is this true about tipping

[MammaJett]

Having a kid who works in service (college kid waiting tables) I have always said "If you can't afford to tip your server, maybe you can't really afford to go out and eat" AND I think the same goes for "outtings" in Las Vegas, If you can't afford the tip then you can't afford the bottle service! I am so thankful for this site--I knew a lot of tipping was involved in Las Vegas but never knew how much and to whom and I'm still learning! Just my 2 cents worth!

[Murlin]

LOL. "Insure." Tips are earned, not expected. That's why you tip people after service, not before. If hosts aren't paid on commission, I don't know why every host isn't offering the exact same minimums/tables.

man you sound like my grand pa who always tipped in change no matter what the bill was. Usually $.50 was his max. Show a little love man.

[asg]

You are dealing with the club directly. The hosts work directly for the club. If you mean directly by using their online reservation system, then good luck!

That sounds exactly like your maitre d expecting a tip.

[Drew]

You are dealing with the club directly. The hosts work directly for the club. If you mean directly by using their online reservation system, then good luck!

That sounds exactly like your maitre d expecting a tip.

We're not saying you have to party and have the same Vegas experience. Hey I'm all for different styles of partying in Vegas. I didn't always do the nightclub scene, but just stuck to lower tier clubs, casino bars, restaurants, etc. Many of my friends and myself still do so.

But if you want to have a higher level of experience at the popular clubs, not waiting in lines, not get your reservations bumped, get decent tables, have hosts bring girls to your tables, have hosts help you with their contacts at other clubs, etc then you gotta pay to play.

We didn't make the rules, of course I'd rather NOT pay the extra $100 on top of the $$$ i'm paying for the bottle. But hey, it's the type of Vegas experience I choose to at times, and with the frequency I go to Vegas it's more beneficial for me to build those relationships.

[Drew]

You are dealing with the club directly. The hosts work directly for the club. If you mean directly by using their online reservation system, then good luck!

That sounds exactly like your maitre d expecting a tip.

and if the restaurant is popular enough with really long waits even with reservations, I'd bet the maitre d is expecting a tip if he were to help you reduce your wait.

[dave742]

asg, i agree with you that the system is ridiculous. tips of $100+ to reserve the right to spend thousands of dollars? $400 + 18%-20% mandatory tip for a $40 bottle of liquor? that said, it is what it is. take it or leave it.

it sounds like you are trying to apply logic to vegas...big mistake.

[MikeyTantalo]

asg, i agree with you that the system is ridiculous. tips of $100+ to reserve the right to spend thousands of dollars? $400 + 18%-20% mandatory tip for a $40 bottle of liquor? that said, it is what it is. take it or leave it.

it sounds like you are trying to apply logic to vegas...big mistake.

there are clubs that require a "handshake of 1000+" for the right table.. it happens weekly..

[WarreN]

asg, i agree with you that the system is ridiculous. tips of $100+ to reserve the right to spend thousands of dollars? $400 + 18%-20% mandatory tip for a $40 bottle of liquor? that said, it is what it is. take it or leave it.

it sounds like you are trying to apply logic to vegas...big mistake.

Well said Dave.

Complaining about the process won't get you anywhere. This is the way Vegas is and will continue to be.

No offense, but this weeds out some of the cheap people and makes the club more exclusive. Clubs are vying to be the best of the best and most exclusive. This cannot be accomplished by letting everyone in the club for pennies and treating everyone the same...sad but true. You gotta learn to play or be left out.

In the end, people come to Vegas to spend money and Vegas has no problem obliging

[MikeyTantalo]

asg, i agree with you that the system is ridiculous. tips of $100+ to reserve the right to spend thousands of dollars? $400 + 18%-20% mandatory tip for a $40 bottle of liquor? that said, it is what it is. take it or leave it.

it sounds like you are trying to apply logic to vegas...big mistake.

Well said Dave.

Complaining about the process won't get you anywhere. This is the way Vegas is and will continue to be.

No offense, but this weeds out some of the cheap people and makes the club more exclusive. Clubs are vying to be the best of the best and most exclusive. This cannot be accomplished by letting everyone in the club for pennies and treating everyone the same...sad but true. You gotta learn to play or be left out.

In the end, people come to Vegas to spend money and Vegas has no problem obliging

I bow to you sir... well said!!

[Breeze]

deleted.nm

[Breeze]

LOL. "Insure." Tips are earned, not expected. That's why you tip people after service, not before. If hosts aren't paid on commission, I don't know why every host isn't offering the exact same minimums/tables.

asg,

In Vegas money talks. If you want something you have to pay for it. You won't get a good table location just by coming up to a host and saying " Hi, How are you?". There are different minimums on table locations, there could be 1btl minimum table locations which can be far away from all the action in the club and there can be 5btl minimum locations that are on the dance floor. SO, if you want a good table location, you give the host a TIP because they are the ones who will be looking after you.

