While I agree that everyone has a right to earn a living, no valet will ever touch any of my vehicles. Too many horror stories abound about the irresponsible valets who damage the Rolls Royce, Ferrari, or classic car. Glad to heat that the only thing damaged was your pride, but even that wouldn't have happened if you'd parked the car yourself.

Caveat MINItor (MINI owners beware)

 

>>Speaking of valet parking, this was the cover story on LA Times last Thursday:
>>http://www.calendarlive.com/dining/c...r10jul10.story

This guy in the article needs to pull his head out his ***:

They have no right to "expect" anything. It's none of their business how much you spent on dinner.

 

>>They have no right to "expect" anything. It's none of their business how much you spent on dinner.<<

I have to disagree. Without tips, I made $5 an hour as a valet. Put yourself in a valet's place, if you're working at an expensive restaurant and get a $1 tip for taking care of someone's $80,000 car, it sure feels like a slap in the face. In comparison, the waitress probably got a $50 tip (for a much harder job, of course). Of course the valet is going to expect a tip, and he/she is going to expect a larger tip from someone driving an S-class Benz than someone driving a Cavalier (and the funny thing is, that's very often not the case!). It's not about whose business your dinner tab is; it's just a matter of perspective. They don't expect a certain percentage of the cost of your dinner, but if you're paying for a nice meal, a $3-5 tip hardly seems exorbitant for someone who ran a quarter mile to get your car, took care not to adjust your driver's seat, and was polite and respectful of your property.

I could understand being more reluctant to tip if the valeting is not optional.

_________________


Borla exhaust, Moss intake, Magnecor

 

>>On my 1993 Toyota truck the starter will not turn over unless the clutch is pressed, even if you are in neutral. I always thought it was a good feature. With all the fancy electronics and features on the MINI you would think they'd have that one.

I just checked this out on my MINI...it does have a clutch switch which disables the starter...I guess I didn't read the original post correctly.

 

>>Never valet a car. Unless you have to conform to some silly social or status expectation, always park the car yourself. It will save you a lot of headaches.

Just so you're aware, some of us actually live in cities. We don't all have giant Best Buy style parking lots at our destinations. In many areas of town, it is usually significantly cheaper (to the tune of 25-100%) to have your car valet'd rather than park it yourself in a deck/paylot.

Also: I've found that when you're driving a car as hot as our MINIs, valets tend to leave them sitting out front more often than not, next to all the Ferraris and Bentleys.

 

>>>>Never valet a car. Unless you have to conform to some silly social or status expectation, always park the car yourself. It will save you a lot of headaches.
>>Just so you're aware, some of us actually live in cities. We don't all have giant Best Buy style parking lots at our destinations. In many areas of town, it is usually significantly cheaper (to the tune of 25-100%) to have your car valet'd rather than park it yourself in a deck/paylot.


I agree. In LA, especially around Hollywood/Melrose/WeHo area, a lot of the streets are restricted parking for residents only. So forget about trying to snag a space.
-Ben