Question of the Day - 16 May 2017

First, thanks for checking our tipping FAQ — 20 questions that cover everything from where the word “tip” comes from to toking with TITO. Also for giving us fodder for a lucky twenty-first FAQ.

Second, yes, an automatic gratuity goes straight to the server, or at least it’s supposed to.

The rules are clear, though anyone with experience in the food-and-beverage industry knows that employers sometimes play fast and loose with them. They might redistribute tips among non-wait staff employees, such as kitchen crews and managers, even bussers, especially if the waiters and waitresses are less than generous with the tipout. Some employers have withheld a portion—or in one case we heard about all—of the credit/debit card zooks to cover “administrative” and other vague costs.

Fact is, especially in busy restaurants, credit/debit card tips can add up to a lot of money, so it’s not surprising that it’s tempting for managers and owners to covet a piece of them, even if they're circumventing or breaking the law. And this is especially true of those automatic gratuities, generally imposed on parties of six or more patrons.

All that said, we’d be surprised if Las Vegas Strip casinos played blatant games with F&B employee tokes. Almost all the restaurant workers are union, for one, and there’s simply too much at stake to piss off so many employees. (By contrast, dealers aren’t unionized, so their zooks have been cut up in various ways by some casinos.)

As for the other two questions, about adding to the 18% auto gratuity and spiffing off a few bucks to the pool host or hostess, these are both a matter of personal preference. Most people probably think the auto 18% is plenty, though handing a server a little extra for excellent service is a nice touch, especially in Vegas where cash makes the world go round.

Same with the host or hostess. This writer worked for many years in the hospitality industry and, except in rare circumstances, still sees tipping from the receiving, rather than the giving, side, even when the service is lousy (in which case, it’s the proverbial sympathy tip). This is one person’s opinion, but duking off a few bucks when possible to a generally underpaid employee who provides a service, no matter how brief or perfunctory, is a feel-good proposition on both sides.