Comments on: Tipping for Take Out??

By: pnaw10

pnaw10 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:48:32 +0000

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.

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:10:52 +0000

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

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:24:39 +0000

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.

By: pnaw10

pnaw10 — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:33:58 +0000

Wow sis, thanks for the novel.

By: Erin Naughton

Erin Naughton — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:46:28 +0000

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.

By: Rob Gaudreau

Rob Gaudreau — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:12:05 +0000

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.

By: Mike Gurecki

Mike Gurecki — Sat, 17 May 2008 09:30:16 +0000

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?