Recently I have seen a couple of articles discussing tipping the tasting room staff. The most recent one was in the August 2012 issue of Wine Business Monthly. What caught my attention was when the author wondered about why wineries don’t have a place on the credit card slip for a tip. He also mentioned other ways to tip and potential issues for the wineries.
This really brought some questions to mind and before I discuss tipping at wineries lets explore tipping in general. Why do we tip anywhere? We tip at restaurants because it is expected, sometimes for exceptional service, but usually because it is expected. This allows restaurants to pay sub minimum wages to their staff but in reality they could just raise prices and pay the staff more. Why do we tip taxi drivers, because they found the most efficient route and kept our fare as low as possible? Not really, we tip because it is expected we tip.
Why do you tip at Starbucks or your favorite coffee shop? It certainly isn’t for exceptional service because you tip at the register before you have even received your food or drink. You are tipping the staff for allowing you to place an order and taking your money! I find that a little strange, especially since Starbucks does not pay sub minimum, though still low, starting wages and provides good benefits. Should we tip everywhere they pay low wages? Some of us would probably be wanting tips ourselves then.
Now on to the tipping at wineries. First off, I have never had a bad experience at a winery and I have had some exceptional visits. I always feel the staff at a winery are professionals and are not wait staff hired to serve me. In reality I guess they are hired to serve me but I find them so knowledgable and helpful that I think of them as representatives of the winery, not just hired help. In addition, at small wineries it is often one of the owners or members of their family that are working in the tasting room.
I realize some of the staff may be fairly low paid but I feel it cheapens the winery and the staff to tip. It seems to say that they are there to serve me and I expect something special in return. I would rather think of them as part of the winery team rather than just hired help. I want my visit to a winery to be a shared experience with the staff and not just another restaurant or bar I where stopped in for a drink.
What is your opinion on tipping at wineries? If you feel it is appropriate to tip at a winery, how much? Just tip on the tasting room fee, or also on the purchases? Do you tip at the local wine shop when someone spends time helping you select a wine? How is that different then at a winery?
Thank you for the insight. I do see both sides of the argument. However, to say that you spend time an make a customers experience enjoyable so deserve a tip? I call that doing your job. I work in retail clothing and many times spend hours assisting my clients with wardrobe selection, fitting and accessorizing. I am not in commission. Do I deserve a tip? No, that is what I am paid to do.
Nice point! I agree.
I have worked in the wine industry for 8 years and know well over 100 people who also work in the business so the following statements are every bit fact based as they are my opinion. I speak of wine tasting in Sonoma as Napa Valley is different in many ways. In Sonoma County, tasting room staff is paid between $10 and $15 per hour. Many are only part-time as it is a seasonal business and wineries don’t like paying benefits , or committing to full time pay. The majority of wineries do NOT give commissions for selling wine and when they do, the amount is very small. Many will instead offer a free bottle of wine when a sales goal is met. That aside, when you go to a tasting room and spend an hour talking to the server, asking countless questions, while they go out of their way OR even just doing their job to be pleasant and helpful during that hour, I don’t understand why anyone would debate whether or not that person is worthy of a tip. Not because it is expected. Not because they don’t get paid much. Because they Deserve it for making that hour pleasant, enjoyable, educational and down right fun. IF they fail to do so, then don’t tip. But if they treat you well, pour special wines, give you helpful advice, make you laugh, teach you something you didn’t know about wine…PLEASE show your appreciation.
As for the comments about them being trained staff and not wanting to cheapen the experience and insult them by tipping… NONsense. A tip is always appreciated, Never insulting and even if the server is older or more experienced, he or she ain’t making much money so all tips are always appreciated.
Great comments and its nice to hear from somebody with so much experience with the wine industry. You make some really good points and I could almost be persuaded. I think my biggest gripe is too many places (restaurants) refuse to pay a living wage and expect the consumer to pay their workers via tips. Raise the price and pay people more, I’ll still come.
We should work towards people getting a fair wage and benefits instead of essentially rewarding stingy employers. I have no problem offering tips to anyone who provides great service and have sometimes been turned down where tips are not customary. I just have a problem when it gets to where a tip is expected no matter how mediocre the performance.
I have heard that some restaurants in New York are now expecting 25% tips. My objection is the “expecting” part.
Closing, I do still like to think of winery staff as being more than just servers which is how I would feel if tips were expected. I would pay more for the tasting, however, if the winery staff were paid better.
Really appreciate your insite!
I work at a winery in Northern Virginia. Not Napa or Sonoma, but essentially the same thing. I pride myself on spending quality time with each guest that visits and steps up to me at the bar for a tasting. What do you do when someone in the service industry spends time with you in their place of business pouring you alchohol, offering insights about their product and gathering purchases for you? You tip them! At least I do. I am part of the younger generation but this has been instilled in me by years of working service industry jobs. To me, a winery is no exception and most of the time winery staff is always thankful when tipped. It is a big compliment.
Thanks for the different view. I have never worked in the service industry so it is nice to hear the opinion of someone who does. I would really like to see people paid more so a tip really is for exceptional service rather than to supplement low wages.
I see your point, however, about a tip at a winery being a big complement since we usually don’t tip there. I am not sure how else a customer might show that appreciation. I think what I was trying to say is I don’t mind tipping for great service but I don’t like to tip just because it is expected to tip.
I also hold winery employees up as experts in their field and I think tipping would diminish that view. Possibly I have an inflated view but that makes the winery visit all the more a nice experience.
Not in Italy you do not, Italians do not understand tipping.
Yes, I have noticed many countries do not tip as much as Americans. Then we go to those countries and instead of learning their customs we just tip everywhere anyway.
I totally agree with you Tom.
I agree that tipping at a winery feels a little off. There is a camaraderie about tasting wines and talking them over with the tasting room people that seems reduced when you consider tipping them for it. Probably even more so when you pay tasting fees anyway, or make a purchase, though obviously that doesn’t go directly into staff pockets.
We all hope the tasting staff make a decent living, but tipping in that circumstance seems odd to me too.