Tipping on Corkage???

If they charge me corkage, there is no way in Hades I am going to add a tip based on the value of my wine.

If they don't charge me corkage, I'll usually add the corkage amount to the tip for the server to get.

quote:

Originally posted by Rothko:
If they charge me corkage, there is no way in Hades I am going to add a tip based on the value of my wine.

If they don't charge me corkage, I'll usually add the corkage amount to the tip for the server to get.

exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

As I had mentioned somewhere in a past thread on corkage, the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald here in Edmonton charges a variable corkage fee that increases with the value, age, and rarity of the wine you bring in. It is determined according to the discretion of the maitre d'.

They say: the older wines require more care and attention in handling and serving.

I say: I'm dining elsewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by mitPradikat:
As I had mentioned somewhere in a past thread on corkage, the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald here in Edmonton charges a variable corkage fee that increases with the value, age, and rarity of the wine you bring in. It is determined according to the discretion of the maitre d'.

They say: the older wines require more care and attention in handling and serving.

I say: I'm dining elsewhere.

Sounds like socialism...

That's why I love to share a taste of my wine with my table server... that always seems to work in benefit of everyone's whole dining time. It's fun seeing their facial expressions when they try something that really blows them away!

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

In my opinion, this is equally as ridiculous as ordering a $1000 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $200 tip versus a $100 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $20 tip. What exactly does the waiter do differently?

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

In my opinion, this is equally as ridiculous as ordering a $1000 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $200 tip versus a $100 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $20 tip. What exactly does the waiter do differently?

to quote my friend mitpradkit, "the older wines require more care and attention in handling and serving."

duh!

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

In my opinion, this is equally as ridiculous as ordering a $1000 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $200 tip versus a $100 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $20 tip. What exactly does the waiter do differently?

Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

The corkage fee goes to the restaurant, I always leave an extra $20-$40 tip for the waiter for wine I bring. That covers a 20% tip on most wines I bring.

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

In my opinion, this is equally as ridiculous as ordering a $1000 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $200 tip versus a $100 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $20 tip. What exactly does the waiter do differently?

Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Exactly.

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

In my opinion, this is equally as ridiculous as ordering a $1000 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $200 tip versus a $100 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $20 tip. What exactly does the waiter do differently?

Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Exactly.

so does that mean you tip according to the value of the wine you're bringing to the restaurant?

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
so does that mean you tip according to the value of the wine you're bringing to the restaurant?

No. I mean the whole idea of tipping for service at a restaurant based on value is quite bizarre. I don't think it should be that way for wine or food. But in practice, what can one do so as to not be an outcast?

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
so does that mean you tip according to the value of the wine you're bringing to the restaurant?

No. I mean the whole idea of tipping for service at a restaurant based on value is quite bizarre. I don't think it should be that way for wine or food. But in practice, what can one do so as to not be an outcast?

Cook at home and ask the wife for tips on how to cook better?

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:

quote:

Originally posted by WEc:

quote:

Originally posted by jorgerunfast:
exactly what i do! thank god i'm not the only person thinking you have to be crazy... so i bring a $1,000 wine to dinner and the waiter gets an automatic $200!!!

In my opinion, this is equally as ridiculous as ordering a $1000 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $200 tip versus a $100 bottle of wine off the list and the waiter getting a $20 tip. What exactly does the waiter do differently?

Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Exactly.

so does that mean you tip according to the value of the wine you're bringing to the restaurant?

Not at all, it's just a point for discussion. It's just a double standard that I noticed. Not saying that these situations have a right or wrong answer, but it was interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:
Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Good question, Nolan. I don't have a logical answer.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:
Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Good question, Nolan. I don't have a logical answer.

Sometimes my "what if" kind of questions get me in trouble. But they're fun to think about and I like to challenge popular thought, whether proven right or wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:
Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Nolan, you tip more for the steak because it is customary to tip on a percentage. Do you live in Texas or Canada?

quote:

Originally posted by spo:

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:
Just for argument's sake, why would you tip more ordering a $40 steak versus a $10 salad? What does the waiter do differently?

Nolan, you tip more for the steak because it is customary to tip on a percentage. Do you live in Texas or Canada?

But why is it customary? I'm not saying the salad person should tip more or the steak person less, think about it in abstract terms, where there were not social stigmas. Tipping on a percentage doesn't make sense in that school of thought.

Not that I'm here to change tipping habits, but maybe waiters should be paid by the hour by patrons, the nicer the restaurant the higher the rate, where number of dishes or price of wine doesn't factor into the waiter's pay. Of course if you order more dishes or bottles, time is extended and you end up paying the waiter more for his time and for taking up valuable real estate.

Jorgerunfast,

I would just tip on the corkage. I look at a server's job sort of like sales and they deserve their commission for what you order. Now when people order a $1,000 bottle of wine then decide to tip based on how much manual labor was involved in pulling the cork, that is bullshit, and those people deserve to be flogged publicly.

I would never go to a restaurant that charges a corkage based on value of the bottle, that is uncivilized.

quote:

Originally posted by NolanE:
But why is it customary? I'm not saying the salad person should tip more or the steak person less, think about it in abstract terms, where there were not social stigmas. Tipping on a percentage doesn't make sense in that school of thought.

