Tipping

[Bill Haithcoat]

Yes, I have noticed the skimpy tipping as well. A point made earlier on this post, the guys in the diner have to have a lot of dexterity, work in very small kitchens....things the crew at TGIF know nothing about. So, unless, they are complete jerks, as sometimes happen,especially recently with Superliner Diner from CHI to WAS, lets be generous!!

Further, they also have to deal over and over and over again with bewildered passengers brand new to train travel who have no earthly idea what to expect about anything , do not wish to be seated by strangers, etc, etc.....again, people don't walk into your local TGIF completely bewildered by the whole scene, and at 79 mph at that. .........all this plus the usual care and attention needed at any restaurant.

 

[PRR 60]

Part of the problem for sleeping car passengers not tipping for the complimentary meals is that, to the best of my knowledge, there is no clear direction to those passengers that such tips are expected. Many are not war-hardened Amtrak veterans, and these folks may erroneously think that their “complimentary” meals (Amtrak’s description) are actually free. It is not an unreasonable expectation for travelers.

I travel quite a bit and often get the opportunity to stay in hotels on package plans that include one or more meals. In most cases, these free meals include the service gratuity. You sit down, have your meal, leave a voucher or show your room card, and leave. The service staff is credited by the hotel for the appropriate tips. Everybody is happy. In the cases where tips are not included, this fact is usually clearly made known on the voucher or in the other package materials.

I do tip the Amtrak servers for my “free” dining service because I know this is the expectation and that Amtrak does not compensate them for my service gratuities, but I do not think I should have to leave tips. I think that it is a little silly for Amtrak to charge a fortune for a room which includes free meals and then nickel and dime the passenger for two or three dollar tips, with the victim being the server if the payment is not made. If the room is $300, and three meals each for two passengers are included, then simply bump the room price by to $314, pay that $14 to the staff in a pooled fund, and let the passengers enjoy the trip without having to pay for the free meals. Or cut out the free meals entirely and make everyone pay. But, if meals are not free, do not dare call this First Class.

By the way, I also think one split of wine per passenger should also be provided to sleeping car "guests" (I loved that Warringtonism), but that is fodder for another thread someday.

 

[Philip Morton]

Hey guys and gals!

Shorting the food servers and attendant on tips doesn't make any sense. If you can afford the sleeping quarters a generous tip is a no brainer.

The staff is well trained in courtesy and take pride making us feel special.

Even if it's a good job compared to some other trades it's not a fast track to a house on the hill.

Give. Generously.

Philip (California Zephyr)

 

[cirdan]

One thing I have noticed is how many people DON'T tip in the dining car. They enjoy their meal, make multiple requests to the server, and then just leave like it's beneath them to tip. And these are folks that probably tip without fail in a restaurant. What is different about the train? I probably over-tip at times, but when you see how those folks hustle (usually) and what they often put up with, it's hard not to. And when you come back for your second or third meal of a trip, you are often rewarded with an extra smile and prompt drink refills. I suppose when I eventually experience a bad server my opinions might change - but for now I'm a firm believer in tipping.

There are plenty of bad apples on Amtrak. People who will serve with a grumpy attitude, just plonk stuff on the table, pretend they haven't noticed you need help, or think chatting with the other staff endlessly is more important than checking on your needs. This makes it all the more important to reward those who go out of their way to provide good service, or even good enough service. Hopefully the others will then awaken to the fact that a little extra effort pays.

 

[Ryan]

The best kind of tipping argument is a 15 year old tipping argument.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

By the way, I also think one split of wine per passenger should also be provided to sleeping car "guests" (I loved that Warringtonism), but that is fodder for another thread someday.

I’d rather have the tips added to my room cost rather than an alcohol drink that I won’t drink. [emoji57]

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Hey guys and gals!

Shorting the food servers and attendant on tips doesn't make any sense. If you can afford the sleeping quarters a generous tip is a no brainer.

The staff is well trained in courtesy and take pride making us feel special.

Even if it's a good job compared to some other trades it's not a fast track to a house on the hill.

Give. Generously.

Philip (California Zephyr)

I hate the “if you can afford <fill in the blank> you can afford <extra cost>”. What if I can just barely the <fill in the blank> ?

That’s not to say I don’t tip. I always calculate tips and anticipated meal costs into my travel expenses.

 

[Rasputin]

For reasonably decent service, I usually tip the sleeping car attendant about $5-10 per person per night.

In the dining car I usually tip 15-20 % of the price of the meal.

I believe most hotel maids work harder than most sleeping car attendants I have seen and I tip them also.

I believe that most OBS employees are well paid and are not dependent on tips (which is why some clearly act like tips are irrelevant to them.)

Some of the rationales used in this discussion about why we should tip and why the OBS work is so difficult are quite amusing.

 

[jloewen]

For reasonably decent service, I usually tip the sleeping car attendant about $5-10 per person per night.

In the dining car I usually tip 15-20 % of the price of the meal.

