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I just
heard about your site (from one
of Mark Pilarski's gambling
columns) and think it is great.
I've only been thru part of it
so far, but plan to read the
rest before my Vegas trip next
month. I vow to not screw up
with my server and to be an
ideal customer.
Wow, and you've only been
through part of my web site? By the
time you're done you could be the next pope.
Hi Dollie,
I just returned from a week in Las Vegas,
and thanks to your web site I was able to
gain an understanding into the world of the
casinos from someone else's perspective.
Thanks!
I visited for the first time as an adult
last year (I last went with my parents back
in 1978), and wow has the city changed. And
I had a good enough time that I returned
this year.
Anyway I just wanted to let you know that I
found your web site quite informative,
entertaining and I could relate to some of
it. I happen to be Chinese, and thought your
being from L.A. was one of the funniest but
truest things on your entire web site.
"Where are you from?"
"Michigan."
"No, I mean originally."
"Ann Arbor, Michigan. That's where I was
born."
"No, I mean where are you FROM?"
"Michigan."
And I know you're sick right now (I hope you
get better soon - being sick is awful), but
your pictures make you look gorgeous anyway.
Thanks again for your great web site!
-Arthur
Next time someone asks
you where you're really from, say, "My
mother's cunt. And no, I've never been
back." However, I don't suggest saying
that to your boss or anyone else who might
have your balls in a vise.
I was at a luncheon, 8
total family members & I ordered a Mojito
which propmted the manager/bartender to come
to the table to ask what was in it; I knew
about the rum but nothing more so I
suggested he call Bennigan's down the road
toask, if he had the time? He called but no
one there knew so I said thank you, ordered
a vodka & grapefuit but my brother who was
sitting next to me was appaulled because I
still feel I'm worth it & it's good service
& I would have tipped accordingly. My
brother said I was not worth it (sad) & is
still frustrated with me. HELP?
Mimi
A Mojito gained popularity
when the 007 movie Die Another Day came
out so I get a lot of people asking me for it
too. According to my boyfriend, who not
only is Photographer Extraordinaire but
Bartender Extraordinaire, here is:
Jerome's Perfect Mojito
In
glass shaker
Muddle 4-5 mint leaves, lime wedge, and
teaspoon of sugar
Add rum and ice – shake
Pour into tall glass
Fill w/ice and soda water
Garnish w/mint leaf
If no mint leaves are
available:
Fill tall glass with ice
Add rum and half shot of white crème
de menthe
Squeeze lime wedge and drop in glass
Fill with Soda
I don't think you were
asking too much to have the manager call Bennigan's, and it was nice of him to do it.
My
wife and I are occasional visitors to Las
Vegas (once or twice a year). I have often
wondered what the proper tip and protocol
was when dealing with the cocktail
waitresses. I do appreciate the service and
the job you do. It does not look easy.
After reading your tips I find that I’m not
perfect but I’m not far off base. You have
fine tuned a couple of areas that may help
keep me from looking like an ass. If you
have time I have a question. Would it be
appropriate when my wife and I to order a
drink, right then give the waitress $3 and
ask that she give $1 to the bartender for
us?
Thanks again
Dale
I've never had
anyone do this when they place an order, but when a
customer really likes the way a drink tastes, I've
had them give me money for the bartender.
This is very rare, and although obviously very nice,
it's completely unnecessary. I don't want
people to think that this is expected of them or
that they'll be treated badly if they don't.
But to answer your question, yes, you can always
give the waitress money to give to the bartender.
My bartender
wants to know when you'll be coming to visit.
Dollie,
I've loved your site for quite a while, but never
felt compelled to write until now, after reading the
story about the lady who was complaining about her
grandkids being mixed race.
Joshua is a beautiful child, and your love for him
is apparent in your site. He deserves to live in a
world where he's not judged by where his parents may
or may not have come from. I happen to know several
mixed race people who are happy, successful, and
good citizens, two of them are my brother and my
sister.
Well, I guess I had to write just to tell you thanks
for exposing the wicked witch of the west for what
she is, I hope she reads it and sees how stupid she
is. But then, even if she does, she's probably too
stupid to know she did anything wrong, much less
change it.
