Different question on tipping

[CaliforniaMom]

Does anyone know if the tips are put together to be shared by staff, or does each individual get to keep his/her tips? Thanks.

 

[greatcats]

I think I may have heard that the tips are either kept or split depending on agreement among the crew.

 

[the_traveler]

I'm not sure about the Dining Car, but I think the SCA tips are not split. Except for the TE to/from LAX, where the 421/422 sleeper is handled by 1 SCA for 2 nights west of SAS and by another for 1 night north of SAS.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I checked with a server on a recent trip, and was told that the dining car crew pooled their tips.

 

[crew]

TAs do not split tips, although TASs may occasionally tip out the chefs for exceptional effort. SAs will always tip the chefs, though the exact amount may vary widely from one individual to the next.

 

[SarahZ]

TAs do not split tips, although TASs may occasionally tip out the chefs for exceptional effort. SAs will always tip the chefs, though the exact amount may vary widely from one individual to the next.

Wow, I didn't know the chefs got tips. That's really cool!

Would it be possible for me to hand the server two separate tips and say, "Here's something for you, and could you please give this to the chef?" Or do they still pool it? I had a special request during lunch once, and the chef not only fulfilled it, he/she did so with style. It made my day.

Found a pic. I asked for cheddar and swiss on my burger, and they made stripes. It's just a little thing, but it was so cute that they took the time to do that instead of just putting both slices on there.

 

[OBS]

This is not always true. The dining car crews I worked with did not pool tips. Most, but not all, shared something with the kitchen crews.

 

[IowaGirl]

Is there a recommendation for tips somewhere?

We will be travelling in two roomettes soon (4 of us). It will be just for overnight trips, 12 hours each way.

I have no idea on what type of amount to tip, and how/when do you give them the tip. It is a little harried getting off the train at our destination, as it is an unattended stop and the train isn't there for very long.

 

[Old MM]

You could say something like, "Let me give you this now, because I"m not sure when we'll have time later." Some people disagree with this approach on the theory that tips should be earned at the end; but I too have found that isn't always practical. For one overnight, 5 or 10 or whatever you think appropriate depending on your budget and expectations.

 

[Acela150]

TAs do not split tips, although TASs may occasionally tip out the chefs for exceptional effort. SAs will always tip the chefs, though the exact amount may vary widely from one individual to the next.

Wow, I didn't know the chefs got tips. That's really cool!

Would it be possible for me to hand the server two separate tips and say, "Here's something for you, and could you please give this to the chef?" Or do they still pool it? I had a special request during lunch once, and the chef not only fulfilled it, he/she did so with style. It made my day.

Found a pic. I asked for cheddar and swiss on my burger, and they made stripes. It's just a little thing, but it was so cute that they took the time to do that instead of just putting both slices on there.

That's awesome!

 

[ehbowen]

My personal guidelines for tips:

Sleeping car attendants: $10 per room per night; possibly $15 if 2 passengers per room.

Dining car waiters: Tip in cash as you would for the same meal in a restaurant. If your sleeping car attendant serves meals in your room, tip him as you would the dining car waiter.

Lounge car attendants: I usually don't tip for a routine, simple purchase, but for a sale which requires some extra effort such as a burger or mixed drink, I tip as I would a bartender. Caveat: I refuse to give any tip to a Sightseer Lounge attendant who says that his downstairs restroom is "out of order." That's code for, "I don't want to have to clean it." Send him home broke.

Coach attendants: I tip only for special services, such as bringing meals to your seat (which they will do for handicapped passengers in the lower level) or helping with heavy or bulky luggage.

Redcaps: $2 per bag, minimum $5 if they accompany you all the way to trainside. For storage of bags in a Club Acela or Metropolitan Lounge, $1 per bag.

For meals, including meals served in rooms, tip at the end of the meal. For sleeping car attendants, tip as you detrain unless you are getting off in the dead of night (in which case give your attendant his tip before he goes off duty) or if you are taking the through sleeper between the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited (different sleeping car attendants for each leg, so give your attendant for the first leg of the trip his tip shortly before you arrive in San Antonio).

