As Strip properties prepare for more Chinese visitors, some casino employees say they are concerned they will have to forgo some tip money.
“It’s very difficult when you’re serving or relying on tips and the majority of your guests are foreign,” said Cheryl Holt, who has worked as a food server on the Strip since 2011. “They don’t tip you, or they may have a $200 meal and tip you a dollar per person.”
China has one of the fastest-growing segments of international travelers, and local tourism officials hope to capture as many of them as possible. Chinese travelers are the highest-spending international visitor group, according to the U.S. Commercial Service, part of the Department of Commerce. But people who rely on tips will probably not directly benefit much from that spending.
A 2016 MasterCard survey found 16 percent of Chinese consumers generally leave a tip in a bar or restaurant, ranking China fourth on a list of countries surveyed in the Asia Pacific least accustomed to tipping.
Holt said the more international visitors the merrier, but they ought to be told about American customs.
“Obviously, you want guests (foreign visitors), it’s just that you don’t want to be paying for them to eat at your table,” she said. “On the server side, if you have a $200 check, you still have to give probably $10 or more to your service staff — like your bartender, your buser, your food runner. So you just paid $10 to serve this table for an hour and a half, or however long they had their dinner for.”
She said every international visitor has a reputation when it comes to tipping. Canadians usually tip about 10 percent, she said, while Europeans are commonly low tippers, and in her experience Chinese visitors usually tip a dollar per head at the table.
Americans are an outlier when it comes to tipping. According to travel research site Wanderbat.com, the United States is the only country where a 20 percent tip is commonly expected. Tipping is not customary in China, the site said, and if somebody does tip, it is generally about 5 percent and only for great service.
I think it is the culture because when I was in Asia (multiple countries on multiple times), no tip was expected at any of the restaurants (low to high end). You could give extra to the server(s)/staff member(s) but it was not customary as it is in the US.
Of course it's the culture. That's why when I travel I read the guide books and the sections on tipping and know how to behave overseas.
But shhhhhhhh immigration bad. Trump GOOD!
If you want to whine about DT, take it to P+N. For the record, I was, am, and alway will be for LEGAL immigration and not ILLEGAL. Get that to your head and stop the spinning.
I'm in P&N often. I don't need your guide book advice to the AT forums.
For the record we are talking about LEGAL immigrants here as in LEGAL visitors.
Trump is part of the general conversation in regards to foreigners visiting/immigrating here. Start getting with the program fool.
Your first post in this thread was about DT and then you quoted my post about my experience in several countries in Asia and whined about DT again. Not sure what was your problem or who pissed on your cereal but take that stinking bait elsewhere and with someone else.
Now back to regular scheduled programming in OT and not PN.
First time I went to Japan I tried to leave a tip. The lady thought I was forgetting money and chased me down at the door as I was leaving.
Similar experience. When I tried to leave a tip in Asia, my friends and business associates said no tip because the staff members would get their compensation in salaries.
That's would come out of the owners pockets then.Raise their Wages. Problem solved.
Tipping model is just the owners not paying even minimum wage.
I don't like vegas cause it's the epitome of tackiness, and excess. It's a hood rat's wet dream.I really don't like Vegas because of the "tipping for everything" culture.
To be fair, it's more trailer trash's wet dream.I don't like vegas cause it's the epitome of tackiness, and excess. It's a hood rat's wet dream.
I could buy that. I think a good argument could be made either way.To be fair, it's more trailer trash's wet dream.