I'll be in Las Vegas the week of my birthday (Jan.
11), and hope I get to meet you and shake your
hand. Give that child a kiss for me.
Merry Christmas,
Alan
Yeah, that lady
was a loon. It's very sad that she doesn't
love her beautiful, innocent grandkids based on
their race.
Dollie,
I was just reading the Daily Rounds and saw Joshua's
picture. He looks great in that Santa suit. Happy 1st
Birthday Joshua!!! Dig in and enjoy your cake and make
sure your Mom takes lots of pictures.
Scott
My mommy made me stick my hands in
the cake and then licked it off my fingers - blech!
Next year I want a cake made with peas and yogurt.
Hi Dollie,
You have a great website! I have a question that you may be
able to help me with, but first some background.
I play on a 28+ baseball team in Washington DC and for the
last 4 years, we have played in a tournament in Las Vegas.
It is a team made up good guys and most of us are married
and have kids. In years past, we have stayed at Caesars and
the Monte Carlo.
Now my question. We have received a really good rate at the
new Hooters Hotel. I know it doesn't open until February,
but have you heard anything about it? I am worried that it
is going to be full of asshole rednecks and goofy guys
hitting on anything with a skirt.
Please let me know if you've heard any pre-opening buzz.
Cheers,
Tim
I haven't heard much about it, but if
it's anything like the restaurant, I'm sure your assessment
of the clientele is correct.
Hello,
I'm heading out to Vegas in about 1/2 hour, found your web site!
Excellent stuff.
Absolutely was rolling on the floor laughing with this one:
"Do you have Bud?"
Everybody has Bud.
Thanks for the info on the web site!
Steve
If they don't know how to make a Bud, you can
ask them to call Bennigan's.
I just read your
latest in the daily rounds. I can't tell you how much I
look forward to the new entries.
The rodeo thing
cracked me up. The NFR used to be here in Oklahoma City
until Las Vegas lured it away. Lucky you, huh?
I can empathize
with you in dealing with people all the time. It seems they
get away from home and lose all sense of courtesy and
decency. And, I admit, your website has caused me to be
more aware of my own courtesy toward cocktail waitresses.
I hope you and the
baby are doing well.
It's easy to come to Vegas and leave your
inhibitions behind. After all, that's part of the fun.
When you go back home, we just want you to leave your tips
behind.
I have been going to Vegas for about
25 years and recently discovered that at Mandalay Bay,
all the coins are gone from the slots? How could such a
thing happen? The change lady told me along with that
change, about 50% of her co-workers are gone too. How
has this affected cocktail waitresses?
Also, what is (or maybe was) a slot
drop?
TITO (Ticket In/Ticket Out) is the new fact
of life for slot players. At my casino, there still are
coin in/coin out machines, but they're limited to a few rows.
The reasons the casinos went with this are obviously
money-driven. There is no longer a need for change people,
so they save on payroll. The slot floorpeople, the ones
who pay out the jackpots, do give change, but it's only in paper
form (like breaking down a hundred to twenties), not coin.
You can still buy coins and tokens from a change booth or the
main cage, but you may be stuck with them because most machines
don't even have a coin slot. I know a lot of customers
miss the whole process of putting the coins in and hearing the
machine "ding" for each coin dropped, and watching the coins
fall into the tray when they win as if they really struck it
rich. But don't worry, when you cash out you'll still hear
coins falling...the casinos don't want you to miss out on the
illusion of hitting it big even if all you get is a ticket.
Oh yeah, be sure to cash in your ticket before the expiration
date at the same casino or else it's void. These casinos
have thought of everything...I've seen so many tickets for a few
cents lying around. How many people would stand in line to
cash in a ten cent ticket? Exactly.
A slot drop is when around 4 or 5 AM those
guys in jumpsuits come around and collect the coins from the
slot machines. You know, the ones who drive through the
casino on those caddy-type carts that may have two or three
flatbeds connected, escorted by security, saying, "Excuse me,
coming through!" The ones who may ask you to stop playing
your machine so they can collect the coins. The ones
people suspect of "fixing" the machine if they happen to be
winning.
