Tipping Cocktail Waitresses

[BedWetterBettor]

In recent casino trips, I've noticed a trend of cocktail waitresses being very pissy about getting or not getting tips. Now I understand that they live off tips and it's certainly not a cake walk of a job nor has it been super profitable the last 2 years, but do they not realize their attitude can greatly affect future tokes?

I've seen waitresses get handed quarters from elderly slot jockeys for a tip for coffee or soda, and then hurl the change in disgust. And I've seen young urban folks take two or three items and tip NOTHING! To which the waitress walked away disappointed and rightfully so. If you ask for any drink, you should expect to tip some amount otherwise don't take it.

I feel I've always been somewhat generous and tipped them at LEAST $1 in chips or bills as that seems to be the minimum acceptable tip. But lately, I've been getting dirty looks and sighs from girls as they stare at my wallet full of large bills when I'm only ordering tea or Fiji water and giving them 1 or two bucks for it, which I feel is fair considering how much I play. In my last trip, I ordered a tea with lemon and as I pulled a wad of loose bills I had a $20 bill and a $1 bill stuck together. As I separated them, the lady's eyes were laser focused on the 20 until I gave her the $1 bill, which she snatched in a huff and walked off. Did she really expect a $20 tip for about 30 cents worth of tea and water? I honestly will just avoid ordering from her in the future and give my tips to someone a little more appreciative.

I think Druff would agree that you tip what YOU feel is fair and not because they're wearing their best wonder bra and used extra baby oil on their cleavage that day! Any thoughts on the proper etiquette for tipping casino waitresses?

[Sanlmar]

What is a buck worth to other people these days?

I would swing around the pool after closing. Check on the pumps, make sure trash was picked up, everything in order.

There was a picnic table set up for the lifeguards’ break. Every night there would be a pile of change on the picnic table. The mostly high school kid life guards could not be bother with a little offer a dollar in change.

I remember picking up pennies people would throw on the ground as a kid. Then seeing nickels tossed in the same way.

We are just getting old.

[Sanlmar]

I wouldn’t give you $1 for text to speech

[JeffDime]

I was a server starting at 15 so I think I’ve always been a generous tipper. Typically I will tip the poker dealer at least 2 bucks (typically 3 tbh) a winning pot even when I was playing for a living. Maybe I did like the dealer’s liking me and routing for me to win pots on some level. But the Borgata dealers for sure knew who I was back in the day.

I also always tip the floorman 5 or 10 bucks depending if I’m playing 20/40 or 40/80. I always take a chip off the rack even if they don’t purchase my chips. At the Borgata floor people aren’t allowed to accept tips btw.

I guess we are talking about the waitress serving drinks at a poker table, slot machine or table games & not those at the pool or working tables around a bar when you are not gambling. Those girls you have to tip more than the girls giving free drinks. It’s just expected.

I haven’t played tables in quite some time but if you are playing in the high limit room blackjack for big money than 1 dollar bills shouldn’t even be in play. You got to give the waitress 5 bucks min in that setting. It’s pretty standard. The waitresses in those high limit rooms are working with far less volume than those on the main floor. You need to account for that imho.

Now finally to the girls working the main floor or poker tables. It’s 2 bucks a drink min for the most part imho. The main exception would be grabbing a shitty hotel branded water off the tray…in that case a buck is fine. The girls will typically carry a bunch of those to make a little extra coin.

But a buck just doesn’t quite get it done for other drinks nowadays. I will typically order 2 drinks & tip a red chip. If I’m getting one drink typically 2 or 3 bucks would be standard. Most people don’t realize that the most innocuous drinks are the biggest pain in the ass for the server. In most cases coffee & tea is all made by the waitress and not the bartender. So making your coffee exactly how you want it will take her more time than you would think.

So that’s the Dime school of tipping. Buck ok for a shitty hotel branded water already on tray but for the most part I like 2/3 bucks for a drink and 2 drinks for a red bird. If you follow my playbook I think you shouldn’t run into too much snippyness.

I have a lot of things to say about proper tip of front desk person when checking in. That’s is a real art and depends on the hotel/your status/duration of stay/experience of personnel/chances for upgrade etc. I could write a book on that but you can’t go wrong with $10 bucks in most check-in situations.

[Dan Druff]

Cocktail waitresses at major casinos do very well. They end up far overpaid for the job they're doing.

I always hated the "b-b-b-b-but they're paid minimum wage!" justification to tip them big, because their wage doesn't matter. Their actual take home pay is what matters, and they're doing very well for an unskilled job.

I still tip them $1 per drink. Usually that's fine. Do not feel pressured to tip more than that. If you want to tip more, that's fine, but keep in mind that these girls are already making good money. If you really want to tip a person in need, hand a few bucks to the person cleaning the floor or the bathroom.

The worst examples of tip lack-of-appreciation in casinos are slot attendants when you hit a machine handpay. This is especially true if you hit 5 figures or more. Pretty much anything reasonable you give them will be often met with a sour face and storming off, as if you just insulted their mother.