Not that I'm here to change tipping habits, but maybe waiters should be paid by the hour by patrons, the nicer the restaurant the higher the rate, where number of dishes or price of wine doesn't factor into the waiter's pay. Of course if you order more dishes or bottles, time is extended and you end up paying the waiter more for his time and for taking up valuable real estate.

Nolan, this isn't really abstract subject matter though. If people tipped based on time they could just as easily say why don't we tip based on price. All I wanted was a cup of coffee, some creme brule and conversation and it cost me an arm and a leg. People can look at how anything is done and want to renegotiate so the situation is always in their favor.

p.s. are you enrolled in a philosophy course right now?

In a restaurant, charging based on time is a horrible idea. You know how people get kind of pissed when their food takes a long time to come to the table, like when a bunch of orders go in at once. On top of that perceived bad service they are charged extra to sit and wait.

I knew there was yet another reason I am grateful to have gotten stationed in New Jersey. Gotta love BYO's, and gotta love having 3 great BYO's within walking distance! Corkage what? -mJ

This issue was raised in 2008 here and earlier this year here.

quote:

Originally posted by spo:
I would just tip on the corkage. I look at a server's job sort of like sales and they deserve their commission for what you order.

Interesting point. Did the salesman who sells you and makes a commission on the E63 Mercedes really do "more work" than the salesman who sold you the Ford Focus? Probably not, but since the Mercedes sells for 3X-4X, they get more money in their pocket.

I'm guessing the Ford Focus Salesman does more work. The E63 sells itself.

It seems to me that automobile sales analogies don't really work here. The Ford Focus outsells all E-class Mercedes (of which the E65 must be one of the least sold models) by more than 6 to 1; if the number of dealerships were equal-- and I'm sure they're not-- the salesmen for both ought to come out pretty even. I'm pretty sure the Mercedes salesman ends up spending more time per vehicle with the customer, especially given that he has to be present for delivery and give the customer a 1 to 2 hour introduction to the vehicle. I equate the higher level of service with the salesman working harder.

Anyway, I think all of this is pretty far removed from the concept of tipping for corkage. I tip on the total bill, no matter what was involved in the meal. Special service gets an additional amount; poor service gets a reduced amount. I don't distinguish between corkage or purchasing a bottle from a restaurant. If it's an expensive bottle of wine, in my mind I've already accepted that a percentage of its price will be added to the tip. I think if someone is worried about the amount of the tip on wine making the meal too expensive, that person should order a less expensive bottle of wine.

quote:

Originally posted by Dunder:
Did the salesman who sells you and makes a commission on the E63 Mercedes really do "more work" than the salesman who sold you the Ford Focus? Probably not, but since the Mercedes sells for 3X-4X, they get more money in their pocket.

Typically, the selling price of a car has no correlation to the commission paid to a salesperson. Most salesfolk in the car biz are paid commission on the profit. So the Focus guy who sold his car for a $3000 profit makes more than the AMG guy who has to give his car away, all things being equal.

Also, please let me know where you can get an E63 for 4X the price of a Focus!!!

I have no problem tipping on corkage. If corkage is waived, and I think that the server had anything to do with it, I'll take that into account when calculating my gratuity.

PH

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:

Also, please let me know where you can get an E63 for 4X the price of a Focus!!!



PH

It's probably different in every market PH, but a well-equipped Focus (leather, automatic, premium sound, etc) lists here for about $27000, while the E65 (with ambient lighting at no extra cost, baby!) is $107000, almost exactly 4X the price.

I was working off base MSRP which is around 16K for a Focus (down here) and just under 90K for the AMG.

PH

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
I was working off base MSRP which is around 16K for a Focus (down here) and just under 90K for the AMG.

PH

Now why would you get a sweet ride like a Ford Focus without getting all the bells and whistles? AM/FM radio AND a CD Player? Yes please.

Seaquam, if you think Ford Focus outsells Mercedes E63 6:1, you've never been to Richmond.

From a practical standpoint, I personally adopt your philosophy, whatever the components of the total bill, I tip 15% for mediocre sevice, 15-25% for excellent to exceptional service. Now don't get me started on tipping on the 12% HST.

quote:

Originally posted by hippomon:
The corkage fee goes to the restaurant, I always leave an extra $20-$40 tip for the waiter for wine I bring. That covers a 20% tip on most wines I bring.

Bingo!!

is it old timers night already?

quote:

Originally posted by dinwiddie:
Bingo!!

I only tip at restaurants that I plan on returning to.

Tip is based on the sub-total before the tax. 15 - 18%, in Europe less according to local custom so as not to look like the Ugly American
Have never tipped on a corkage fee, that is basically a tip in itself.

I don't think of the corkage fee as a tip. I think it's compensation to the restaurant for income lost by not selling their own wine.

Holy Cow, I agree with Board-O!

quote:

No. I mean the whole idea of tipping for service at a restaurant based on value is quite bizarre. I don't think it should be that way for wine or food. But in practice, what can one do so as to not be an outcast?

Anybody would think US restaurants are too mean to pay their front-of-house staff. Is that capitalism?

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Bowers:

Have never tipped on a corkage fee, that is basically a tip in itself.

Corkage is certainly not gratuity that goes to the waiter.