Ouch!
Some people are questioning the "I know nothing" comment and the "no eyeglasses" comment and suggesting that the Borgata may have to start rotating waitresses as well as dealers.Quote: WizardI agree. Maybe that happened but a good sommelier should have sniffed out (forgive the pun) the misunderstanding.
Quote: WizardThis is getting a little off topic, and I've told this story before, so forgive me if you've heard it.
Once I was with a friend who was very well comped at the Wynn. His host invited him, with me as his guest, to a nice fully-comped dinner. When it came time to pick the wine we both deferred to the host, who professed to be familiar with the choices. He said, "How about the yada yada yada?," to which I said "You're in charge of the wine," or something like that.
Turns out he picked a $1,200 bottle. Before seeing the bill I offered to take care of the tip, but was rather put off when I saw the bill, to say the least. I paid only about an extra $100 on the tip for the wine, as I felt the host was shaking me and my friend down for a big tip to the wait staff.
The host invited your friend and you in what I assume was the course of his job which is retaining valued players. This had to have been on the casino's dime. A host wouldn't invite someone to dinner and then charge it to their comps would he? He certainly wouldn't pay for it out of his own pocket. That leads me to believe that there is an internal policy in place addressing tipping where the waitress is compensated in these cases.
The host should have immediately declined your offer to tip. It's unclear whether the wine was ordered before or after your offer. If it was after, it could be that you were conned and the host and the waitress split the tip. Why was the cost of the meal even brought up since the host/casino was taking care of it? What was your friend's reaction to all this?
Quote: 1BBThe host should have immediately declined your offer to tip. It's unclear whether the wine was ordered before or after your offer. If it was after, it could be that you were conned and the host and the waitress split the tip. Why was the cost of the meal even brought up since the host/casino was taking care of it? What was your friend's reaction to all this?
I offered to leave the full tip after the meal but before seeing the bill, since I ate for free and didn't earn the comp. This was several years ago, but as I recall my friend said that the host invited him to a comped dinner, including a friend, that wouldn't count against his comp balance, as long as we covered the tip.
I'm not sure what you mean about the cost of the meal. It never came up. The host truly said to order whatever we wanted and there was no suggestion to "take it easy" at all.
My friend didn't drink any of the wine and I offered to tip, so it didn't affect him at all. However, after the meal I said I was not happy about being obligated to tip on a $1,200 bottle and he sympathized with my complaint.
I've told this story to other locals who know the comp game and they say what probably was going on is the host got to enjoy a free nice meal and get some gratitude and possibly kickback from the waitstaff at generating a big bill and thus big tip.
Quote: WizardI offered to leave the full tip after the meal but before seeing the bill, since I ate for free and didn't earn the comp. This was several years ago, but as I recall my friend said that the host invited him to a comped dinner, including a friend, that wouldn't count against his comp balance, as long as we covered the tip.
I'm not sure what you mean about the cost of the meal. It never came up. The host truly said to order whatever we wanted and there was no suggestion to "take it easy" at all.
My friend didn't drink any of the wine and I offered to tip, so it didn't affect him at all. However, after the meal I said I was not happy about being obligated to tip on a $1,200 bottle and he sympathized with my complaint.
I've told this story to other locals who know the comp game and they say what probably was going on is the host got to enjoy a free nice meal and get some gratitude and possibly kickback from the waitstaff at generating a big bill and thus big tip.
I may have taken some things for granted. When you said you offered to pick up the tip did you mean for the meal or the wine only? To tip for the meal you would need a cost on which to base said tip so I assumed it was mentioned. If it was for the wine only he made sure you knew that cost, unless you saw it on a list. Either way- bad host.
Quote: 1BBI may have taken some things for granted. When you said you offered to pick up the tip did you mean for the meal or the wine only? To tip for the meal you would need a cost on which to base said tip so I assumed it was mentioned. If it was for the wine only he made sure you knew that cost, unless you saw it on a list. Either way- bad host.
I offered to tip based on everything. I knew the cost of the food would be about $300. After I said that and the bill came of course I looked at it to know what to tip. This is when I got the bad case of sticker shock.
I don't know if it would be worth the effort or not but maybe some poster with more time on his hands than I have will assemble a REAL tipping in this town chart.Quote: WizardThis is when I got the bad case of sticker shock.
What does a valet parker have to kick back before sharing tips.
What does a bikini clad waitress have to kick back when she checks out for the day? Some of them don't get to share tips before they get to the 300.00 mark.
What does a bartender or barback get and give?
There is so much money given that goes to a tip pool eventually but gets nibbled at first.
What does a Party Pit dealer SPEND to look that way: How much and how often for:
Hair, manicure, pedicure, gym time, pool time, sun time, Brazil Wax jobs (thats as specific as I want to get about it). Just how much can a Party Pit dealer gain between weigh-ins and sag-ins?
Quote: EvenBobAre my posts ignored on this topic?
Yes because....
not all high end items have a 1000% mark up.