ETA: As always, these amounts are subject to change both up and down depending on the quality and courtesy of the service actually provided. Don't feel that you have to reward bad service, but I do recommend that you recognize and encourage good service.

 

[the_traveler]

Many give the SCA (sleeping car attendant) $5-10 per person per night as a tip, (Adjust up or down based on the level of service provided.) Give the SCA his/her tip upon departing the train at your destination.

In the Dining Car, many tip the server 15% of what the meal would have cost if you paid for it (menu price). Others give a set amount to make it easy, like $1-2 for breakfast or $2-4 for lunch or $3-5 for dinner. Leave the tip on the table at the end of the meal.

But tipping and the amount is entirely up to each person.

 

[SarahZ]

You could say something like, "Let me give you this now, because I"m not sure when we'll have time later." Some people disagree with this approach on the theory that tips should be earned at the end; but I too have found that isn't always practical. For one overnight, 5 or 10 or whatever you think appropriate depending on your budget and expectations.

This is what we do. We give it to them when they put the room back into daytime mode or sometime between then and when we depart. We tip $10-$20 for a one-night trip, depending on if there are two of us and how great the service is. We gave Julio $40 because he was incredibly awesome and it was Christmas.

In the dining car, I calculate how much our bill would be if it hadn't been "free" and tip like I would in a restaurant. Since the servers make more than server minimum, some people use the 2/3/4 rule ($2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch, and $4 for dinner), but I still use the 15-20% rule. I'd just feel weird if I didn't. Brent and I used to go round and round on this because, to him, you tip on the bill total, which is $0. To me, just because you got a "free" meal doesn't mean the server didn't do any work. Anyway, now, instead of fighting, I just bring a wad of cash to the dining car and leave a tip as I'm getting up. Since it isn't his money, he can't fight me.

For the redcap in the Metropolitan Lounge, we tip $1-2 per bag, depending on the size of the bag.

The cafe car attendant gets $2 if they "fix a tray", i.e. heat a sandwich, grab a couple other things, put a soda in there, fill the cup with ice. If I'm just getting a soda, I don't tip.

 

[Nathanael]

I eventually realized that the unionized Amtrak OBS staff get paid *really well* compared to staff in pretty much any service industry in the US, and decided to go with "European tipping", where I tip for better-than-minimal service only. In practice, I've mostly seen service on board which was better than minimal and worth tipping for -- but I've stopped tipping at all if they don't do everything they're supposed to. ("On land", of course, I have to tip even for bad service because waitresses are typically paid less than minimum wage.) I still tip the RedCaps even for minimal service, because as far as I can tell they don't have the same good payscale as OBS.

 

[jphjaxfl]

I eventually realized that the unionized Amtrak OBS staff get paid *really well* compared to staff in pretty much any service industry in the US, and decided to go with "European tipping", where I tip for better-than-minimal service only. In practice, I've mostly seen service on board which was better than minimal and worth tipping for -- but I've stopped tipping at all if they don't do everything they're supposed to. ("On land", of course, I have to tip even for bad service because waitresses are typically paid less than minimum wage.) I still tip the RedCaps even for minimal service, because as far as I can tell they don't have the same good payscale as OBS.

Amtrak OBS staff are not the same as any other service industry in the US. They are away from home for 1-3 or more days and they get limited amounts of sleep while they are working. I learned how to tip on passenger trains from my parents who always tipped well when the service warranted it. We knew many of the Sleeping, Dining, Lounge and Parlor attendants on the trains we took regularly. A good tip usually insures better service on rest of the trip or on future trips. Believe me we got to know some of the attendants who would take very good care of us from the time we came to the door of the Pullman until we disembarked. Unfortunately, in many service industries, service is not what it once was. The Amtrak employees who go above and beyond because its part of train travel should be tipped well.

 

[Joe F]

For dining car meals, I usually tip $2 for lunch and $4 for dinner. On my last trip west on the EB and Coast Starlight (MSP-PDX-LAX) in 2011, I brought along a bunch of $2 bills and used those for tipping. The dining car staff seemed to appreciate the somewhat unusual currency.

 

[Ryan]

I eventually realized that the unionized Amtrak OBS staff get paid *really well* compared to staff in pretty much any service industry in the US, and decided to go with "European tipping", where I tip for better-than-minimal service only.

