Gratuities

[Scrooge]

I read that there is no definite policy on gratuities on the LSL and EB, however good service should be rewarded on a discretionary basis. As a rule, we, in the UK are not used to leaving tips as a part of the service except in restaurants.

Therefore I have a couple of questions:

What is the average tip to the Sleeper car attendants? I guess that it is not the same attendants all the way?

What do you leave in the restaurant car even though there is no bill to settle.

An help, guidance and thoughts on this subject would be appreciated.

 

[Anderson]

1) The attendants remain the same for the run of a train (i.e. you'll have the same attendants on the LSL, but they'll be different from the attendants on the EB).

2) For SCAs, I usually shoot for about $10/day, depending on service. If someone goes far above and beyond the call of duty, I'll put a little extra in; if they basically forget I exist, then the tip drops accordingly.

3) My advice is to use the stated menu price as a guideline (i.e. the steak costs just under $25).

 

[Jim G.]

Redcap - $5.00. Probably the best deal in rail travel at major stations. Transporting you and your luggage from the station to your railcar, or railcar to the station.

SCA - $0.00/$10.00 per night depending on service. Ice, coffee, juice, extra pillows/blankets, newspapers, attitude, etc. (I have never left a SCA empty handed).

Dining - Up to 15% of the menu cost of the food served, again depending on service and attitude.

Checked luggage attendent - $1.00/$2.00.

These are my personal guidelines. Everyone should do what they feel comfortable with.

Considering the currency exchange rate, you will be getting a very good deal.

 

[rrdude]

Jim G, just curious why you advise "........up to 15%......" for dining car meals. In the USA, the standard is 15-20%.

Unless the service is abysmal, I usually leave a minimum of 15%, and if it's average or better, 20%.

I guess having waited tables in the past, one might be more inclined to tip a higher percentage? Dunno. Just curious.

 

[Jim G.]

When I consider the the surroundings, the shared table requirement, limited menu, and other things involved in eating on a train I don't think it qualifys as a "5 Star" dining experience. I think tips should be based on the restaurant level. I like train travel and I like to eat on the train. I also like common sense. Once again , I said, these are MY guidelines, do what your comfortable with.

 

[amamba]

When traveling just by myself, I found it appropriate to tip about $3 for breakfast in the dining car, $3 for lunch, and $5 for dinner. This is of course in the dining car.

 

[TVRM610]

Just so you know, Amtrak pays employees quite well, so it's not like a standard restaurant or a cruise ship where the employees don't get decent money to start with. Just an FYI, on Amtrak tips are actualy tips, they are extra money in addition to the employee's already decent salary. (How "tips" became part of the salary here in the states is beyond me but that is for a different board...).

When I travel on Amtrak I usually tip $5 or so for each meal. Sometimes more or less depending on service and how much cash I have etc.

In the Sleeper, I usually tip $10-$20 per night, depending on service.

I tip a min. of $5, as long as they provide the basics (I've yet to have a SCA to completely disappear on me) and I have tipped as high as $40 per night for outstanding service.

 

[Scrooge]

Many thanks for the information and guidance, much appreciated.

All that we need now is for the rain to stop in the Northeast and the floods subside so that everything can get back to normal.

We are booked out of Boston to Seattle via Chicago on the 19th September on the infamous 449/7 and return leaving on 6th October via the same route.

We are in the hands of??????

 

[Henry Kisor]

The Internal Revenue Service expects dining car servers and sleeping car attendants to be tipped and therefore expects reported tip income to meet a certain level. Theoretically, not tipping or undertipping could pinch these service personnel come April 15.

Fifteen to 20 per cent, or $3/$3/$5 per person sounds about right to me.

 

[lthanlon]

On several occasions, I've seen passengers who did not leave tips rearrange money left by others to give the illusion they did. So, when practical, I now hand the tip directly to my server.

Anybody have any estimates of what percentage of passengers do not tip in the dining car? On some of my trips, it's seemed at least 25 percent.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

On several occasions, I've seen passengers who did not leave tips rearrange money left by others to give the illusion they did. So, when practical, I now hand the tip directly to my server.

Anybody have any estimates of what percentage of passengers do not tip in the dining car? On some of my trips, it's seemed at least 25 percent.

I have noticed that on several occasions as well and many times found myself the only person at a well taken care of table leaving a tip. I generally at least make sure the server sees me laying out the tip. And I'm surprised how many folks pile off the Sleeper at end point and not hand something to an Attendant who gave at least decent service (of course some may have tipped before getting off).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I think tips should be based on the restaurant level.

That's exactly how we ended up with the percentage guidelines in the first place. At a hotdog stand a 20% tip may only result in $0.25. At a true five start restaurant that very same guideline could easily leave a $50 tip. Which sort of begs the question "Who's talking about leaving Amtrak a $50 tip?"