Im sure most do have a significant mark up but not 1000%. I would be willing to bet you(it doesn't have to be money) the average markup over wholesale on a bottle of wine is less than 500%(still pretty high). I can't stand wine so it doesn't affect me.
Quote: WizardI offered to tip based on everything. I knew the cost of the food would be about $300. After I said that and the bill came of course I looked at it to know what to tip. This is when I got the bad case of sticker shock.
Got it. Thinking that the host was on the job, I was wondering if the bill would even make it to the table or if there was some internal host/casino arrangement. I would have tipped $60 but I really don't care about saving face. They probably expected 20% on everything.
Was the entire bottle of wine consumed? Too bad you couldn't have saved some to conduct a blind taste test. That would have been most interesting.
Quote: mickeycrimmI'm a happy camper.
They can't get you after you've already filed for bankruptcy, and moved out into the woods.
Quote: mickeycrimmNo way in hell I would pay even $37.50 for a bottle of wine. Just give me a jug of ripple or 20/20 and I'm a happy camper. And what the hell is a sommelier?
Wild Irish Rose, Night Train, Thunderbird. My wife and I help out at a food pantry/shelter and trip over these bottles every time we go there.
Night Train must be pretty good. Guns N' Roses made a song about it. :-)
Quote: 1BBWild Irish Rose, Night Train, Thunderbird. My wife and I help out at a food pantry/shelter and trip over these bottles every time we go there.
Night Train must be pretty good. Guns N' Roses made a song about it. :-)
Alcohol fortified wine.
Excellent song my favorite album is Appetite for destruction. Only band I seen 3 times and would go again.Quote: 1BBWild Irish Rose, Night Train, Thunderbird. My wife and I help out at a food pantry/shelter and trip over these bottles every time we go there.
Night Train must be pretty good. Guns N' Roses made a song about it. :-)
SLASH HAD TO PUT A DISCLAIMER before they sang that after a few groups like MADD got mad.
Slashes Disclaimer: this song is not about drugs and alcohol or anything, it is about a walk in the park.
***Well I'm a west coast struttin'
One bad mother
Got a rattlesnake suitcase
Under my arm
Said I'm a mean machine
Been drinkin' gasoline
And honey you can make my motor hum***
I got one chance left
In a nine live cat
I got a dog eat dog sly smile
I got a Molotov cocktail
With a match to go
***I smoke my cigarette with style
An I can tell you honey
You can make my money tonight***
Wake up late
Honey put on your clothes
Take your credit card
to the liquor store
That's one for you and
two for me by tonight
I'll be loaded like a freight train
Flyin' like an aeroplane
Feelin' like a space brain
One more time tonight
I'm on the nightrain
Bottoms up
I'm on the nightrain
Fill my cup
I'm on the nightrain
Ready to crash and burn
I never learn
I'm on the nightrain
I love that stuff
I'm on the nightrain
I can never get enough
I'm on the nightrain
Never to return-no
Loaded like a freight train
Flyin' like an aeroplane
Speedin' like a space brain
One more time tonight
I'm on the nightrain
And I'm lookin' for some
I'm on the nightrain
So's I can leave this slum
I'm on the nightrain
And I'm ready to crash and burn
Nightrain
Bottoms up
I'm on the nightrain
Fill my cup
I'm on the nightrain
Whoa yeah
I'm on the nightrain
Love that stuff
I'm on the nightrain
An I can never get enough
Ridin' the nightrain
I guess I
I guess, I guess, I guess
I never learn
On the nightrain
Float me home
Ooh I'm on the nightrain
Ridin' the nightrain
Never to return
Nightrain
Quote: EvenBobIt wasn't a $1200 bottle, they paid about $150
for it. Are my posts ignored on this topic?
Restaurants and bars pay wholesale and then
rape the consumer with 1000% markups. I
was in that business.
Just a habit for some folks, Bob. Usually markup is 300-400% above retail. These folks ain't buying retail. Factor in wholesale and you can get to 1,000% rather quickly. Especially in beer and hard liquor without a second thought !
Nobody, routinely drops $3750 on a bottle of wine, saving perhaps Saudi Princes and people of that ilk. Really, most of the rich people I've known, who did not become rich by accident, would probably be a little pissed off at the waitress for trying to push that on them, even if they understood the price clearly.
The $37.50 might sound a bit too low, but someone who doesn't drink wine might miss that. It's not like it was $3.75. I rarely drink wine and I think, in his shoes, I might just think they were giving me a pretty good deal. I'd certainly think that before I thought the waitress was suggesting a bottle of wine that costs as much as a used car.
We go to Borgata frequently. This is not the kind of thing that I would consider common there. It is a casino, and I'm not suggesting that it has a heart. But generally it gives a square deal for the entertainment dollar in the industry. My thought is that there is something else going on. I would suspect that the customers were rude in some way, and this was a revenge act.
Quote: MoscaI would suspect that the customers were rude in some way, and this was a revenge act.
Oooooooooohhh, the plot thickens !
