Tipping when brought meals

Will be on several trains over the next two weeks and I want to have my SCA bring my breakfast to me in my room, which I've never done before. Is it customary to tip the SCA when a meal is brought to you? Or covered by the tip you give at the end of your trip?

I would tip them just like you would your server. It's not required, of course, but I would feel odd not doing so.

SarahZ said:

I would tip them just like you would your server. It's not required, of course, but I would feel odd not doing so.

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Thank you. I'm just NOT a morning person and like it as quiet as possible until AFTER breakfast.

BigRedEO said:

SarahZ said:

I would tip them just like you would your server. It's not required, of course, but I would feel odd not doing so.

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Thank you. I'm just NOT a morning person and like it as quiet as possible until AFTER breakfast.

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I completely understand. I usually hide in my room until lunch.

I tip the SCA at the end of the trip.

I tip them each time they bring a meal to me, just as I do in the diner.

I've never had a meal brought to me but I would suggest tipping each time the SCA brings you a meal a small amount such as $2 for breakfast up to $5 for dinner. In my opinion that should be above the end of trip tip which I do $10 per night unless SCA does not provide adequate service such as the SCA that bailed on us at the Burbank airport stop just before arriving Los Angeles after 1 AM 4 hours late. No I did not tip the person who stepped in to open door, etc. By the way I only rode EMY to LAX and not overnight.

I think a tip for the SCA for bringing meals to the room should be separate from any other tip the SCA may earn for other tsks. I always tip the SCA when the meal tray is removed from the room and make a point of telling him or her this is for the meal service only so they can expect somthing later in the trip.

I stocked up on $5 bills for my trip on Amtrak. I tip $5 for meal servers or if the SCA brings me a meal to my room. I work in customer service, and really appreciate tips. It is a pleasure to have the honor to reciprocate.

Ive done breakfast in my bedroom a few times on the CZ when there's a wait. I'm not a 6 or 7am person. I call the sca and if there's a wait I ask for breakfast. Since I don't want to eat on the bed and don't want to hold the sca up I offer to make the room up. They like that and breakfast has always been pretty quick. I tip $5 at that time and ask that they come back in 30-45 minutes for the tray etc.

tim49424 said:

I tip the SCA at the end of the trip.

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I tried that once early on but the SCA's body language and demeanor made it clear that not tipping at time of meal delivery was not going over well. The next time I saw them I handed over some cash and things returned to friendly banter and best behavior again. Not sure if that was just a one off or what but from then on I always had some money set out for easy access during meal delivery.

On my CS trip from SEA to LA in August I had all my meals brought to my room because my knees did not handle the stairs. I was in room H. I tipped $5 each meal. It's a lot of extra work for the SCA. Take the order, put it in, check when it's ready, bring it to my room. I am not sure if the dining staff gets any of that for whoever packages everything up and makes sure the utensils and condiments and everything is in there.

I also tipped at the end for the service of bringing me plenty of water, coffee, setting up and breaking down the bed, keeping the hall shower clean and stocked with towels and soap, etc.

I'll be going through a lot of $5 bills between SAC and WAS starting on Saturday but I would be tipping at restaurants and hotels if not traveling by rain. I have "stop at bank" on my to-do list Friday to stock up with change just for this purpose.

fixj said:

I think a tip for the SCA for bringing meals to the room should be separate from any other tip the SCA may earn for other tsks. I always tip the SCA when the meal tray is removed from the room and make a point of telling him or her this is for the meal service only so they can expect somthing later in the trip.

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Maglev said:

I stocked up on $5 bills for my trip on Amtrak. I tip $5 for meal servers or if the SCA brings me a meal to my room. I work in customer service, and really appreciate tips. It is a pleasure to have the honor to reciprocate.

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I would agree with both.

The tip to the SCA for bringing a meal tray to your room (with the possible exception if you are truly mobility handicapped), is separate from the general tip given the SCA for the entire trip.

A $5 tip seems like a reasonable one for breakfast, regardless of the content.

