Jan 31, 2019, 10:44 am
Last edit by: davie355
Tips are not expected in Polaris lounges, but employees are allowed to accept them.
Tipping in Polaris lounge
Dec 21, 2018, 12:07 pm
#61
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SIN / SFO
Programs: UA GS, SQ PPS, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold
Posts: 1,215
I don't carry cash in the US, so I don't tip on anything free / without a tip line on a credit card slip. For paid drinks, I'll throw a dollar on the CC slip.
Dec 21, 2018, 12:45 pm
#62
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
Dec 21, 2018, 12:50 pm
#63
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Kansas City, MO
Programs: DL Plat, UA Plat
Posts: 150
Dec 21, 2018, 5:53 pm
#64
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
Jar or no jar, I have yet to see a UC bar that does not have some spread of small bills strategically placed just above the well of the bar so the unstated message cannot be missed, i.e., that It's OK to tip here
Dec 21, 2018, 9:19 pm
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
I really hope UA or its subcontractors have made it clear to their employees and pay them enough so they don't expect to be tipped. They really should not ask either. For travellers from some other parts of the world, not only the US service is subpar, we also want to be tipped. It is just not good.
Dec 22, 2018, 4:05 am
#68
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
UC/PL bar I d $2/3 on the first drink to make sure of prompt service for the rest of my stay, then $1 a drink (not seltzer), in the PL dinning room I have done $5-10 per person depending on how many course we have ordered. Onboard I usually take a bag Toblerome mini’s or ex EWR the large tub of Jersey Shore popcorn for the cabin crew. I guess you can’t call it a tip, because I give it upon boarding, but my aim is to encourage good service, and it mostly works. I do similar LH, but not on SQ and as both have self service bars I don’t tip there. I generally leave about $5 after a shower in a lounge for the cleaning staff.
Dec 22, 2018, 4:59 am
#69
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA GS 1MM, CM PP
Posts: 689
This is a hot topic that I also question each time I’m in a Polaris lounge. I would say the majority don’t tip. I tip occasionally and it is quickly removed from the bar. I get the sense that the bartenders are paid to a level that doesn’t demand/expect tips and that they are instructed to not display tips or tip jars (I’ve never seen one).
That said, in the United Club I tend to have a different perspective and tip a dollar per drink. I’m not sure why I value them differently (domestic cheap fares va expensive J fares?) or if the wages are on par.
I have tipped occasionally at Polaris when I ask for a more complex cocktail like a Bloody Mary or a double or if they begin to recognize my order after a flight delay.
That said, in the United Club I tend to have a different perspective and tip a dollar per drink. I’m not sure why I value them differently (domestic cheap fares va expensive J fares?) or if the wages are on par.
I have tipped occasionally at Polaris when I ask for a more complex cocktail like a Bloody Mary or a double or if they begin to recognize my order after a flight delay.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2018 at 12:08 pm Reason: Removed response to deleted OT comment
Dec 22, 2018, 9:36 am
#71
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,215
I have not tipped in the Polaris lounge as I do not usually drink alcohol before flying as it is dehydrating. When offered the glass of wine in the dining area said yes and it never arrived. The service in the dining area (two times I have used it) has been underwhelming and it did not occur to me to tip.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2018 at 12:05 pm Reason: OT (uber) content deletd
Dec 22, 2018, 11:22 am
#72
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
Anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows $38K is not a survivable wage without a lot of roommates - public assistance, etc. On the flip side, while the job requires essentially no experience, $38K is pitiful in the Bay Area.
https://external-flysfo.icims.com/jo...ed-polaris/job
Dec 22, 2018, 12:07 pm
#73
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
There is a posted job for a SFO Lounge Attendant - Polaris. It is interesting, at least to me, it is a union position. The pay is a whopping $18.20/hr or a whopping $37,856 yearly. Probably a bit more for premium pay on holidays.
Anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows $38K is not a survivable wage without a lot of roommates - public assistance, etc. On the flip side, while the job requires essentially no experience, $38K is pitiful in the Bay Area.
https://external-flysfo.icims.com/jo...ed-polaris/job
Anyone who lives in the Bay Area knows $38K is not a survivable wage without a lot of roommates - public assistance, etc. On the flip side, while the job requires essentially no experience, $38K is pitiful in the Bay Area.
https://external-flysfo.icims.com/jo...ed-polaris/job
Dec 23, 2018, 8:17 am
#74
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SFO
Programs: UA--no longer 2P as of 3/2012 and don't even care. Never thought I'd say that.
Posts: 781
We typically leave a couple of dollars per person when at the Polaris dining room, for much the same reasons others stated above.
Having said that, earlier this month I found myself at SFO with not a single dollar in my wallet, having emptied them all out and replaced with Euros for my upcoming trip. I warned my server in advance that I wouldn't be able to tip. She advised "everything is here free" and was one of the best servers I've experienced recently, in any situation, and I noticed that she provided the tables around me with the same excellent service.
I do find it terrible that here in the US employers don't pay servers a living wage and would much rather restaurant prices go up and we do away with tipping, but I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Having said that, earlier this month I found myself at SFO with not a single dollar in my wallet, having emptied them all out and replaced with Euros for my upcoming trip. I warned my server in advance that I wouldn't be able to tip. She advised "everything is here free" and was one of the best servers I've experienced recently, in any situation, and I noticed that she provided the tables around me with the same excellent service.
I do find it terrible that here in the US employers don't pay servers a living wage and would much rather restaurant prices go up and we do away with tipping, but I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Dec 23, 2018, 9:43 am
#75
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Bronze, United 1K, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,477
We typically leave a couple of dollars per person when at the Polaris dining room, for much the same reasons others stated above.
Having said that, earlier this month I found myself at SFO with not a single dollar in my wallet, having emptied them all out and replaced with Euros for my upcoming trip. I warned my server in advance that I wouldn't be able to tip. She advised "everything is here free" and was one of the best servers I've experienced recently, in any situation, and I noticed that she provided the tables around me with the same excellent service.
I do find it terrible that here in the US employers don't pay servers a living wage and would much rather restaurant prices go up and we do away with tipping, but I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Having said that, earlier this month I found myself at SFO with not a single dollar in my wallet, having emptied them all out and replaced with Euros for my upcoming trip. I warned my server in advance that I wouldn't be able to tip. She advised "everything is here free" and was one of the best servers I've experienced recently, in any situation, and I noticed that she provided the tables around me with the same excellent service.
I do find it terrible that here in the US employers don't pay servers a living wage and would much rather restaurant prices go up and we do away with tipping, but I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Before I leave for a trip, my wife makes sure that I have a lot of small $ bills in my wallet. Tips in the UCs, the van drivers to the hotels, the luggage handlers in the hotels, the persons cleaning my hotel room (I used to tip at the end of the stay but my wife says that there are different workers on different days so it's more fair if I leave a tip every day).
I never tipped the bartenders pouring the Champagne in the ORD Polaris Lounge. I had read that there were hired at a higher wage. I never ate in the sit down area but recall that the menu was suggesting to leave a tip (or maybe I have that part wrong).