I really haven't noticed that my tips have
decreased. Of course you get the people who say, "I want
to give you a tip, but these damn machines don't give out coins
anymore." This is really just a verbal version of someone
patting themselves down for that elusive tip - they want to give
the impression that they want to tip, but in reality
they're happy they have an excuse not to. People who
really want to tip will find a way to do so.
Regarding "Do you have a drink menu?"
I never saw a drink menu at home, but I must say, I've been in
Asia for the past few years, and EVERYWHERE has a drink menu
here. I've grown reliant on them, because you never know which
place has what (foreign liquor is sporadic at best), and there's
no knowing the prices. It's actually kind of nice, even when I
know what I want, it's nice to see the rest of the menu, in case
there's something I missed, or some specialty that no place else
has.
And here, the wait staff actually WAITS on tables. As in, you
get handed a menu, and then the lady waits until you make your
selection. Once your food/drinks are delivered, she sits there
and waits. I can't count the number of times that my beer glass
gets refilled, after I've taken 2-3 sips from it. Drives me nuts
sometimes.
Craig
That's why I love America.
Hi, I really
enjoyed your article online about tipping. I had cancer
surgery 5 years ago and lost my larynx. When I went to Vegas
last Feb I had this really nice waitress who was so
considerate because I speak with an artificial larynx and
sometimes it is hard to understand me, especially when there
are a lot of other people talking. Well I made sure because
she kept constantly coming back to give her at least one or
two dollars each trip and really noticed how she kept coming
to me instead of the others at the table who were like you
said stiffs. You can't take it with you and I appreciate the
waitresses that talk to me when I go to Vegas because most
people when they hear me talk, Like a robot, are kind of put
off. Thankyou
Sometimes we get so jaded from dealing with
people that we don't take the time to treat customers like
humans too. I'm glad you had a good waitress.
Hi,
First the
requisite “ I really love your site” (although I really do)
comment. I am always interested in your daily rounds and
love your tips section. A number of my friends read your
site now too. I originally linked to it from Mark
Pilarsky’s site about a year ago.
I’m also
happy to here that Jerome is safely back home. I can’t
imagine what that would be like for either of you.
My
girlfriend and I are going to be in Las Vegas over
Thanksgiving. We are staying at the MGM and would like to
have a nice Thanksgiving dinner. I was wondering if you had
any recommendations.
Our last
two vacations have been trying… Last year in Vegas, I
fainted and ended up in the Desert Sands Hospital, although
everything worked out ok. This past April (the 6th
at 8:00) we had just (I mean a few hours) had arrived in
Cancun and Deb slipped and fell in our hotel room (not the
bathroom, the room). Long story short, she broke her ankle
in three places and dislocated it as well (you’ll see that
if you open the picture). She spent three days in the
hospital and had surgery (a plate and seven screws). We
think (that’s code for hope like hell) we are past the bad
luck and are going to travel again after a couple of
sucessful (no hospitals) weekends out of town this last
summer.
Any help
you could provide (other than stop traveling together, we’ve
heard it) is really appreciated.
Thanks
again,
Scott
Holy moly. I can
think of a few things you should be careful of...chicken bones,
those plastic rings on six-packs, and buckets that have an inch
of water or more. And don't start an act involving white
tigers.
Thanks
for the tipping tips!
Your
Joshua is adorable. You are very blessed!
Cliff
Thanks Cliff, that's very nice.
Spent an enjoyable 1&half hours on the
website.I am coming to lv in dec for the 1st time I will be at
the mirage I hope its good .We are 2 old ladies out for a fun
time.So if you see us dollie,say hi I am the fat one with a
half inch of grey hair!!!!!!! Blessings to you and yours. oh
wait maybe you could include some safety tips for innocents
(well almost innocents).You know things to be vigilant about I
realize that most is just common sense but it would be great to
know things that are peculiar to the lv experience..............
hugs laura
Hi Laura,
I think the best advice I can give is: be
wary of friendly strangers. I don't mean people who are
having a good time at a blackjack table and talk and laugh with
you when you join them. I mean people, usually a man by
himself, who will approach you and offer to teach you how to
play your video poker machine, someone who offers to watch your
machine with credits in it while you go to the bathroom, someone
who starts talking to you for no reason, then asks if you'll
order them a drink or give them some money for the bus.
