In recent years, many popular national chain restaurants have been making it easier for customers to order takeout. Many Chilis locations have a special “to go” entrance and counter, separate from the main restaurant. But they also have a sign on the wall, saying “Tips Appreciated.” Huh?? What’s up with that, and what do YOU think about it?
I hate to be the “cheap prick” who doesn’t leave a tip, but am I wrong in thinking that this is going a little too far? The counter clerk basically takes the order, then puts it in a bag when it comes out of the kitchen. My interaction with this person is 30 seconds or less. I walk in, I tell them who I am, they hand me my food, I pay, and I leave. Does that really qualify for a tip?
Places like the Outback Steakhouse and Applebees go a step further. When you call in the order, they ask you what kind of car you’ll be driving. When you pull up, they bring the food out to your car — no need to get out of the car. Now, these folks actually are making a little more effort, and I feel a little more guilty about not tipping. But I’m still fully capable of going inside to get the food — they just choose to not let me.
Honestly, I’m not sure… do these people deserve tips? Even if they don’t, are customers expected to tip them? If so… how much should they be tipped? I can’t justify giving a to-go or carside person the usual 15-20% you’d give a table waiter or waitress. It’s not like they’re making multiple trips to my car with appetizers, salad, drink refills, etc.
Leave your comments and thoughts below…
the foods expensive enough… I can see tipping the underpaid over worked waitress who had to put up with me for half an hour topping off my drinks… but I don’t tip when I pick up a pizza why should I if I pick up any other meal?
For the “out to the car” folks I tend to leave a dollar or so. They more then likely aren’t making minimum wage and tips are their bread and butter. I’ll leave a touch more if it’s raining/snowing or if they have been super friendly and made it a point to get out there immediately.
Having had the unfortunate experience of working in the “service industry” over the past several years (yup, four years of quality state education and a theatre degree equals one overqualified waitress) I can see both sides to this. Whenever I had to deal with take-out orders I never expected a tip, but it was always nice when someone threw me a dollar or two, per Rob’s comment that waiters make substantially less than minimum wage. It was nice because though I’m not serving you per se, the time to process the order (i.e. be on the phone with you while you ask me what dressings we have, and then repeat them for your wife who couldn’t hear you, and then listen while you debate which dessert to order and can we put your potato in a separate container, etc.) and then to put the order in, go get the order once you are there, and process your payment; all these things take me away from my tables that are there and tipping. And though it doesn’t seem like much work/time to you, waiting tables is all in the timing and that can sometimes throw a wrench in your “flow.”
That being said…I never expected a tip. It is what the sign says, appreciated. But 9 times out of 10, nobody leaves one and that’s perfectly okay. The only time I feel like it’s really out of line NOT to leave a tip on take-out is if its an extremely large or difficult order. So hope this provides some perspective. And FYI, due to cost of living increases (i.e. shitty economy) standard tips are now 20%, not 15%. New Yorkers love to do that trick where you double the sales tax, but that’s undertipping. Always move the decimal to the left one place and double that amount.
Wow sis, thanks for the novel.
The argument that I most often heard from friends in the restaurant industry about “to go” tipping was that the tip was deserved because while you are not actually being served, the server is being taken away from taking tables where they are being tipped in order to bring out your order.
Personally, I don’t dine out much, but I tip according to the service rendered. If I get great service I will tip much more than (Peter, I am sure your sister is sweet but 20% as standard is some fuzzy math) and if I get snarled at by a server I will politely leave a dollar. tips of any amount are earned- they aren’t a right.
20% is standard given cost of living and the fact that minimum wage for service workers is only something like $4 an hour…but I also live/work in NYC so prices are more inflated than upstate.
http://www.itipping.com/tip-guide-restaurant.htm
I think 20% is for exceptional service, but 15% is the standard.
You can’t say it’s now 20% because of the cost of living. As the costs go up, so do the prices on the menu… and therefore, 15% of the bill today is still higher than 15% of the bill 5 years ago.
But that’s for table service… we’re talking about “carside to go” or just picking something up at a take-out counter.