View Poll Results: MULTI-select -- When using valet for dinner, what is the current etiquette?
I don't tip
6
6.12%
$1
1
1.02%
$3
10
10.20%
$5
33
33.67%
$10
15
15.31%
$20 or greater
21
21.43%
I pay entire tip at drop off
6
6.12%
I pay entire tip at pick up
27
27.55%
I split the total tip amount between drop off and pick up
18
18.37%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 98. You may not vote on this poll
Valet parking tip
03-10-2024, 10:50 AM
#16
Track Day
Thread Starter
IF you valet your car, be sure to turn it off and physically hand the key to the attendant. Otherwise, when a bunch of cars show up at the same time and the valet is overburdened with cars all of a sudden - and some random guy standing nearby decides he wants YOUR car - you’ll have no issue with it getting stolen AND you’ll have no issue with the valet company’s insurance company collecting when it does. Spoken from experience.
03-10-2024, 10:53 AM
#17
IF you valet your car, be sure to turn it off and physically hand the key to the attendant. Otherwise, when a bunch of cars show up at the same time and the valet is overburdened with cars all of a sudden - and some random guy standing nearby decides he wants YOUR car - you’ll have no issue with it getting stolen AND you’ll have no issue with the valet company’s insurance company collecting when it does. Spoken from experience.
03-10-2024, 11:50 AM
#18
About 10 years ago, I, along with 3 other cars show up to valet park at basically the same time. We all were in a line. I was #2 with 2 cars behind me and 1 in front of me - but my car (F150 King Ranch 1.5 years old, full tank of gas -600 mile range) was “boxed in” - couldn’t move in either direction. The attendant, working by himself because the other one didn’t show up that night, gave us all a parking ticket stub and frantically drove the first car off to park it. I went in the restaurant “assuming” my car was “in good hands”. According to witnesses, a kid (I’ll call him a gangster) walked across the road jumped in my vehicle to take off and the guy behind me, who had just parked his car, saw what was happening and got in the passenger seat to try to talk the guy out of doing what he was about to do. The thief told the “good Samaritan” if he wanted to live, he needed to get out the car “NOW”, and had quite the evil stare, The good Samaritan’s wife standing nearby pulled him out. The thief took off about the time the valet came back. A chase ensued with the valet guy and the good Samaritan (in his car) but when my vehicle “was running red lights at 90 miles an hour in Atlanta we turned around and came back”. Then the fun started - valet attendant (and his company tried to say they weren’t responsible) even though I had a valet stub. Lawyers got involved between valet (knowingly understaffed), restaurant (knew valet was understaffed in transitional part of city yet contracted them to park cars for their customers) and my insurance company. Depositions etc…. A real cluster ——! My vehicle was found 2 weeks later with no gas and no glass with extensive body damage abandoned on a railroad track. I don’t know all of the details of the lawsuit, but the valet operator was eventually found liable (1 year later) and the restaurant showed negligence- but since valet insurance covered losses the restaurant was out nothing. Unfortunately the $75+K truck only had $40,000 worth of damage so it was repaired. It was my daily driver for a few more years then I made it a “fleet vehicle” and eventually traded it in last year for a X5 M60i. Always hand your keys off to a human - even if they say leave them in the car.
Last edited by TheGeneral; 03-10-2024 at 02:13 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by TheGeneral:
mlrtime3 (03-10-2024),
Staffie Guy (03-10-2024)
03-10-2024, 11:54 AM
#19
Burning Brakes
Having been a valet in a previous life, I never valet any of my cars, be it a Porsche, Kia, or whatever. Never.
So the question of how or when to tip never even enters the game.
If I am going somewhere where valet is literally the only option, then I'll just Uber/Lyft.
So the question of how or when to tip never even enters the game.
If I am going somewhere where valet is literally the only option, then I'll just Uber/Lyft.
03-10-2024, 01:41 PM
#20
I usually pick a choice spot and park it myself! Give him a $20 when I pick it up.
03-10-2024, 03:18 PM
#21
Rennlist Member
About 10 years ago, I, along with 3 other cars show up to valet park at basically the same time. We all were in a line. I was #2 with 2 cars behind me and 1 in front of me - but my car (F150 King Ranch 1.5 years old, full tank of gas -600 mile range) was “boxed in” - couldn’t move in either direction. The attendant, working by himself because the other one didn’t show up that night, gave us all a parking ticket stub and frantically drove the first car off to park it. I went in the restaurant “assuming” my car was “in good hands”. According to witnesses, a kid (I’ll call him a gangster) walked across the road jumped in my vehicle to take off and the guy behind me, who had just parked his car, saw what was happening and got in the passenger seat to try to talk the guy out of doing what he was about to do. The thief told the “good Samaritan” if he wanted to live, he needed to get out the car “NOW”, and had quite the evil stare, The good Samaritan’s wife standing nearby pulled him out. The thief took off about the time the valet came back. A chase ensued with the valet guy and the good Samaritan (in his car) but when my vehicle “was running red lights at 90 miles an hour in Atlanta we turned around and came back”. Then the fun started - valet attendant (and his company tried to say they weren’t responsible) even though I had a valet stub. Lawyers got involved between valet (knowingly understaffed), restaurant (knew valet was understaffed in transitional part of city yet contracted them to park cars for their customers) and my insurance company. Depositions etc…. A real cluster ——! My vehicle was found 2 weeks later with no gas and no glass with extensive body damage abandoned on a railroad track. I don’t know all of the details of the lawsuit, but the valet operator was eventually found liable (1 year later) and the restaurant showed negligence- but since valet insurance covered losses the restaurant was out nothing. Unfortunately the $75+K truck only had $40,000 worth of damage so it was repaired. It was my daily driver for a few more years then I made it a “fleet vehicle” and eventually traded it in last year for a X5 M60i. Always hand your keys off to a human - even if they say leave them in the car.
03-10-2024, 03:39 PM
#22
Years ago, at least in the USA, if someone stole your vehicle (aka…horse) punishment was swift, decisive and the culprit never did it again - it was impossible. The pendulum has swung too far in the other direction in my opinion (not that anyone asked).
The following users liked this post:
mlrtime3 (03-11-2024)