midway market question

I love to eat at midway market, its my fav place in the park to eat. My question is this: why dont they have a self serve soda machine? It would make more sence to have a self serve soda machine,rather than have to pay a wait staff to take drink orders. Plus you have to tip them, and thats anether $2 bucks. Not that I am being cheap or anything, it just dosent make much sence.
*** This post was edited by crazy horse 6/23/2003 3:40:40 PM ***

It makes perfect sense. Ohio law requires a fresh plate for each trip to the buffet, so they need a wait staff to clean up the plates. Having the wait staff serve drinks makes the customers more likely to give a tip. Happier wait staff, and CP can probably pay them less if a certain percentage tip is expected.

Some buffet's, like Home Town, have a self serve soda machine and people seem to be very stingy with the tips. Home Town also has a wait staff to clean up plates.
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I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.

Why should you have to tip if your getting your own food? I would be more than happy to get my own drinks myself, and not have to tip someone to bring them to me. As farr as having a fresh plate everytime, simply hire a bus boy or two to clean them up. Now you have 2 or 3 employies opposed to 6-7 wait staff.

But even at a place like Hometown Buffet, where you get your own drinks, tipping 10% is proper etiquette. This isn't a Cedar Point issue, or an issue of whether Midway Market has too many employees. It's an issue of doing the right thing. Your beef isn't with the park or the restaurant, it's tipping at buffets in general. It's just a dollar. Honestly, is it that big of a deal?

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Walt Schmidt - Virtual Midway
"Are you the creator of Hi and Lois because you are making me laugh." - Comic Book Guy
*** This post was edited by Gemini 6/24/2003 9:27:40 PM ***

We tend to over-tip at Midway Market--15% is typical. This is because the servers there never fail to chat our kids up while we are waiting, and manage to bring us extra napkins (required with the preschool set) before we think to ask.

As another etiquette note: when you get a discount, the tip should be based on the pre-discounted bill. So, if you are using one of those kids-eat-free coupons, you should tip as if you paid for them.

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It's not war, famine, or pestilence; it's only downtime.

I'm glad to hear there are still people who understand tipping etiquette. I'll bet the same people who don't believe they should have to tip at buffet's don't tip the housekeeping staff at hotels either.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
http://www.webtechnik.com/ebony/CPLady.htm

You have to keep in mind that these guys work for sub-minimum wage. Of course, the better members of the staff will never make a big show of that fact, buuuutttt......

Who wants to fiddle around with the goofy math of 15%? Give 'em 20% unless they're deficient.

Speaking of tips and buffets--if I may ramble off-topic a bit--I can't help but pleasantly recall the most incredible buffet I've ever been to, which was Palmeras @ the San Juan Caribe Hilton. I had my little income tax check in hand and was throwing it away on the $30 seafood 'specials' and 30% tips. By the end of the trip, the wait staff was slinging back unlimited tropical punch drinks at CBaby and Da Midget (fresh-squeezed stuff @ $4 a glass) and whoopsie! forgetting to add desserts, beers and even an entree to out tickets. Needless to say, they got paid for it...in their pocket. Glad to do it.

Not that you'd ever get that kind of love @ Midway Market. What was my point? Did I have one? Just had to get the story off, I guess. Carry on.

-'Playa

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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.

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Gemini said:
But even at a place like Hometown Buffet, where you get your own drinks, tipping 10% is proper etiquette. This isn't a Cedar Point issue, or an issue of whether Midway Market has too many employees. It's an issue of doing the right thing. Your beef isn't with the park or the restaurant, it's tipping at buffets in general. It's just a dollar. Honestly, is it that big of a deal?

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Walt Schmidt - Virtual Midway
"Are you the creator of Hi and Lois because you are making me laugh." - Comic Book Guy
*** This post was edited by Gemini 6/24/2003 9:27:40 PM ***

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I used to hate tipping until I actually worked around people and food. 10-15% is about my speed. I dont want to feel like a total loser so i leave an adequate tip. Everyone else should as well because thats how the food servers make their living!

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Erie: The only great lake you can walk from end to end and only get oil on your shoes!

I've tipped on the high side ever since I've been picking up tabs. My experience is similar to Ron's.

