What's wrong with the Midway Market?

^When I used to earn tips at my job that was the case.

I used to work as a server, both in true sit down restaurants and at buffet's and the tips were usually always around 15%. now most people are paying less at the buffet so the tip is less, but again you can handle more tables so it usually evens out in the end.

As is true for any tipping position, if you are good and attentive then you will get tipped more. Of course then you always get the people who don't tip no matter what, or tip below 15%.

Once being in that position I usually tip around 25-30% or more for good service and around 15% for mediocre. But I will NOT tip for poor service, if you can't get even the basics then you did not earn the tip! And people who complain they get stiffed often should look at what they are doing when working, that may tell you why you are not getting tipped.

*Edit*

In Ohio, at least in 2007, the employer was required to make sure the pay was at least minimum wage. They are supposed to take this number off the reported tips, but I know of a lot of people that would under report their earnings so they would not have to pay taxes or even get their minimum wage increase. Of course if that happens often you are either a poor server or are cheating the system, and either way in my book should probably be let go.

A couple of the reasons my family usually chooses Midway Market over the other sit down restaurants at CP are:

It's in the park unlike some of the others and you don't have to wait to order and then wait for the food. We can be in and out much faster than Fridays or Famous Daves. We visit those sometimes, often to wait out a rainstorm. Otherwise we don't like to spend much time eating, we'd rather in on rides etc.

$1/person at a buffet is usually what I leave. My mom told me about a time that her and my dad were at Golden Corral and a group of 10 or so left a complete mess when they were done and zero tip. She said the girl was about to cry so my dad gave her $20 for the slobs plus they're own tip.

The thing I hate about tipping is:

1. Who exactly am I tipping? One person seats me and takes my drink order. Another brings the drinks. That person probably takes my actual order but then another person (or two) actually bring the food.

2. If I tip the waiter/waitress I am tipping them, not the rest of the staff. This pooling of tips is ridiculous IMHO.

One strategy I have heard is when you are seatedput a pile of $1 bills on the table and let them know that this is their potential tip. Everytime they mess something up (not asking for refills, etc.) take a dollar away, and make sure they see it. I haven't tried this method yet but I'm awfully tempted to. :)

That sounds like the fastest way imaginable to get various bodily fluids added to your food, and rightfully so.

OK, so maybe not "rightfully so", but that would be a dick move, to say the least.

i love Midway Market. their fried chicken is AWESOME!

i have worked in buffet-style places before. it was also a sit-down place on the nights there was no buffet.

we rarely, if ever, got tipped on the buffet nights. people seemed to think you didnt have to tip the person who just spent three hours cleaning up their mess, getting their expensive drinks from the bar and keeping their table spotless. after a while management got wise to this when a server asked a customer who had left NOTHING on a bill of $400 (15 sesfood buffets and lots of foo-foo drinks) why they left her nothing. the customer replied "because i had to get my own food"...

well, that waitress just worked for FREE because of you! especially when you are so demanding she has to turn down taking other tables just to take care of YOU.

so they started adding a 15% tip onto EVERY BILL on buffet nights. didnt matter if it was 2 people or 200 people. 15% no matter what. made it seem a lot more worthwhile and when i had to tip out my busboy at the end of the night he was getting more than a couple of dollars.

if you dont tip at a buffet, fine. but remember, servers get taxed on what they SELL, not on what they make. so if you dont tip, that person just worked for FREE. last time i checked that was illegal.

I thought that tipped employees had to calculate their expected cash tips based on a percentage of credit card tips; therefore to be nice without costing any extra, write a big fat goose-egg on the credit card slip and leave a generous cash tip. That way the average credit card tip gets smaller and the cash isn't traceable.........

(Yes, I know, every tip is carefully accounted for and reported for tax purposes...)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Well, they're supposed to be, anyway... ;)

I really don't like MM cause it is a buffet and I do not really like buffets all that much other than the one in Vegas.

For tips at most national chains they take a % of your sales and they assume thats its tips. I think the standard is 8% of net sales the "ASSUME" you make in tips. That is what you get taxed on at least a fridays and famous daves. In a couple states they say you make X per hour in tips.

I have never been to MM. Usually when I go to the park I will eat at Game Day Grille or Johnny Rockets. Famous Dave's is the best though.

I have been there 3 times and it was the same each time.

There is a somewhat tasteless quality to some of the food and I am pretty sure some of their items are exactly the same as the buffet at KI.

I don't hate it. I find it a pretty good deal compared to buying separate items in the park. I do find it a little tasteless as noted. It looks better than it is.

The desserts are nice and the unlimited drinks are a good deal.

I have never been there when it was too busy. I would go again but I don't like to eat too much at the park. I ate too much at the buffet once and felt ill for the rest of the day.

Best food at CP: Famous Dave's

Ok I will give Famous Dave's a shot. Does it tend to be busy?

It does get pretty busy. Try to go around like 5:30.

It is a buffet.

Buffets are always a roll of the dice, and it's all about the cleaning staff / cooks.

CPboy77 said:
It does get pretty busy. Try to go around like 5:30.

Huh? It gets busy so go in the middle of the dinner rush? That makes sense.

Just like any other sit down place in the park, it is busy at dinner time. So eating earlier or later will reduce the time you are waiting for a table.

So, after eating at the backyard BBQ at KI this weekend, I'm convinced that Midway Market absolutely needs a fill-it-yourself drink station.

For one, it's super convenient, and I could change my mind on drinks at any time. For 2, I filled up on so much liquid, because I could just keep going back, that I didn't seem to eat as much food as I could have. (saves money for them..)

Huh? It gets busy so go in the middle of the dinner rush? That makes sense.

Just like any other sit down place in the park, it is busy at dinner time. So eating earlier or later will reduce the time you are waiting for a table.

You should go BEFORE 6. Anytime after 6 is when it gets busy.

Rideman ... As always, your posts are right on the money ! You're one of only a couple of guys on here, that when I see you've written something, it's a must read.

This is pretty simple for me. I love the midway market and think it's one of the best deals in ANY amusement park. I actually look forward to eating there every trip. Sure, the service might not be the greatest. And sure, the food is probably not the best in the world. But I think sometimes our expectations can be a little too high and unreasonable. Saying that the place is terrible and/or the food sucks is simply ridiculous. We need to remember that this is not Red Lobster or Applebees were talking about here. It's an amusement park food joint, that from what I've seen, is ran by a bunch of kids that are just barely out of high school (maybe some are still even in), and most of which would probably rather be just about any place else other than there. So how much consistency could you possibly have just given that alone ?? Still though ... The bottom line is this ... If you can't find something on MMs buffet that you can atleast somewhat enjoy, then you're just one of those people that can never be pleased or satisfied !

As far as the tip thing goes ... Nobody should have any trouble leaving a lousy dollar. Buffet or not. Seriously, anything short of the waiter or waitress being an out right total jerk, no one should ever be that freaking cheap ! Just think ... If we all ponied up that extra buck, maybe things would go better for everyone.