I was waiting on the line for at the omelet station at the Paris casino, the man in front of me asked the omelet man where he should leave his tip, his response was that he wasn't supposed to accept tips, he suggested he leave the waitress an extra tip that he would have received.
In general I feel that the suggested tips which are listed in various LV publications stretch tipping to the extreme--but I have never noticed a tip being refused.

hes not allowed to accept tips? in las vegas? ridiculous.

leave a tip for the waitress, who does very little, instead of the omlet man, who does the work. Makes no sense. I suspect that this was the waitresses that banded together to make this policy happen.

When people tell me that they are not supposed to accept tips, I always say "I insist, and the customer is always right" It never fails.

What's the alternative? A Starbucks-style tip jar at every buffet station? Kudos to HET for this common sense approach. The OP could fill out a comment card for the eggflipper, which might be worth more to him.

omlet man might be getting paid a regular hourly wage already for his job which is to cook omlets. while the waitress/waiter is getting paid like $2-$4/hr. and she/he is constantly on her/his feet back and forth serving/waiting on you.

let's put it this way, when you go to a fancy restaurant, do you tip the cook or the waiter/waitress who serves you throughout your dinner?

My late father, who was a chef at a mid-range dinner house-type restaurant, was the occasional recipient of direct tips and he greatly appreciated them, not so much for the money but for the fact that the customer cared enough to make the gesture.

In many of the casinos where buffets have "stations" (american, oriental, omelets etc.) they leave a few dollars conspicuously placed as a clue that they welcome tips (sometimes the dollars are left in a cup...)

Easy--the service staff tips the "omelet man" out at the end of the shift.

Tip-sharing, in one form or another, is commonplace among service staff at most restaurants in the States. For example, during dinner, the Maitre'd/Host/Hostess will accompany you to your table and you may order an aperitif from your server, which is prepared by the bartender. You then summon the Sommelier, who brings you a bottle of wine. The server will take the order and a food runner will then you bring you each course. The busser (or back-waiter) may refill your water, bring you bread, and then clear each course when you are through. At a decent restaurant, there could be at least 5-6 (who you actually see) people involved in making your evening somewhat enjoyable. When you leave a tip, it doesn't all go to the "server"--each person gets a small percentage at the end of the day.

When the "omelet man" says to give a little extra to the waitress, it is with the hope that he is going to get a little extra, as well.

This was my first thought, as well. I bet the bus boys are in on the tip sharing, as well. It could also be that they don't want the guy who's handling food, to also be handling cash - I don't know the health regulations on that.

I agree with your summary of tip sharing in restaraunts - that's how it worked 25 years ago when I worked at Pizzeria Uno. But lets remember that we are talking about a buffet here. I'd argue that you could leave a tip for the omlet guy, who does perhaps the most personal service for you while in the buffet, AND a tip for the waitress, who basically cleans away your piles of half eaten shrimp and lobster tails. I didn't like the fact that you couldn't leave a tip for the omlet guy. If omlet guy has to share tips with waitress, busboy, etc., I have no problem with that kind of policy.

The act of tipping to me is a gesture that you acknowledge service when it happens. It is a complement with a picture of a dead president on it. You should not be discouraged from paying anyone a complement.

Really, why not? A buck or two for the eggs and a couple for the waitress is cheap for what you get. If you've got to watch your pennies, you don't belong in Las Vegas.

Nothing wrong with watching the pennies. It's amazing how the "large" size at the grocery store isn't always the best value.

If I tipped a buck or two or much more as many suggest to everyone with a heartbeat and not a salary in LV or anywhere else I would be broke within a year.

MisterNice

I had a tip refused at the Flamingo. A taunting black-necked swan encouraged me to lean over and over the pond until, somehow, my sunglasses fell in. OK, they were cheap cheesy sunglasses. OK, they only cost $10. But I liked them AND they were polarized.

I thought about it a couple of days, because I didn't want to make a hassle, but you know what? Even though they were only $10, I really liked them. So I went back, and they were still there, with a taunting black-necked swan still swimming on top of them so I couldn't just jump in there and grab them. Hey, I'm not much bigger than a black-necked swan myself, you know? I told security, and security called maintenance, and within minutes, a guy was there with a special tool to pick up the sunglasses. No harm done, except to the ego of the black-necked swan who had to surrender his ill-gotten booty.

I offered the guy a five as a "thank you" and, to my surprise, he refused it, saying, "Just doing my job, ma'am." I'm like, thinking, it's Vegas, so I'm like, "Well, I don't mean any insult, I would just really like to thank you."

I've had this happen other places, probably the most notable being Canada and the U.K., and I don't think anyone is offended, they know you are just expressing yourself in the language of the place you come from and Americans speak "money." I don't think this guy was offended either. But I was blown away -- I never thought I'd live to see the day when a guy in Vegas would refuse a tip with a smile.

I hope the guy is well-paid and climbs the ladder, whatever ladder there is to be climbed in maintenance/engineering at the Flamingo. He's fast, efficient, and has a great smile. And he is one of the very few people in Vegas who ever refused a tip! In fact, between him and omelet station guy, that's all of two people I know that have refused a tip in Vegas. Even floor/pit staff takes tips, which I'm happy to give, but I always feel awkward about doing it, since in some other places, floor/pit are not supposed to.

I'm confused that you think everyone has to overtip according to your standards whenever they're in Vegas. Give me a break. As someone who is on the road a lot in different cities, I've come to appreciate just how absurd some of the tipping expectations are there. More power to you if you want to indulge. But thank you for keeping your hands out of my pockets.

P.S. You may want to go back and re-read the post you responded to.