Should you tip when the meal is brought to you, or when the tray is picked up?

The one time I had a meal brought to me (dinner) the SCA basically dumped the tray in my lap and disappeared.

After eating I put $5 on the tray and then waited over three hours for her to return.

I noticed the couple in the roomette across from me had put their trays on the floor of their doorway, so I did the same.

After about fours hours from the time she delivered our trays she zipped through the hall quickly, grabbed the trays, and disappeared again.

She rushed past soon after at which time I blocked the hall and asked her to make my bed for the night.

By the way, I'm elderly and disabled. When I told her I'd like my dinner in my roomette, she pretty much looked down her nose at me sitting there with my cane and said "Oh, you would, would you?"

Rush2112 said:

I'll be going through a lot of $5 bills between SAC and WAS starting on Saturday but I would be tipping at restaurants and hotels if not traveling by rain. I have "stop at bank" on my to-do list Friday to stock up with change just for this purpose.

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If you are stopping by the bank anyway, here is a suggestion: get your tip money in $2 bills. There are four reasons to do this:

1) A lot of people appreciate getting a 2, because they consider them lucky or whatever, so it is just a nice thing to do;

2) It helps them remember you, so if you tip with a stack of twos at the first meal, they will remember you at the remaining meals (if you are eating in the Diner);

3) It helps make you a slightly bigger tipper, because you round up to an even number of dollars, instead of the next dollar, and being a big tipper is good for the tipper (karma-wise if in no other way) and tippee;

4) Off of Amtrak, it encourages you to tip in cash instead of with a card, which is all the same for you but generally advantageous for the person serving you.

Just a thought. I always have a stack of twos in my wallet just for tipping, on or off of Amtrak.

Happy travels,

Ainamkartma

I'm seeing a lot of people say they tip $20 to the SAC at the end. Do you tip $20 after one overnight or two? I'm doing a series of 7 one-overnights on trains. So am I to tip the person who assists me on board (red cap and also possibly SAC at the same time) PLUS $5 for every meal whether in the diner or delivered to my room PLUS $20 at the end, PLUS the red cap at the end? Somewhere in the region of $50 in tips for one overnight? Is that what people are really doing????

<following this post because I was going to ask about tipping eventually anyway>

No that way too much. I only tip SCA $10 per night so on CZ for two nights i do tip $20 but that is still only $10 per night. The red cap gives you and your luggage a ride either to or from the train is purely optional so I tip $5 to each redcap who serves me. As for meals, I tip in the dining room $2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch and $5 for dinner. I have never had the SCA bring my meal to my sleeping accommodation but I can see that $5 would be appropriate. So please don't "over tip".

anuenue said:

I'm seeing a lot of people say they tip $20 to the SAC at the end. Do you tip $20 after one overnight or two? I'm doing a series of 7 one-overnights on trains. So am I to tip the person who assists me on board (red cap and also possibly SAC at the same time) PLUS $5 for every meal whether in the diner or delivered to my room PLUS $20 at the end, PLUS the red cap at the end? Somewhere in the region of $50 in tips for one overnight? Is that what people are really doing????

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Tip what you are comfortable with. There is no requirement for the amount.

I tip $10/night to my sleeper attendant and have given more if they go above and beyond. For meals, I tip as I would in a restaurant (15-25%, depending on service).

Some people use the 2/3/4 (or 5) method for meals - $2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch, and $4 or $5 for dinner.

I've never used Red Caps to get to/from the train, but I've seen many members post that they tip about $2/bag, depending on the size of the bag(s). Since I only ever used the Red Caps for baggage storage (in Chicago), I tipped about $1/bag, as I only ever had a backpack and a small carry-on. Now that Chicago has open baggage storage, I don't use the Red Cap service.

Tennessee Traveler said:

No that way too much. I only tip SCA $10 per night so on CZ for two nights i do tip $20 but that is still only $10 per night. The red cap gives you and your luggage a ride either to or from the train is purely optional so I tip $5 to each redcap who serves me. As for meals, I tip in the dining room $2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch and $5 for dinner. I have never had the SCA bring my meal to my sleeping accommodation but I can see that $5 would be appropriate. So please don't "over tip".

