the standard tip if they do their job, though. They have to make a living too. I hate cheap tippers.

 

[shimsham]

i tip at buffets just like anywhere else. good service-good tip. bad service-bad tip.

edit: id say they work more since by health code standards you have to get a new plate every time you go to the buffet. that means they come to the table to remove the clutter more often. at least, thats my guess.

 

[WobbleWobble]

Japanese Buffets usually bring you the food. If that's the case, then regular tipping is what I would do.

 

[isasir]

When I was in Vegas, I was skimming some book there that said that you generally should tip $1 per person for a buffet. That's what I follow.

 

[PoPPeR]

how on earth does someone work harder at a self serve buffet? They bring drinks, take away plates, and give you your bill

 

[amcdonald]

They deserve a buck or two for a normal 4 person table. They just aren't doing much at all.
Usually the buffet waiters are far worse at filling drinks than a normal waiter would be.
I consider it an insult that they don't just put the soda fountain out with the food. It doesn't make sense.

 

[pyonir]

for the people asking how they can work harder at a self serve buffet: it's because they usually have 2-3 times more tables than if you had a server.

 

[isasir]

Originally posted by: PoPPeR
how on earth does someone work harder at a self serve buffet? They bring drinks, take away plates, and give you your bill

That's not much different than some of my orders at a restaurant. Waitress comes, we place order. Someone else brings the meal. Another person keeps my water filled. Waitress comes back 20 min. later, asks if I'm good, then gives me a bill.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

If it's a "drink service only" type a deal, I can see not tipping. However, if they bring the food, then full 15% guide line applies.

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: pyonir
for the people asking how they can work harder at a self serve buffet: it's because they usually have 2-3 times more tables than if you had a server.

So they also have 2-3 times the tip potential, thus meaning I'm getting less of thier time, so a lower tip is justified. I mean they just don't give full service like a good waiter. BTW, you rarely have to talk to a good waiter because they are WAITING on you, not the other way around. If you have to ask for a refill the waiter isn't doing their job, even if you don't run out of drink...

I rarely see good waiters, but will generally tip 15% unless it's especially slow or bad service.

Buffet tips=about a dollar a head, which is close to 1/2-1/3 of 15%, depedning on where you eat.

 

[Balt]

Bringing out the food is the easiest part, it only takes one or two trips. Refilling drinks promptly and cleaning up your mess takes time, though.

1.7% is just insulting, no matter how you slice it.

One lady even walked up real close to the table to see if we left any cash on the table.

On the other hand, I would have found that extremely rude and unprofessional and probably wouldn't have felt any pressure to leave a larger tip.

Just MHO.

 

[Ranger X]

I said some say they do more work, not I say they do more work.

They might do more work because they're constantly taking your plate when they're finished and also refilling your drinks when it's low (like any restaurant).

 

[911paramedic]

Originally posted by: isasir
When I was in Vegas, I was skimming some book there that said that you generally should tip $1 per person for a buffet. That's what I follow.

Yup.

 

[pyonir]

I was not saying they deserve more or less..i was mearly making the point that that is why some say they do more work than regular servers.

 

[captains]

Originally posted by: 911paramedic

Originally posted by: isasir
When I was in Vegas, I was skimming some book there that said that you generally should tip $1 per person for a buffet. That's what I follow.

Yup.

 

[imported_Strang]

Originally posted by: Balt
1.7% is just insulting, no matter how you slice it.

Yep. Better to just not leave a tip -- then you'd just look ignorant rather than rude. Tips that small are the types I have to restrain my gf from giving when we have less-than-great service -- there have been times that I think she'd leave a stack of pennies if I'd let her.

Typically the only time that I don't tip is when I get take-out -- if I'm not sure if a tip is warranted, I'll do 10%, otherwise it's almost always 15-20% (or more if the service is really good).

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: isasir
When I was in Vegas, I was skimming some book there that said that you generally should tip $1 per person for a buffet. That's what I follow.

That's what we do at work. Whenever we go to lunch at a buffet, everyone gets their own bill and we usually leave $1 and whatever change we got. I'll leave $2 if I happen to notice that the server is especially good.

 

[dabuddha]

I don't tip much at a buffet. Usually I'll just tip $1 + whatever change to round up the total. I'm getting my own food. They usually just bring me my water and tend to forget to fill it up.

 

[Ranger X]

Originally posted by: Strangone

Originally posted by: Balt
1.7% is just insulting, no matter how you slice it.

Yep. Better to just not leave a tip -- then you'd just look ignorant rather than rude. Tips that small are the types I have to restrain my gf from giving when we have less-than-great service -- there have been times that I think she'd leave a stack of pennies if I'd let her.

Typically the only time that I don't tip is when I get take-out -- if I'm not sure if a tip is warranted, I'll do 10%, otherwise it's almost always 15-20% (or more if the service is really good).

Yeah. I once left a quarter for tip to let them know that I was unhappy. Leaving nothing would just make me look ignorant than anything.

 

[Ness]

Originally posted by: Phoenix86

Originally posted by: pyonir
for the people asking how they can work harder at a self serve buffet: it's because they usually have 2-3 times more tables than if you had a server.

So they also have 2-3 times the tip potential, thus meaning I'm getting less of thier time, so a lower tip is justified. I mean they just don't give full service like a good waiter. BTW, you rarely have to talk to a good waiter because they are WAITING on you, not the other way around. If you have to ask for a refill the waiter isn't doing their job, even if you don't run out of drink...

At a regular restaurant people stay about 30-45 minutes (in seats, not including waiting) at a buffet, it isn't uncommon for people to stay for upwards of 2 hours... sometimes more.

So the tip potential isn't 2-3 times more because people are staying 2-3 times longer. So it balances out the same as a regular restaurant, but the problem is that people seem to think that no tip is deserved because "they are doing all the work" by waddling their fat asses up to the buffet line and piling stuff on their plate. In a normal restaurant, the only difference is that the waitress takes your order, then brings your food out to you. She doesn't go back to the kitchen to make the food and she normally doesn't have to do anything but grab some dressing for salads or butter or something...

So if that much of a difference is worth a 10-15% drop in a tip to you, you are retarded.

Wait staff at buffets have the worst jobs in the food service industry, because they make normal wait staff wages and get shafted by the hogs that come in there and stay forever.

I'm a stickler for demanding good service when it comes to tipping, but in my eyes, being able to get up and get my own food is a benefit, because it is ready right away and I can get exactly how much of something I want, and how I want it.

 

[Atomicus]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Japanese Buffets usually bring you the food. If that's the case, then regular tipping is what I would do.

Minados , a Japanese/Sushi Buffet located in various spots in New York and surrounding states, doesn't bring you the food. Its a buffet, you walk over to a line of food, pick up a plate, and you put food on your plate (or eat while you're on the line). What buffet are you talking about?

10-15% tip is always customary, however, if you've ever eaten at East Buffet, a pretty popular chinese buffet chain in the New York area, you'll find that they actually INCLUDE tip in your bill.... mfkers they are :evil:

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: amcdonald
They deserve a buck or two for a normal 4 person table. They just aren't doing much at all.
Usually the buffet waiters are far worse at filling drinks than a normal waiter would be.
I consider it an insult that they don't just put the soda fountain out with the food. It doesn't make sense.

Exactly!

 

[Asharus]

Cheapskates. Leave at least 15% tip at ANY restaurant, even buffets.