These people always come up to you unsolicited. They scope
out their victims, usually choosing women (alone or in pairs),
young people, and older people. They might sit at a
machine next to you for a few minutes, pretend to play or just
put in a few coins, and listen to your conversation to
hear who else you're with and what your plans are. Then
they'll smile and say something casual like, "These machines are
really tight!" or even something helpful like, "Watch your
purse, you should really put it in your lap." Just because
someone is nice or offers you advice doesn't mean you owe them
friendship. I'm not saying to suspect everyone who is nice
to you; maybe they guy's for real. But I'd rather snub a
nice guy than get taken by a crook. And honestly, if they
guy is legit, he'll understand and respect your attitude.
He'll even wish his wife and daughter reacted the same way.
Have a great time, but just be aware of your surroundings.
Glad to hear your boyfriend got
back safely. The government is not very good about
helping travelers outside of the country. You are
basically on your own. Congratulations on your
aggressive efforts. I love your site.
Mark
My boyfriend started a web site about
his experience called
7 Days 4 Wilma. He kept a
journal and took lots of pictures, so if you're
interested, you can read all about it here.
There's also a
Hurricane Wilma, Cancun, Mexico video that his friend Walter
Marin made. It's not completed yet, but here's
what he's got so far.
Just wanted to say I
thoroughly enjoy your website...funny and
informative!
Best wishes to you, Jerome and
baby Joshua (what a cutie pie!) I'm so glad Jerome
has returned home to you both safe and sound! My
parents (83 and 87 years old, still independent and
living in their own home in the New Orleans area)
are still trying to recoup after Hurricane Katrinia.
Living in Florida myself, we survived 3 hurricanes
last year which passed over our area. Thankfully,
Hurricane Wilma missed our area this time around,
but there is always next year. :( I'm glad Jerome's
recent experience with Wilma had a happy ending with
him being able to return to Las Vegas.
My fiance and I visit Las
Vegas 3 to 4 times a year. We usually stay at The
Venetian or MGM, but we gamble both on and off
strip. I have a special "tip purse" that I use in
Vegas solely for the purpose of tipping cocktail
waitresses and valets. It has a zippered outside
pocket on the back which is the perfect size for
bills. I keep $100 in one dollar bills in the
pocket, so we can be expedient tippers when the
cocktail waitress or the valet comes by...no
fumbling for dollars in the wallet or purse. We
usually tip between $2 and $4 for our order. From
reading your site, I think we're in line with good
tippers. Is that a decent tip from a couple with
one drink each? I usually have a mixed drink, and
my fiance' drinks either bottled water or iced tea.
My other question is this...on
the "Who Orders What" page, several drinks have the
notation *VEGAS STYLE* next to them. What is Vegas
Style? Am I missing something? Thanks for any help
and insight you can provide.
If I were 20 years younger
(I'm 42), I would be in Vegas myself as a cocktail
waitress. Although hectic, it sounds like a
fascinating and fun profession. Maybe in my next
life!
"Vegas Style" just means "the way
it's made in Vegas." Sometimes it means "you don't
have to be a real bartender." A Bloody Mary is
supposed to be made from scratch, but in the casinos the
bartenders just push the vodka button then add Bloody
Mary mix from a bottle. Other drinks, like Sex on
the Beach, are made a couple different ways, so I just
listed the most common way. And of course we all
know that,
outside of Vegas,
vodka lemonade is made with Minute Maid.
I hope your parents are doing better.
It makes me so sad to hear about tragedies and people
who have bad things happen to them. So much death
and destruction in the world, it's really just very,
very sad.
I like your site,
and I'm often in LV (rated player). Where do you work? Tom
If you look really hard on my site,
you'll find the answer. Several times.
I've been
thinking of you and wondered if he (Jerome) is home safe and
sound?
Your little
one is soooooooooooooooo cute!!
