OT: Should you tip when ordering pick-up food at a restaurant?

hosnatcher · Feb 13, 2007

I am very conflicted on this one. I have yet to tip when picking up take out at the local olive garden and such. However as I am walking out the door I feel kind of guilty like I should tip. But I just can't bring myself to leave a tip becasue I felt like I spent the gas and energy to drive down to the restaurant to pay the same amount of money for food with less maintenance. There is no one showing to my seat, refilling my beverage, busting my table, washing my dishes, dry cleaning my table napkins or putting up with my shit. So what is the tip for? I am expected to give someone more money for just selling me food? Isn't that what a restaurant is supposed to do, cook and sell food at an extremly high profit?

The funny thing is I have never had a hot chick ring up a to-go order for me. I am sure if I ever encounter a hottie ringing up my to-go order I would shove a couple of bucks in your pocket.

quantumleap · Feb 13, 2007

Do you tip when you call ahead to pick up a package at the local hardware store or some other such establishment? I believe tipping should be for people who provide a service other than just taking your money. Otherwise you would be tipping everyone at every checkout stand.

royboy_3831 · Feb 13, 2007

I always give them a couple of bucks.

HarryCaray · Feb 13, 2007

hosnatcher said:
There is no one showing to my seat, refilling my beverage, busting my table, washing my dishes, dry cleaning my table napkins or putting up with my shit. So what is the tip for? I am expected to give someone more money for just selling me food? Isn't that what a restaurant is supposed to do, cook and sell food at an extremly high profit?

BINGO! You answer your own question here.

hosnatcher · Feb 13, 2007

Somebody told me today that they spend the time to package your food and shit. S.F.W.

WVU · Feb 13, 2007

bdgear · Feb 13, 2007

with all the places with curbside to go now i tip 10% they have to come outside in the cold and shit but when i go in and pick something to go up i dont tip anything

Extraordinary_5 · Feb 13, 2007

I tip just about anything, I can't stand people that don't tip, especially those that ate at the restaurant.

I tip about 25-30%.

joeyfitzclick · Feb 13, 2007

If its a large order the server still rings the food under their name and technically pays an assumed tip on those sales.

RobFunk · Feb 13, 2007

I tip the dunkin donuts girls but not the restaraunts. Unless they have a cup out.

One time my friend tried to tip a 5 or a 10 to some lady at some restaurant who was servicing the buffet and the food was so awesome. And they got into a fight and she was like please dont do this. I'm just like, yo cut it out man, she dont want it. Man, that made me feel so uncomfortable.

1cheater · Feb 13, 2007

Extraordinary_5% said:
I tip just about anything, I can't stand people that don't tip, especially those that ate at the restaurant.

I tip about 25-30%.

Ok, so you goto Starbucks, some retard makes you a latte, you tip for that?

You goto an icecream shop and some pimple eating freak takes 29 seconds out to do his JOB and make you a ice cream cone, you tip?

You tip at your local Old Country Buffet carving station?

You tip the person handing out samples at the grocery store on Sundays?

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, THERE IS NO END TO THE MADNESS....:smoker2:

Journeyman · Feb 13, 2007

I get this lobster bisque a couple times a month in this restaurant and they leave it at the bar...the bartender always gives me five ones back and I always keep them...it's not that I wouldn't tip but I feel like i would be giving the wrong person the money..I've seen other people just pay and go...I usually give atleast 20% when it's sit down.

hosnatcher · Feb 13, 2007

When eat at a restaurant I am very over/under tipper. If I get good service and never have to ask for another beer, more chips and salsa and not ignored I tip 30%. But if I get some shitty service and have to ber for another drink or go to the bar myself and order it then I will tip 2 dollars at the most.

I think the whole eating out business is getting very tip driven. First off when you arrive at the restaurant and have to wait in the bar an hour to be seated you are somewhat forced to close out your drink bill so you can tip your bartender then you have to ring up a separate food bill so you can tip your waitress. There is even one restaurant near my job called Chammps that I have sworn not to go there for lunch ever again because the service isn't personable. Every time I go there we never get a cute waitress. But the funny thing is every table around us gets the same cute waitress but my table is the only one that gets the awkard 6 foot 4 dude that doesn't know how to do shit. They even have the nerve to bring a bust boy to bring our food. I cringe every time I get the bill because I felt I didn't get enough personable service to warrant a decent tip.

Woody0 · Feb 13, 2007

If its a drive in, where you sit in your car and they roller skate or run out with your food on a tray that clips on to your car window, then yes.

Oops, excuse the 50's time warp.

hno:

HinesWard86 · Feb 13, 2007

Before becoming a waiter at Ruby Tuesday's, I worked at To-Go for 3 months. Rarely expected a tip as I thought the same thing as all of you. There are certain instances when a tip was expected however.

Anything over $50 I expected at least a couple bucks because it takes a lot of time putting that shit together. Also, if I make a To-Go salad or dessert for you I expected a tip because again I am doing all the work. Finally, any order that is called in extremely particular that is made right. For instance, someone changing up like 4 or 5 things on a combo platter. The cooks usually fuck at least one of them up and you have to fix it yourself.