On several occasions, I've seen passengers who did not leave tips rearrange money left by others to give the illusion they did. So, when practical, I now hand the tip directly to my server. Anybody have any estimates of what percentage of passengers do not tip in the dining car? On some of my trips, it's seemed at least 25 percent.

It's always a good idea to hand your tips directly to whomever you're intending to reward for good service. Even if they end up handing it over to a end-of-day tipping pool at least they'll know who it was intended for and who it came from. I also agree with your assessment of somewhere around 25% of folks not tipping on my trains. But then again the average service and quality received from the Amtrak-Aramark alliance leaves a lot to be desired in my view.

 

[Texan Eagle]

I have a rather naive question- on my last Amtrak trip, I paid for my meals using a debit card and when the attendant brings the receipt it has the amount mentioned for the food I ordered and it has an empty row called "Tip" and then "Total". So if I ordered at $10 breakfast, I write $2 in the tip and total $12, does that $2 count towards gratuity to the server? Or does one have to leave a cash bill at the table to be counted as gratuity?

 

[jdcnosse]

When I consider the the surroundings, the shared table requirement, limited menu, and other things involved in eating on a train I don't think it qualifys as a "5 Star" dining experience. I think tips should be based on the restaurant level. I like train travel and I like to eat on the train. I also like common sense. Once again , I said, these are MY guidelines, do what your comfortable with.

I would somewhat agree with you, although I would take in the price of the food as a factor as well (at a typical restaurant, we all know how much Amtrak charges to feed you if you don't book a sleeper!)

 

[me_little_me]

I have a rather naive question- on my last Amtrak trip, I paid for my meals using a debit card and when the attendant brings the receipt it has the amount mentioned for the food I ordered and it has an empty row called "Tip" and then "Total". So if I ordered at $10 breakfast, I write $2 in the tip and total $12, does that $2 count towards gratuity to the server? Or does one have to leave a cash bill at the table to be counted as gratuity?

As i any restaurant, that is the tip. You need to leave no more than you give on the card.

The advantage of leaving cash is that the employee can potentially hide it from the IRS by under-reporting tips. Sometimes employees share and pool tips. A dishonest employee can pocket some of the tips and not share. Such employees are likely few and far between. My experience is that the less someone has, the more honest they are.

Most employers eat the CC fees even on the tip portion and generously give the employee the full tip value. Worse, managers may demand a portion of the tips. Not all employers are fully generous but as a government organization, Amtrak likely gives them the full amount.

 

[Bob Dylan]

In my many years of traveling on Amtrak, Ive found LD Trains to be a great Lab for observing human nature! Ive discussed tipping, service, fares , OTP, attitudes of employess and pax etc. with people from all walks of life and from everywhere!

While my observations are antedoctal and personal, I have observed and been told of every variation of human behaviour that is known to exist! When it comes to tipping, Ive seen people leave $50 tips in nthe Diner (rare), Leave $3-$5, about average,and Leave nothing! Quite a few people Ive talked with have commented that Amtrak employees get paid "alot, why tip them?" :help: Others have said things like "Im paying thousands of dollars for my fare and meals, why should I tip, it's all included!" <_< Comments in this vein seem to have come mostly from older, well off pax and from youngsters that might not have the funds or know about tipping!. Lots of middle aged people have even told me that they didnt know you were expected to tip, which sounds about right for the average traveler who doesnt get out much!

I totally agree with the comments about some people trying to swipe tips left in the Diner by others, so I too make sure the server and the SCA get the tip I leave! Stealing by any other name is just that! :angry2:

One of my favorite stories in regards to tipping came on the Sunset Ltd. where an old timer, named Ken, told me that back in the day a $20 tip was a Godsend (thats back in the days of the Coast to Coast Sunset) and that today most people leave $5, which is about 50 cents in todays money! He also told me that now days fewer people tip in the Sleepers than used to back when there were more regular Train travelers!

We wont go into the OBS from Hell Stories that deserve nothing,(except termination!) ie Miss Polly on the Eagles /the Invisible SCA on lots of LD Trains etc. etc. :angry2:

 

[Shanghai]

I have eaten with travelers who did not know it was customary to tip in the diner.

I advised them that I tip and they immediately put forth a tip.

I tip the SCA usually $10 per person per night. If I get a real bummer, I do not tip.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Normally I try to tip at least something because I was raised by a parent who depended on tips to keep food in our stomachs and a roof over our heads. Sometimes I run into a great server and tip much more than average and other times I run into a bad server or have a meal that is poorly made and have a hard time tipping anything. I know that tipping is not directly applicable to the quality of the food, but if the food has been prepared poorly the server should be the first one to notice it and have it corrected. Just shrugging it off and handing it over anyway does not promote a healthy tip in my view. Occasionally I'll have less cash on me than I realize or simply get rushed and forget to tip, but I'm usually pretty good about it. I don't normally need much from the SCA but I tend to agree with those who suggest tipping $5-10 per person per night so long as the SCA was friendly and helpful during our stay.