You don't owe anyone a tip on a handpay. It is a federal requirement. You are not asking for a service. I tipped them anyway because it was considered customary, but I've never given more than $20, and never will.

If an attendant doing a handpay acts like a jerk regarding the tip I give them, then I will give zero point zero next time. I'd rather be resented for a zero tip than resented for a tip I think is fair. Nobody deserves my Jew $ as a tip if they're going to act like assholes about it.

[MumblesBadly]

Cocktail waitresses at major casinos do very well. They end up far overpaid for the job they're doing.

I always hated the "b-b-b-b-but they're paid minimum wage!" justification to tip them big, because their wage doesn't matter. Their actual take home pay is what matters, and they're doing very well for an unskilled job.

I still tip them $1 per drink. Usually that's fine. Do not feel pressured to tip more than that. If you want to tip more, that's fine, but keep in mind that these girls are already making good money. If you really want to tip a person in need, hand a few bucks to the person cleaning the floor or the bathroom.

The worst examples of tip lack-of-appreciation in casinos are slot attendants when you hit a machine handpay. This is especially true if you hit 5 figures or more. Pretty much anything reasonable you give them will be often met with a sour face and storming off, as if you just insulted their mother.

You don't owe anyone a tip on a handpay. It is a federal requirement. You are not asking for a service. I tipped them anyway because it was considered customary, but I've never given more than $20, and never will.

If an attendant doing a handpay acts like a jerk regarding the tip I give them, then I will give zero point zero next time. I'd rather be resented for a zero tip than resented for a tip I think is fair. Nobody deserves my Jew $ as a tip if they're going to act like assholes about it.

But those jobs are hard to get. And they probably have to fucking someone higher up to get a primo shifts/territory.

But at the lower level casinos, they are usually understaff and overworked, with the waitresses with less seniority or not sleeping with a manager having to walk a ridiculous distance to cover the low-paying customer areas.

[country978]

is anyone here like mr pink?

[Texter]

I usually tip $1 per drink, I usually only drink beer, but am assuming the other players are tipping the same too, they usually bring many drinks each time through which should be at least $10 per trip in tips….seem to come around at least 3 or 4 times an hour.

Do they have to share tips with anyone else?

[SinglesHitter]

I have a friend coming over in a couple hours, 26 yo server at Encore Boston Harbor. I’d imagine she’s one of the highest paid servers there and makes about 80k working 25 hours/wk. They keep their tips on the main floor and in high limit they’ll tip out the bartenders some because the players can order complimentary high end stuff like Macallan 18.

Some people tip $25 or $100 in high limit but it’s mostly $1-$5 per order. They’re counting on a couple big tippers per night. I give her $5 for pineapple juice and hotel water and before I got to know her well, she tried to give me change when I only had a $20 bill, so I let her keep it. They can only serve alcohol to someone every 20 minutes, so she does almost 3 rounds per hour. It’s funny to hear about the politics of the server life with her and her friends at work.

Druffs right about their pay compared to other comparable “skill” jobs - they do really well and pay little in taxes. They also get some weird requests; one regular tries to get her to stir his drink w her fingers; another offers black chips to servers if they’re willing to step on his feet iirc; and a younger guy came in recently and was offering black chips to see their feet and $500 to touch her feet. I’ll tell her to make an account and post some of the weird things players request when she gets here. Only tips I give her these days are stock tips, once I found out how much they make for an easy job with a little harassment

[Sanlmar]

2007/2008 we tipped $1 a drink minimum and waitresses were making $80k. The valets made more. Foxwoods. Place was busting at the seams in action though. Encore ain’t Foxwoods back in the day.

Nothing has changed in all these years?

My transaction with the waitress has nothing to do with her annual salary and all that. It’s what I think her service is worth to me. A waitress can come by your table more often and actually return with your order in your lifetime. She doesn’t owe me shit.

[MumblesBadly]

Forgot about family story, but it’s highly relevant to this thread:

Back in the early 1970s, one of my sisters-in-law worked as a waitress at a local downtown watering hole in a small declining city in New England in the poorest county in the state. But because she had a good work ethic, was quite striking, and had HUGE tits, she was able to SAVE over $5k from her tips working there for only about a year. That’s worth about $34k in today’s dollars.

[SinglesHitter]

She’s willing to call in now and tell Druff what’s really going down in the server tipping scene. Not sure if he’s got time to take the call or already has enough topics tonight

[Dan Druff]

She’s willing to call in now and tell Druff what’s really going down in the server tipping scene. Not sure if he’s got time to take the call or already has enough topics tonight

We can do it next week

[SinglesHitter]

She’s willing to call in now and tell Druff what’s really going down in the server tipping scene. Not sure if he’s got time to take the call or already has enough topics tonight

We can do it next week

Yeah sounds like could be fun(ny), interesting

[Sanlmar]

We can do it next week

Yeah sounds like could be fun(ny), interesting

As I obviously have no intention of ever visiting Encore Boston I look forward to what will also be a trip report.

Let’s be courteous to this generous guest Druff and try to nail down a firm schedule for her. Unlike you and I, she appears to have a life.

[Texter]

Wow, may actually have to listen to radio….first time in many years.