My first job as a kid was as a caddie at our local country club; most golf courses set a "floor" for what caddies can be paid, but it is ridiculously low. Most of the members paid caddies pretty well, but a few were well-known as being tight with the tips. The better caddies (which thankfully included me) were rarely assigned to the cheapskates, despite assignment being "random". The caddiemaster was no fool.

As a result of this experience, I'm of the opinion that everyone should take at least one job whose income depends significantly on tips. It guarantees that you'll look at tips in a whole new light.

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It's not war, famine, or pestilence; it's only downtime.

Now we know the proper etiquette for tipping for a buffet, I just wish some folks would learn it for delivery drivers. I don't expect people to throw money at me by any means, but when I take the time to make sure the order is right, everything they order is there, I greet every customer at their door with a smile and "How are you all doing tonight?", and I hand out packaged paper plates/napkins/plastic forks, and condiments in a nifty little bag, with every order delivered to a motel room, I think I deserve just a bit more than a crummy buck. It totally kills me when people have like .40 in change and they will sit there and WAIT for it back. I mean good grief.

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This ain't no book you you can close, when the big light hits your eyes. Cropduster-Riot Act-Pearl Jam

I looked at the little slip today at Midway Market and it says that their waiters make 54% of minimum wage, which is pretty low. I think a decent tip doesn't hurt anybody's pocket book too much and it sure does help the waiters make the other half of their minimum wage.

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CP 2K3: 10

I usually give them what I have, I usually go eat at Silver Dollar and some of them work from open to close which is twelve hours or more, I feel bad for them, even if I didn't, I always go to every restaurant and at least shoot for fifteen percent or better. If it was a buffet that is self serve, I don't care about etiquette that much, I just care whether or not they treat you nice when they come get your plates. Now that I think about it, if somebody didn't treat me nice at a fine restaurant, I wouldn't give them anything.

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Life has it's ups and downs, might as well make it on a coaster!

My problem is I've never had good service there getting the things I can't get myself, including drinks. We go at least a half-dozen times a year, and the service consistantly sucks. We're usually big tippers... probably 25% on average unless they suck. The people at Midway however generally aren't helpful, and that's particularly irritating when I have to do 80% of the work in the first place.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED!

I always tip at resterants, my complaint is why they just dont have a self serve soda machine so they could eliminate the help they have to hire.....thus lowering my cost(hopefuly). Simply pay the bus boy a full wage(not sure what min wage is in ohio), rather than having to deal with a waiter at all. Like I said before, I dont mind getting my own drink, as a matter of fact I would rather get it myself than have to deal with any waiter.

I also hate it when they pester you every 30 seconds to ask if you need a refill on your drink.

That's surprising, Jeff; we've had good service both times we've been. We do go at off hours though, when the place is at best half-full, so YMMV.

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It's not war, famine, or pestilence; it's only downtime.

I have to agree with Jeff--they were 0-for-2 last year with me. Previous years were much better.

3 things

Little bit off topic, but if you get the newspaper delivered to your house, tip the carrier. Especially if you're one of those customers which wants it in a specific spot (such as in a door or box). Its very annoying when people are particular about their paper, but fail to tip the carrier.

second, I've never heard of tipping the housekeeping staff at a hotel? Maybe my parents just didn't teach me right, or am I missing something? I've just never heard of anyone doing that.

Third, its not a big deal to tip at a sit down restaurant, period. Even if it is buffet.

I always thought the idea of tipping for housekeeping was as common as tipping at a restaurant. A dollar, per person, per day, is typical.

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Walt Schmidt - Virtual Midway
"Are you the creator of Hi and Lois because you are making me laugh." - Comic Book Guy

Why else did you think hotels have those 'glad to be of service--how can I help you' cards? Cuz they think you won't ask for anything?

Basically, they're for holding down your housekeeper's tip.

-CO

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The CPlaya 100--6 days, 9 parks, 47 coasters, 2037 miles and a winner.....LoCoSuMo.
*** This post was edited by CoastaPlaya 6/26/2003 1:41:07 PM ***

We stayed at one hotel that didn't use cards ... they used envelopes. How thoughtful :) .

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Walt Schmidt - Virtual Midway
"Are you the creator of Hi and Lois because you are making me laugh." - Comic Book Guy