I tip based on services provided, not prevailing wages. Amtrak OBS get paid a lot more, but they have to put up with a lot more and they provide me the same service a waiter does in an ordinary restaurant.

There's no right answer, but that's how I choose to approach the problem.

 

[andersone]

My old man, god rest his soul was a good "union Man" and believed in tipping for good service. When we boarded the SCA got $5/per/person/per night (60's rate, I give $10/person/night now) and if the trip was more than one night he squared up at the end. If the SCA brings a meal, they get the meal staff tip.

Meal staff got 15% - 20% and he always gave them $5 for the chef in the diner for lunch and dinner.

For the Lounge Car I use the meal server rate if he fixes food, if not I usually leave a buck unless it is just a soda.

Red Caps got a buck a bag, and I have inflationed that to $2 unless they take me all the way to the train then it is $3. Buck a bag for just dropping them off.

This is all premised on good service. I can honestly say I have never had a bad SCA nor meal staff in all my miles on the rails.

I was taught good service should be rewarded, and I can't tell you how many times staff has gone out of their way to insure my comfort. God Love Amtrak Staff - they don't get enough recognition for the good job they do.

 

[IowaGirl]

Thanks for the info. I am looking forward to trying out train travel with a sleeper. We have always traveled coach, and it has been very unpleasant the last couple times.

We board at 11 at night (typically, that means 1 am because the train is always late) and it is just awful trying to get a seat on a full train. Much less, trying to find 15-18 seats! So we are anticipating a better experience with the sleepers this year. Our group is a lot smaller this time around.

Can we ask the attendant to go ahead and make our breakfast reservation - or should we wait until morning?

Thanks for you suggestions on the tips - it is appreciated!

 

[the_traveler]

Breakfast is always first come/first served. No reservations are necessary or even taken. Lunch may or may not be (it depends on the train and load) and dinner is always by reservation.

 

[CaliforniaMom]

Thanks all for your input.

We had dinner Sat night at a restaurant where most of the servers were eager but not overly efficient college-age kids. Our server was a bit lacking, but the other servers helped make up for it, so we tipped well, thinking that the group would pool their tips. It then occurred to me to question about the practices of the Amtrak staff.

Nice to know that it is possible to tip the chef as well, I've never thought of that!

 

[IowaGirl]

Breakfast is always first come/first served. No reservations are necessary or even taken.

Thanks! We have always asked for a reservation (since we were coach).

Will have supper on the return trip. We will be boarding in the afternoon on that leg, so it will be easier to deal with reservations, etc.

Your input is greatly appreciated!

 

[Sauve850]

Lots of good information. Dining room service can be real hit or miss. If possible after I board and its in between meals I go to the dining car and meet the staff and chat a bit as they are usually all sitting there. If service on first meal is decent i tip well and hand it to the server. Im also patient and friendly so that has helped service for rest of the meals on that trip many times.

 

[Nathanael]

I eventually realized that the unionized Amtrak OBS staff get paid *really well* compared to staff in pretty much any service industry in the US, and decided to go with "European tipping", where I tip for better-than-minimal service only.

I tip based on services provided, not prevailing wages. Amtrak OBS get paid a lot more, but they have to put up with a lot more and they provide me the same service a waiter does in an ordinary restaurant.

There's no right answer, but that's how I choose to approach the problem.

Well, see, that's what I'm doing on Amtrak -- tipping based on services provided. On land, *I cannot do that* because waitresses are actually paid less than minimum wage -- I feel that it's my responsibilty to make sure their pay is brought up to minimum wage even if they're terrible at their job. I wish the funny state & federal rules which allow waitresses to be paid less than minimum wage would be repealed, but that's another topic.

 

[chakk]

I tip the lounge car attendant from the get go if I am traveling long distance in coach, so that when I come back to see them later in the trip, they will remember me, and then often extra niceities, such as an extra cup of ice, better heating of burgers, etc.

Rounding up to the next dollar (or two) is my standard approach in these cases.

Especially helpful (and appreciated by the LCA) when trips on the CZ are quite light in coach during the off-peak times of the year.