How to Handle the Tip on an Expensive Comped Dinner?

An issue came up on our last trip to Vegas. We were in a party of eight on a comp at Delmonico's steakhouse at the Venetian. It was a very expensive meal with several bottles of vintage wine and there was a little awkwardness around how much of a tip to leave and who should pay it. What's the best way to handle such a situation?

The tip for a comped meal is the same as it would be for any meal you pay for: 15%-20% of the bill (minus sales tax). When expensive wine is involved, some people discount the toke a bit, thinking that $30-$40 extra on the tip per $200 bottle of wine that the waiter uncorks and pours is a bit excessive.

It's the same for a 2-for-1 coupon on a meal: The toke is 15%-20% of what the meal would cost retail.

As you indicate in your question, the secondary question is often more important and tricky: Who pays the tip?

In our experience, there are a few basic ways to handle such comped-dinner tip situations.

First, it's an unwritten casino tradition for the "compees" (the guests of the "comped") to spring for the toke. If the guests aren't aware of this tradition, the party with the comp can invoke it, or just say something like, "Dinner's on me. Tip's on you."

Of course, as you also indicate, while treating guests to an extremely expensive meal, including heavily marked-up wine or alcohol, the tip can get hefty in a hurry. In this case, and depending on how the comped feels about the compees, he might consider being a total sport and seeing to the toke himself. He can always make himself feel better, if necessary, by rationalizing that he's treating friends or family to a nice dinner for 15-20 cents (depending on how George he is) on the dollar. He can also turn it into an IOU by saying, "Tonight's entirely on me. You can treat next time."

Alternatively, the compees can split the toke; that's probably the most common way it's done.

Finally, you can gamble for the tip. Loser pays. This is a fun way to end the meal, especially if no one at the table will get hurt too badly by having to pony up 15%-20% of a big tab.

Bring along a deck of cards and cut the pack; low card loses.

Ask the waiter for straws for each diner, then cut one; short straw pays.

Ask the waiter to pick a number from 1 to 100; whoever gets closest to the number loses.

The main thing is knowing exactly how it'll be played before sitting down to eat. That way no one is backed into an uncomfortable corner at the end of a nice comped dining experience.

If any compeds or compees out there have different ideas, we'd love to hear them.

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Comments

Kevin Rough Oct-08-2017

I would agree

Tip on a comped meal is the same as a meal paying retail, 15-20% of the bill before sales tax.

Mr. Seafood 21 Oct-08-2017

MR_FISH_1

This has nothing to do with QOD. I'm very surprised that after a week since the shooting in Vegas, there has not been anything mentioned by LVA.

O2bnVegas Oct-08-2017

Tips on comped meals

We once treated another couple at a nice place (not Vegas), maybe $175 or so total.  Actually, they invited themselves along when I told the wife I was taking hubby out for his birthday.  Anyway, great service, the staff and management know us there, food was excellent.  When the check came the wife said "we'll get the tip."  Great, thanks.  We talked a few minutes more, had another coffee.  As we stood to leave, the wife put $2 on the table.  Two dollars!  Yikes! I was too flabbergasted to say something.  I let them go on ahead, fumbled in my purse, found two $20s and tossed them on the table.  I wasn't sure at the moment whether this was over or under.  Beware of allowing cheapskates to cover the tip!  Never again for this couple As the soup guy on Seinfeld would have said, "No more soup for you!"

Deke Castleman Oct-08-2017

For Mr. Fish 1 -- and Candy

Here's why. After a lot of anguish and thought, I decided, unilaterally because Anthony Curtis was so busy being a source and interview subject, that QoD would continue as usual. Actually, it's scheduled a couple weeks in advance, so I just left well enough alone. Also, I felt that QoD wasn't the proper vehicle for making an official statement, which should and would come from the publisher. And if you saw even a few of the questions we received (events like these tend to bring out the whackos), you'd perhaps understand a little better. We did post a few items in Today's News. 

But if you want to see the first official statement by Anthony Curtis, go to the home page and click on his blog, "The Shooter Gambler." I also highly recommend reading Captain Jack's comment. 

Both are exceedingly compelling.

And Candy, thank you for all your comments. We receive them via email when they're posted, read them, and highly regard them. You always add something interesting. Much appreciated.

Deke Castleman Oct-09-2017

This in from Al via email

"I do like the idea that the people who are getting a free meal should cover the tip. It was the gambling host's play (which probably was a $$ loss) that earned the comp, so in a sense he/she has already "paid" something, while his guests haven't necessarily "paid" anything yet. 

But in order for this to fly, the gambler host needs to present the arrangement without using the word "treat", because when a host treats others to dinner, etiquette says that he/she also covers the tip. Instead, he needs to present the arrangement as serendipity that occurred because of his gambling, and present it as a case in which he and the other diners are all equally benefiting from the comp, but that he has sort of "paid" something for the meal already by his play, so "casino custom" says that in these situations just the "outsider" guests cover the tip, and do so together, equally. The arrangement must be presented in this way in order for the guests to feel that they should cover the tip."

Question of the Day - 08 October 2017

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