Vast majority of the time though I didn't expect a tip. Felt kind of weird that I was the only To-Go person that felt this way. Everyone else expected at least 10% and bitched like hell if they didn't get it. Lots of assholes at that place. Some fucking To-Go people even had the nerve to complain about no tip if someone wanted a salad bar To-Go that they would make themselves. In that instance, all the To-Go person would do there is bring them out plastic silverware, a plastic tray, 2 bowls, and a bag. That's it. And people expected a tip outta that. I would feel terribly guilty if someone tried to tip me on that. Most of the time I just refused it. Hell, later when my managers fucked me over I got back at them by pocketing 75% of To-Go salad bar money for myself. Bastards.

C.P. · Feb 13, 2007

in a sit down place.
i've tipped anywhere from'''ZERO to 70 percent)

to me, it's all about service
if the food is bad and the service is good ... tip well

good food, bad service. avg. tip

bad food, bad service...zero cash...period (my wife hates when I do this)

hosnatcher · Feb 13, 2007

HinesWard86 said:
Before becoming a waiter at Ruby Tuesday's, I worked at To-Go for 3 months. Rarely expected a tip as I thought the same thing as all of you. There are certain instances when a tip was expected however.

Anything over $50 I expected at least a couple bucks because it takes a lot of time putting that shit together. Also, if I make a To-Go salad or dessert for you I expected a tip because again I am doing all the work. Finally, any order that is called in extremely particular that is made right. For instance, someone changing up like 4 or 5 things on a combo platter. The cooks usually fuck at least one of them up and you have to fix it yourself.

Vast majority of the time though I didn't expect a tip. Felt kind of weird that I was the only To-Go person that felt this way. Everyone else expected at least 10% and bitched like hell if they didn't get it. Lots of assholes at that place. Some fucking To-Go people even had the nerve to complain about no tip if someone wanted a salad bar To-Go that they would make themselves. In that instance, all the To-Go person would do there is bring them out plastic silverware, a plastic tray, 2 bowls, and a bag. That's it. And people expected a tip outta that. I would feel terribly guilty if someone tried to tip me on that. Most of the time I just refused it. Hell, later when my managers fucked me over I got back at them by pocketing 75% of To-Go salad bar money for myself. Bastards.

I can understand that working in the food service businees you get accustomed to tips for performing your job duties because your hourly wages are moderated because of the tips. I myself consider it a form of selling though. If you are a waiter/waitress you must have a good personality and do your job well to maximize your income and if you work the to-go register you should also do the same. Don't just hand the customer the bag of food and say here. Open the containers up and sho them that you made sure the customer got what they ordered. Ask them if they have enough salad dressings and dips. Ask them they would like a specialty drink or some dessert or something. If I ever received to-go service like that I would be gladly to throw a couple of bucks there way.

I used to work for a car rental agency and my hourly sucked but I got paid extra if I sold insurance on the rentals. However the commission formula sucked so bad where you actually get penalized for cars that don't take insurance. Instead of getting say 10% of each insurance package you sell, the rental companies calculate how many cars you had out on rent and for how many days with insurance vs the ones that aren't insured and you can wither get 2.5%, 5%, 10% or 15% of the inurance packages that you sell. Of course sometimes you have to bite the bullet when somebody gets in a car wreck and their insurance company is paying for the rental for 30 days with no extra insurance. It was shitty knowing that just by doing your everyday job duties of renting a car you can actually lose income when people didn't buy insurance. But that was the job I signed up for and that was the job I did. (I later found a way around it though by asking people before hand if they were going to buy the insurance and if they said no I would tell them we had no more cars and send them to mom and pop car rental company that gave me cash referreals)

:money8:

Bennyshoe · Feb 14, 2007

i work in a restaurant (family owned Japanese restaurant) and when I work the register I have to pack the order. Most of the time I don't expect a tip. I am surprised when they do leave me a tip. Even when it's a small order under $5. Small orders don't take much work to pack. I'm always appreciative of it and try to convey that.

However if I pack a huge order where it's like for 5 or more people then I hope to get a little something for putting it together. Especially if they want it separated and names written on them etc. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. I don't get too pissed about it.

I get more pissed about it if I'm working the bar and people stiff me on getting them 3 or 4 rounds of drinks. I'll get $1 tip on just opening a single beer. I feel that's easier than packing a togo order.

So I think people think it'smore customary to tip at the bar so they do even for the smallest thing.

So if you have a big order togo a tip would be nice. Or if you're a regular a tip once in awhile helps them remember you and they'll make sure they get everything right for you.

kermit16 · Feb 14, 2007

I go to Sam Woo's here in Vegas and order their Duck to go about once a month. To me Duck isn't any good without plenty of plum sauce with it. It's kinda like Lamb without mint jelly ! I always leave a tip in the tip jar and mention how much I love their plum sauce. I never fail to get more then my share of sauce in my order to go. What goes around ... comes around ! Don't be a cheap skate JMHO

Bennyshoe · Feb 14, 2007

kermit16 said:
I go to Sam Woo's here in Vegas and order their Duck to go about once a month. To me Duck isn't any good without plenty of plum sauce with it. It's kinda like Lamb without mint jelly ! I always leave a tip in the tip jar and mention how much I love their plum sauce. I never fail to get more then my share of sauce in my order to go. What goes around ... comes around ! Don't be a cheap skate JMHO

Sam Woo's has some damn good chinese food! Damn I'm hungry now.