I believe most hotel maids work harder than most sleeping car attendants I have seen and I tip them also.

I believe that most OBS employees are well paid and are not dependent on tips (which is why some clearly act like tips are irrelevant to them.)

Some of the rationales used in this discussion about why we should tip and why the OBS work is so difficult are quite amusing.

Some years ago I asked a dining car attendant what he made and the answer, as I recall, was just above $43,000. Not bad. And not what most restaurant waiters make, sans tips. So I think tipping on Amtrak should be optional, conditioned upon better than average service, or service with style, both for sleeping car attendants and dining car staff. My wife however tips anyway, so she is in charge of tipping when we travel together.

 

[Charles785]

As Cirdan noted above it does seem that it's not that unusual to come across a dining car server who seems to be less than enthusiastic in trying to please customers.

And, at least in my experience, in the non-train restaurant world I rarely come across a server with an attitude problem, whether it's a plain diner or a fine dining establishment. They smile, they look me in the eye, and just in general try to make me feel like I'm important to them; all the great people skills you would want in a customer service employee.

And, yes, I'm sure these waiters are doing their best to make me feel that I want to be generous with my tip. Just like a good sales representative knows they can increase their income by exhibiting their best people skills, the savvy restaurant servers at all levels know they can enhance their total income by making their customers feel good. (And, yes, the better I feel about the food service experience, the better I will indeed tip.)

And there indeed are many Amtrak dining car employees with that same positive attitude. But it seems like there are also many who display indifferent, negative and even surly attitudes toward passenger train customers. Whether that is because they're unionized and know it's practically impossible for them to be fired, I'm not sure but I suspect that's the case. However, unionized or not, those folks simply don't belong in customer service work.

I would think that, overall, a non unionized dining car workforce would be best for the best customer service. I have to believe that if their income was based on how well they served their customer, and not on an inflated guaranteed wage, the customer experience would improve.

 

[Acela150]

The best kind of tipping argument is a 15 year old tipping argument.

16 years old. LOL!!

 

[Ryan]

Old enough to drive, instead of taking the train!!!

 

[Acela150]

Old enough to drive, instead of taking the train!!!

 

[Barb Stout]

As Cirdan noted above it does seem that it's not that unusual to come across a dining car server who seems to be less than enthusiastic in trying to please customers.

And, at least in my experience, in the non-train restaurant world I rarely come across a server with an attitude problem, whether it's a plain diner or a fine dining establishment. They smile, they look me in the eye, and just in general try to make me feel like I'm important to them; all the great people skills you would want in a customer service employee.

And, yes, I'm sure these waiters are doing their best to make me feel that I want to be generous with my tip. Just like a good sales representative knows they can increase their income by exhibiting their best people skills, the savvy restaurant servers at all levels know they can enhance their total income by making their customers feel good. (And, yes, the better I feel about the food service experience, the better I will indeed tip.)

And there indeed are many Amtrak dining car employees with that same positive attitude. But it seems like there are also many who display indifferent, negative and even surly attitudes toward passenger train customers. Whether that is because they're unionized and know it's practically impossible for them to be fired, I'm not sure but I suspect that's the case. However, unionized or not, those folks simply don't belong in customer service work.

I would think that, overall, a non unionized dining car workforce would be best for the best customer service. I have to believe that if their income was based on how well they served their customer, and not on an inflated guaranteed wage, the customer experience would improve.

There has been a few times where people have thought I was surly when in fact I was "just" in physical pain. I believe the mistaken assumption was because I was unable to conjure enough psychological energy to smile and presented "resting bitch face". There are a number of reasons why people might have not-so-good people skills and I doubt that being in a union is a top contender.

 

[CAMISSY55]

Barb, I hear you about the pain face. However, while I continued working for ten years refusing to accept that I needed to quit and file for disability, it was the public who got strained (but truly meant) smiles and the best service I could offer. It was,unfortunately, my family and friends who were subjected to the grimaces and pained ugly responses.

Regarding the “not-so-good people skills... I totally agree with you that just because Amtrak employees are unionized and have supposed job security, that is the reason some give such poor service. I think that it has more to do with a lack of meaningful, ongoing training and an effective management structure to insure that standards and procedures are routinely being met.

For what it’s worth (haha!), my opinion reflects my experience in my first job, which was a unionized retail clerk in a large grocery store chain. We underwent a week of training (that we had to pass successfully) before starting. And we were coached through role-play how to be pleasant and “personable.” It was not assumed that we had learned that at home! After starting and throughout an employee’s tenure, union employees were subject to impromptu “mystery shoppers” who assessed if employees were performing to the standards and procedures taught during training and any continuing skills training.

Reaching Journeyman was conditional on those evaluations, as well as, the store manager’s evaluations. I made Journyman, there were some who did not.

Union membership does not, should not, be an excuse for poor customer service.

IMO, the fault is likely not with the union, but with company’s (in this case, Amtrak’s) management practices and policies.