Should the kind of car you own determine the tip you leave a valet worker? This worker seems to think the more expensive the car, the higher the tip should be.
Andrew Latini (@andrewlatini), in a TikTok that’s accrued over 213,000 views, sparked a debate on acceptable valet tip amounts. In the video, he shows off several luxury cars he’s asked to park and their corresponding tip amounts.
“Cars I valet and how much they tip,” a text overlay in the video reads.
The first car he shows is a BMW model with a $115,000 manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), according to the valet. Latini says he received a $10 tip from the driver.
Next up is a $45,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and that driver gave him $5.
He was then asked to valet a $130,000 Audi R8 Spyder convertible. The amount he was given for driving this to and from a parking spot was $5.
And the luxury vehicles didn’t stop there.
The driver of a Bentley Flying Spur V8S, which he says retails for $205,000, only gave him $5.
Whoever drove the BMW Alpina XB7 for Latini to park also thought $5 was a decent tip for valet services. A Benz GLE350 driver slipped the TikToker a $2 bill for his efforts.
And then a Cybertruck owner gave him $20 for grabbing their car.
The last vehicle in his video was a Mercedes Benz GLS63, a car with an MSRP of $150,000. Latini says that driver gave him $10.
@andrewlatini The $2 was apparently worth more in luck, we’ll see #valet #cartok ♬ dance with me – lucidbeatz
Does a car’s value dictate its valet price?
It’s a question folks have asked in other industries. Take restaurants, for example. Customers have long questioned percentage-based tips. One person posed the question: Why should moving more expensive food require a larger tip?
Similarly, does this same logic apply to moving more expensive cars? That’s the debate that cropped up in the comments section of Latini’s video. Several viewers didn’t seem all too sympathetic toward his plight. “Valet parking will never make sense to me,” one wrote.
“For the effort that’s required and what y’all already get paid y’all should be grateful just driving some of those cars. Expecting a tip for doing nothing is crazy,” another, who seemingly didn’t believe in tipping for valet services, commented.
“Can I get paid extra for doing my job too?” a third asked.
Valets did get some support, however
There was one Kia Optima driver who said that they make sure to look out for valet drivers. “I drive an Optima, and I tip 20$ not that it matters, but you’re trusting someone with your car. I’ve seen to many bad valets unfortunately just for getting a small tip,” they said.
“I always tip $40 at drop off. so that they hopefully keep my car up front so I don’t have to wait. Doesn’t always work though. 8/10 times it does,” they shared.
Someone else said that their bare minimum was more than what some of the folks in Latini’s video paid. “I don’t tip less than $10, feel it’s cheap to just tip $5, anything less than $5 is really rude,” they claimed.
According to US News Money, it is recommended to tip “between $2 and $5 per trip, or $10 for excellent service.” While what type of car you drive doesn’t seem to matter, the establishment does.
“Is it a casual beach pavilion you are dropping it off at or a luxury five-star hotel? You should tip higher or lower to reflect that level of the establishment,” Myka Meier of Beaumont Etiquette told the outlet.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Latini via TikTok comment for further information.
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