re: #105 steve_davis

if it is self-service, which I assume a buffet is, then no, of course not. I assume you also basically bus your own table, yes?

That’s the key. There are two models of buffet…one where you do everything yourself (getting food, cleaning your table) and the other, which is what I encounter most (like Golden Corral) where they bring you drinks and bus the tables. We always tip there. The other model (like the now defunct Old Country Buffet) we didn’t tip at.

It all comes down to are there people doing things that rely on tips (servers/wait staff/bus people) vs all do it yourself. If they rely on tips, then tip.