Yes, he's home safe and sound.
Thanks for your concern, Irene.
From one amused fan of your
site, best wishes at what must be a tough time.
I'm sure you'll read this in a
week or two's time with your man back by your side
and remembering how worried you felt, but add me to
the list of people keepiong their fingers crossed
for you.
Thanks, Paul. It was tough
at the time, but you're right, now that Jerome's
home none of it seems real. He's lucky to be
home safely, but there are so many people still left
in devastation. He and some of his friends
want to go back and help the citizens who stuck with
the tourists even though they lost everything.
A few people who live in Cancun have contacted
Jerome and offered him a place to stay and to be his
guide when he does go back. It's really great
to see people coming together to help others.
I'll be praying for him and all the rest of the
people caught in that terrible hurricane
God loves you and will take care of him
Gail
Thanks, Gail.
I will be nicer to my drink lady
now...I have always been nice...tip every time..always
say please and thank you.. But now I know them..lol
Thanks
J
If you need tips on how to be nicer,
refer to Steve's letter (below). You might end up with
a couple dates too.
Hi Dollie,
Love your website. I found it through another
gambling site yesterday. I love your honesty and
sense of humor.Guess you must have a sense of humor
to do your job.I live in the Midwest and for the
last ten years I've had access to 3 Casinos in
Iowa.I go 4 to 6 times a week and I love it.I'm an
excellent blackjack player, but a las, I love the
slots.My downfall is THE SLOTS. I know almost every
cocktail waitress at all three casinos. I'll tell
you right from the start-I am a good tipper! My
minimum tip is 2 dollars a drink.And at times it has
been much more. I love the cocktailgirls and most of
them love me. I have developed a great rapport with
them. They are the highlight of my casino visits. I
have given some nice gifts and many girls boxes of
chocolate candy and roses.. I have had them run
across the casino and give me huge hugs. I've even
written poems to some of my favorites. Not very good
poems but they love them. I've had them come up to
me and say Hey Nicole got a poem but I did't. And
tips are important and I know they need them but at
times their friendship with me I hope supercedes the
tip. They are all beautiful girls which is a great
plus too. I have had many tell me that they like me
because I treat them like human beings and many
customers just plain don't. I listen to their
problems and I know about their children. As you can
tell I love it. I've actually been asked out by
cocktail girls less than half my age. If I lived in
Las Vegas I would be in heaven but I'd never have
time to meet all the cocktail girls Damn. I sure
would like to try though. I'm glad I took the time
to write you. Yes I also think you are very
beautiful and may all yours tips be good.
Thanks,
Steve
So where's my poem? How come Nicole got one and
I didn't? Yes, it really sucks when I get turned
down by guys more than twice my age. Glad to know
I'm not alone.
Hey I love Vegas! You have a great job! Do
you know where I can get a cocktail waitress uniform? Its for
Halloween. I know its last minute so I'll probably do it next
year but if you know where they sell them it would help me out.
Thanks,
Nicole
Why don't you ask Steve, or does he only
write poems? Oh, wrong Nicole. Anyway, I don't think
you can buy a real Vegas casino cocktail waitress uniform from a
casino or any of their suppliers
because they don't want people impersonating employees. If
you just want any cocktail waitress uniform, I'm sure a lot of
costume shops sell them. The best one I know of is
Trashy.com.
Hi dollie,
Love your website. I go to vegas aleast a couple times a year.
Just curious what is your favorite nightclub and what do you
think is the hottest one right now? Keep up the good work.
thanks doll,
Steve
The newest one I've been to is Pure at
Caesars Palace, and it was pretty nice. I'm not a big
club person so I'm not a good person to ask.
Vegas.com has some really good info.
Hi!
I have to say that I found your website extremely
interesting and informative! I'm taking some leave from Iraq
in November, and I'll be driving up to LV from Phoenix for a
couple days of vacation. Now I know how to truly act without
inadvertantly doing something stupid! Thanks!
Also, I almost fell over when I saw that your favorite
websites were skeptic's sites, I am a huge fan of snopes.com
and skepdic.com, and watch Penn & Teller's Bullshit!
regularly. Actually, a big reason I want to go to Vegas is
to see their show live.