Doesn't sound like they're looking after me at all, sounds like they're looking after the club. Why am I not dealing with the club directly, again?

And no, I don't tip the maitre d at a restaurants either. And even if I did tip, $100/bottle? That's like 25-30%!

This is a business. You are competing with some very, very wealthy patrons. Now you don't have to be a millionaire to be given top flight service in Vegas, but these hosts (like any other person in the service industry) want to know that their time, efforts and opportunity costs of doing business with you are not going to be wasted.


They like dealing with people who tip well, but they also like dealing with polite and friendly people who don't treat them as a simple doorman.



I can tell you one thing, My hosts look after me.


When they comp me free shots, they are looking out for me

When they reserve and hold a kick azz table location for me (even though I could theoretically stiff them and waste their time and money) I know they are looking out for me.

When they comp me free Figi Water ($8 bucks a pop), they are looking out for me.

When they give me their VERY BEST waitress/ server, so my boyz have quality service, they are looking out for me


When they tell a security guard to "watch my effing back" and that guard watches my table like a doberman, they are looking out for me.

When they save me a 1 hour wait in line, they are looking out for me


When they relay special music requests for a birthday boy/ girl, and the DJ gives a special shout out to said person, they are most assuredly looking out for me

When they bottle up my spare booze in plastic containers so I can pre-game for free the next night, they are looking out for me.

When they comp the cover for ANY SINGLE girls I want to bring to my table, they are looking out for me like Batman on amphetamines.

but when they get me into a club the next night,AND COMP MY COVER, knowing that I have not booked a table there and am not planning on giving them a tip, then I know I am not just being looked after...

I know that they are TELLING me that they value my business, my time and that they WANT me to come back to their venues.

They are no longer earning a simple tip. They have WON a customer.


Vegas is a built on these kind of relationships.


If you want to go to a third rate club and throw pennies at people who bust their hump and don't expect anything in return, take your business to f%^&ing Laughlin or Reno.

They love cheapskates like you there.

[smartone618]

Very niiiiice post!

[Matt]

Well said.

[AK2Vegas]

Swish!

[asg]

This is a business. You are competing with some very, very wealthy patrons. Now you don't have to be a millionaire to be given top flight service in Vegas, but these hosts (like any other person in the service industry) want to know that their time, efforts and opportunity costs of doing business with you are not going to be wasted.


They like dealing with people who tip well, but they also like dealing with polite and friendly people who don't treat them as a simple doorman.



I can tell you one thing, My hosts look after me.


When they comp me free shots, they are looking out for me

When they reserve and hold a kick azz table location for me (even though I could theoretically stiff them and waste their time and money) I know they are looking out for me.

When they comp me free Figi Water ($8 bucks a pop), they are looking out for me.

When they give me their VERY BEST waitress/ server, so my boyz have quality service, they are looking out for me


When they tell a security guard to "watch my effing back" and that guard watches my table like a doberman, they are looking out for me.

When they save me a 1 hour wait in line, they are looking out for me


When they relay special music requests for a birthday boy/ girl, and the DJ gives a special shout out to said person, they are most assuredly looking out for me

When they bottle up my spare booze in plastic containers so I can pre-game for free the next night, they are looking out for me.

When they comp the cover for ANY SINGLE girls I want to bring to my table, they are looking out for me like Batman on amphetamines.

but when they get me into a club the next night,AND COMP MY COVER, knowing that I have not booked a table there and am not planning on giving them a tip, then I know I am not just being looked after...

I know that they are TELLING me that they value my business, my time and that they WANT me to come back to their venues.

They are no longer earning a simple tip. They have WON a customer.

You just said it, if they do these things, they have WON a customer. They need to WIN a customer, not EXPECT a customer. What people here are advocating (and you seem to in the last part of your post) is that they should EXPECT me to tip a large portion of my already very large bill to somebody who hasn't done anything to WIN me yet. Especially if I'm not somebody who goes to Vegas regularly, this leaves the customer as the person who is going out on a limb paying additional money beyond what was agreed to for special service they may or may not see. Give me the free shots first, give me the best service first (no line should be expected when you are getting a table), do all those things first that show you are looking out for me first. Then, after service is over, I WILL LOOK OUT FOR YOU. That's how tips work. I don't spread tips around between waiters and hosts that amount to more than 50% of my bill but it's not like I don't tip or tip some minuscule amount. But I also don't go "Hey, you took my name down and didn't cancel my reservation! Here's $200!"