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Krysta
Just Said Yes August 2019

Should i tip the maitre d' / venue coordinator?

Krysta, on August 22, 2019 at 5:19 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 7
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Our wedding is at a hotel with onsite catering. The contract includes a 20% service fee, which covers gratuity for all the catering staff that evening (I asked). Two questions:
1. Does the service fee generally cover the tip for the maitre d', or should I tip her separately?
2. Has anyone found a reliable guideline for how much to tip the maitre d'? The advice I'm finding online is all across the board. Ours is a tiny wedding - 20 people - so a lot of the recommendations seem way too high for an event of our size. I'm not even sure if we'll have a maitre d', per se, but the hotel handles details like flipping the room in between the ceremony and reception, so I think there will be some kind of onsite coordinator. I was thinking $100-200 depending on the level of service (on the higher end if it's the sales/catering manager we've been working with all along, on the lower end if they're assigned to another event onsite simultaneously, etc.). Does that seem too low?
Thanks in advance!

7 Comments

Latest activity by Krysta, on August 23, 2019 at 2:14 AM
  • Melanie
    Savvy October 2019
    Melanie ·
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    Hey there!
    i am actually a banquet manager at a small venue and don’t ever expect an extra tip on top of the 20% tip/service fees we already charge in the preset invoice.

    All venues all have their own expectation, however, when a couple tips me on top of what already is set, of course I’m stoked, but NEVER is it implied or expected. Do what you feel is comfortable. If he/she goes above and beyond, feel free to give them a little something extra, but know that if it is already included, don’t feel pressured. If they do go above and beyond and you really feel she/he deserves it, then another % is welcomed. We honestly, and I’ll hope that yours does too, just want the couple to be at ease and not worry about a thing the night of their big day.

    Hope this helps!
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  • Samantha
    VIP October 2020
    Samantha ·
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    If gratuity is included then an additional tip isn’t required. You certainly wouldn’t be required to tip 20 percent on top of the added gratuity. As PP said, if you want to leave an additional tip that’s great, but don’t feel pressured to leave one.
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  • Sara
    Super October 2019
    Sara ·
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    Agreed - that gratuity fee should cover the tip, but if they're exceptional, leaving an extra tip is always nice.

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  • Cyndy
    Master May 2019
    Cyndy ·
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    It sounds like tipping is all included. We also had our wedding at a hotel venue with similar gratuity included but we did give our bartender an extra tip and the head wait staff because they went above and beyond for us.
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  • Cher Horowitz
    Master December 2019
    Cher Horowitz ·
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    I think you're good since gratuity is included in your price. Feel free to tip extra if you'd like though!

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  • Krysta
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Krysta ·
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    Thank you all so much for the perspective! This helps a lot. I'm not sure why, but I was getting the impression (from the internet, not the hotel) that the maitre d' / coordinator / manager might expect a cash tip even if a service fee is already included.

    It sounds like the sales/catering manager who's been our point of contact all along may be the onsite point person that evening. If that's the case, I'll probably give her an extra tip just because we've had a lot of special dietary requests and questions along the way that she's handled very graciously, but it's good to know that it's probably not expected.

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  • Krysta
    Just Said Yes August 2019
    Krysta ·
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    Just to follow up for anyone else who might read this thread later looking for answers - we've decided we will tip the venue coordinator, assuming she is our point person the day of. She's been really gracious about handling special dietary requests in particular, so we want to show our appreciation. Smiley smile

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