 

[jdcnosse]

In the state of Michigan I know that minimum wage is $7.40/hr, and employees in such industries likely to be tipped a lot (like wait staff) are allowed to be paid a minimum wage of like $2.50/hr or something like that, but the base wage plus tips have to equal out to be $7.40/hr.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Same $2.05 an hour for servers and Bartenders in Texas, but no minimum required! If there's no tips, they make $2.05 an hour! Here in Austin there are more waitpersons, bartenders, Parking Valets etc. than regular jobs! These are the kind of jobs that our Governor, Rick "The New Nixon" Perry is touting on his Magical Mystery Tour as the future President of Oz! :wacko: (Never happen, he makes W look like Thomas Jefferson!)!)

 

[jdcnosse]

Same $2.05 an hour for servers and Bartenders in Texas, but no minimum required! If there's no tips, they make $2.05 an hour! Here in Austin there are more waitpersons, bartenders, Parking Valets etc. than regular jobs! These are the kind of jobs that our Governor, Rick "The New Nixon" Perry is touting on his Magical Mystery Tour as the future President of Oz! :wacko: (Never happen, he makes W look like Thomas Jefferson!)!)

Tipped jobs are probably better than no jobs. Well that's not entirely true. tipped jobs are better then having no more jobs that unskilled laborers can do. lol Although in a sense being a waitperson/bartender/etc would mean you'd really want to make a good impression on your customers...

 

[Jean]

The 25% who do not tip may well be made up of folks from other countries (like me) who find the non-wages/tipping issue in the US/Canada bizarre. However, none of us can change it, but I almost feel there should be some kind of travel warning pop-up when booking flights/accommodation in the US/Canada, something like "Please be aware that you will require an extra $50-60 per day to tip numerous helpers, because their employers use their services without paying them a fair wage". And indeed, why shouldn't passengers feel that having paid big bucks for a journey, that everything is included? I certainly warn acquaintances to pick up a bunch of $1/$5 notes soon after arrival and keep them handy. On one Amtrak train I overheard an employee in the cafe car telling someone that a relative of his makes $1000 in tips,either per day or per trip (not sure), working for Amtrak, getting way more that $2.05 ph, I suppose. Mind you, even $7.40 is a pathetic wage! If there were no tipping and fair wages were paid everywhere, then taxation would be more accurate and maybe economic troubles lessened. Again, I know that this is never going to change. BTW, do cooks/chefs get any tips, in restaurants or on Amtrak?

Jean

 

[lthanlon]

The 25% who do not tip may well be made up of folks from other countries (like me) who find the non-wages/tipping issue in the US/Canada bizarre.

Jean --> Is there tipping in Australia? I've never visited your country, but plan to one day. The train to Alice Springs sounds like fun!

 

[Jean]

Tipping in Australia is quite minimal. Many cafes/restaurants have a bowl near where you pay, customers may throw in some small change, amounts less than $1. Most people ignore it, I would say. The service industry generally does not expect tips. Come to think of it, there isn't as much of a service industry here as there is in the US and what there is, is not so "in your face", can't think of another way to describe it. However, all workers here are entitled to reasonable wages and this is upheld by industrial law. There is a section for declaring tips/gratuities in our tax returns. Of course, lots of people would like to receive more, but they would not expect to get it through tips. In fact, my feeling is that we find it somewhat distasteful. I certainly find it one of the more stressful issues when in the US/Canada. I always feel I am getting it wrong or I forget. I was amazed the first time I noticed people leaving tips after train meals. I have heard of some "big spenders" giving impressive tips in expensive restaurants here, but I don't frequent such places, so I can't comment on that end of society.

If you enjoy desert scenery, then you may enjoy the Ghan train to Alice Springs. A bit like Nevada or New Mexico but with kangaroos, galahs and gum trees. Not as dramatic as, say, Monument Valley, but I guess Amtrak doesn't run there anyway. I usually suggest visitors consider the coastal trains in Queensland, as our beach and tropical scenery is beautiful and more unique than our desert scenery IMO. Both areas should be avoided in our summer, way too hot. These trains are state-run also, so are more reasonably priced. The privately run trains (Ghan, Indian Pacific etc) do advertise deals at times.

Jean

 

[Eric308]

I have a rather naive question- on my last Amtrak trip, I paid for my meals using a debit card and when the attendant brings the receipt it has the amount mentioned for the food I ordered and it has an empty row called "Tip" and then "Total". So if I ordered at $10 breakfast, I write $2 in the tip and total $12, does that $2 count towards gratuity to the server? Or does one have to leave a cash bill at the table to be counted as gratuity?

As a former bartender, server, busboy....I can tell you that it is MUCH preferred to have the customer pay for the meal/drink ONLY on the card, and give the server the rest in cash. That way there is no tax involved.