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Thank you for that detailed response. I don't mind tipping, but I certainly don't want to go overboard.

SarahZ said:

anuenue said:

I'm seeing a lot of people say they tip $20 to the SAC at the end. Do you tip $20 after one overnight or two? I'm doing a series of 7 one-overnights on trains. So am I to tip the person who assists me on board (red cap and also possibly SAC at the same time) PLUS $5 for every meal whether in the diner or delivered to my room PLUS $20 at the end, PLUS the red cap at the end? Somewhere in the region of $50 in tips for one overnight? Is that what people are really doing????

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Tip what you are comfortable with. There is no requirement for the amount.

I tip $10/night to my sleeper attendant and have given more if they go above and beyond. For meals, I tip as I would in a restaurant (15-25%, depending on service).

Some people use the 2/3/4 (or 5) method for meals - $2 for breakfast, $3 for lunch, and $4 or $5 for dinner.

I've never used Red Caps to get to/from the train, but I've seen many members post that they tip about $2/bag, depending on the size of the bag(s). Since I only ever used the Red Caps for baggage storage (in Chicago), I tipped about $1/bag, as I only ever had a backpack and a small carry-on. Now that Chicago has open baggage storage, I don't use the Red Cap service.

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Thank you, also, for your response!

Yes, please remember that all tipping on Amtrak is entirely voluntary...unlike, say, on cruise ships. (Technically it's voluntary there, too, but those poor souls, like most waiters in [American] land-side restaurants, are paid pennies if at all and rely upon tips for virtually all of their income. Amtrak staff earn a living wage, with benefits, as a base salary.) Yes, Amtrak on-board staff are human, and will probably be a bit more attentive and efficient if they realistically expect a gratuity from you, but most of them are also professional and will provide an adequate level of service even if no tip is forthcoming.

I haven't heard this mentioned yet, but since you are new to Amtrak: Only the "on-board [hotel] staff" is tipped...dining car waiters, sleeping car attendants, lounge car service attendant. They stay with the train for its entire run (with one train-specific exception which I won't go into here). The train's operating crew...conductors and engineers, who change off about every 8 hours or so on average...is never tipped.

anuenue said:

I'm seeing a lot of people say they tip $20 to the SAC at the end. Do you tip $20 after one overnight or two? I'm doing a series of 7 one-overnights on trains. So am I to tip the person who assists me on board (red cap and also possibly SAC at the same time) PLUS $5 for every meal whether in the diner or delivered to my room PLUS $20 at the end, PLUS the red cap at the end? Somewhere in the region of $50 in tips for one overnight? Is that what people are really doing????

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I have tipped the SCA sometimes, sometimes I didn't because I didn't see him/her when I got off the train. I don't feel quite the need to tip people who have pretty well paying jobs. It's not like a waiter/waitress that only makes minimum wage or less. Ditto for meals. I have just forgotten to do so occasionally. I don't think the meal service is nearly as good as one would find at most restaurants. I only recall them taking the order and bringing the food. They seem like they have a lot of tables to be attentive refilling drinks, etc.

Does anyone travel with their spouse? I'm sure they do, but in reading the above, the responses are about solo travelers. If a person travels with their spouse, is it $10 night for the room or $10 per night per person?

Just curious.

Everydaymatters said:

Does anyone travel with their spouse? I'm sure they do, but in reading the above, the responses are about solo travelers. If a person travels with their spouse, is it $10 night for the room or $10 per night per person?

Just curious.

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Completely up to you. I used to tip $5 a night until I was persuaded (by discussion here) that I was being too cheap. I feel $10 is an adequate gratuity for adequate service whether one or two are in the room...but if someone goes above and beyond, like the sleeping car attendant on the Empire Builder last September who helped my mother when she became (mildly) ill, I try to recognize that.