Anyway, just thought I'd write and say thanks for the
website! Very informative, and helpful-
Bill
Lately I've
been wasting my time on the
Straight Dope Message Board. I don't dare
join in, but it's fascinating reading to see these
brainiacs share their thoughts on atheism,
intellectual design, empiricism, and other subjects
that are less controversial. I haven't watched
Penn & Teller's show, but I will now. I didn't
realize they were such skeptic advocates, or that
Teller could talk.
Hi, whare can I buy the “How to Become a cocktail
waitress book?”
Charmaine
It's on my Want My
Job? page.
Dollie,
I'm glad I
clicked on the web site. Who ever did your site did a
fantastic job.
My wife
lost a wad of money (like eight thousand in hundreds,
slot win) it pop'd out of her jeans front pocket, (she
wears the short pocket type), when she reach to get
couple of bills to put back in the machine. Very
careless.
I called
security and felt really stupid after hanging up. After
reading your 'Daily Rounds' it reinforced my feelings
towards security.
Yes, I
will tip the bus when they bring the water and coffee.
I don't know if the waitress will share tips with them,
but because they are non-tip minimum hourly employees
at the bottom of the wage scale it might make their
shift go a little faster. I even tip the snack
shop, box office and the clean up person around the crap
and blackjack table. One dollar won't break you.
Vegas
rumor on the guy that hit the 17 millon mega, he gave 4
casino employees $100 each.
I saw
a white cocktail waitress suck up to a white stud at
the table. She brought him a beer and he gave her 50
cents. I had to laugh and wonder why are these guys so
cheap showing off. Who was his daddy, Jack Benny.
A minority
in Vegas standards.
ps: where
do you leave the tip for room service, on the bed or the
toilet tank. ?
Ouch, that's a lot of money to lose.
Good thing Hoover Dam isn't around the corner.
I hadn't heard anything about how
much the Megabucks winner tipped each person, but I
think anyone who wins that amount of money is put in
quite a dilemma. It seems no matter how much you
tip there will be people who complain. Personally,
I would have been happy with $100.00. Of course I
would take any amount, but I think $1000.00 max is a
good limit.
When I tip the maid I put it on a
pillow and put the pillow in the middle of the bed (I
don't make the bed because it's more work for them to
take the sheets off) with a note that says, "Thank you."
Or you can put it on the table next to the bed with a
note that says, "Thank you." Make sure you don't
have other money lying around so there's no confusion.
Great site! While reading
through all of your writings, I kept saying to
myself, "I had no idea that ____ was part of being a
CW. " In all of my years visiting your fair city (my
first trip was in 1967) I've only run into good CW's.
Of course, I was taught by an old sage to tip and
tip often and that may have something to do with it.
It wasn't that long ago that
pit bosses at Binion's used metal clickers to
summons CW's to a particular table.
Can I guess that is a system
you woud not have liked? :)
Your fame spreads - as it
should.
Clickers...I've heard about those. Was that like
the clapper? I wouldn't mind being summoned by one
of those. As long as I get to use it to "clap" any
customer who said, "Oh, here you are, I've been waiting
for an hour...what do I want...hmmm...what do you guys
want? I don't know...what do you have?" Or
any pit boss who said, "Oh, none of the customers need a
drink. I just want a bottled water."
Dear Dollie,
I find your anecdote about your Mother in Wal-Mart
ironic. You are offended by what the women said, but you
yourself are constantly saying very mean spirited things
about people in your blog. In fact the whole point of
your blog seems to be to bag on your customers, and
suggest people leave extravagant tips. An impartial
review of your writings would show frequent racist
comments.
You my dear are the pot calling the kettle black.
From: Lawrence Tougas [mailto:crapihate@hotmail.com]
I do bag on people, not for their
race, but for their stupidity. I never suggest people
should leave extravagant tips. My bagging is never
mean-spirited but instead with humor.
In fact, the whole point of my blog is to inform people
on how to behave like smart humans when they are here in
Vegas.
You, my dear, need to be a more perceptive reader. And
develop a sense of humor.
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