Did I miss the memo?

[unclejampuff]

My second job is in a nice Chinese restaurant. Not the standard strip mall type, it's a slightly formal place, serves wine and beer, sit down kind of place. Of course, we also do take-out orders. I take the call, put the ticket into the computer, assemble the order(entrees, rice, fortune cookies, condiments, sauces, soups, fried noodles, utensils, etc), bring it out to the register, and cash it out. There are times I have to assist the customer in deciding(dietary restrictions, etc) and/or explain a complicated substitution to the cooks(no point in putting it on the ticket, they don't read English very well). To me, this seems like a decent amount of work. So why do I almost NEVER get tipped for take-out? I take time out from serving my tables to do all this extra work, I'm still getting a server's wage, I genuinely don't understand why I am not being monetarily compensated for my effort. I don't mean to whine, but we usually do a high volume of take-out orders. One night I reckoned that if every take-out order had given me a dollar, I'd have made as much money as on my tables. I'd be fine with just a quarter; I'm not asking for even 10%.
Did I miss out on some unspoken rule that you don't tip on take-out orders? I've always tipped for take-out, if at a discounted rate. I really don't mean to whine, but I don't get it. It's going to get worse for me, since I'm taking some lunch shifts. That means less tables, more take-out orders; less money for me, more work for me to do. Are my customers being jerks, or I am expecting something I shouldn't be getting?

[Norton]

May I ask what it's like from the customer's point of view?

When someone comes in to pick up a take-out order, what do they observe when they get there?

I imagine that usually their food is ready and waiting, you hand them their food, they pay you and leave. Is it possible that the customer has no idea how hard you work? They may think standing at the register doing take-out is your only duty.

Also, do you have a visible tip cup? If you do, they should realize that tipping is welcome. If not, the thought may never cross their minds.

[Broomjockey]

I'll tell you right now that probably a fair number of them it never even crosses their mind. I never knew about tipping on take-out orders before there was a tipping thread that someone mentioned it off-hand. Most people probably think of it similar to picking up food from a fast food place. The kitchen makes it and packs it, then it just sits there until you come in, and the server grabs it and takes your payment. Not really a lot of room for tipping in that view. It's also a single point of contact, as you're not giving them a constant service like they'd receive at a table. This means that they don't really have a way to judge the quality of service they're getting. At least with a delivery driver you can time them.

[Imprl59]

I guess I'm another SC here but I don't tip in this situation. To me this is more of an issue between you and the owners. They should be paying you a decent wage if you are doing the carryout stuff.

Steve B.

[Becks]

To tell you the honest truth, it has never once occurred to me to tip for take out.

I feel so bad now.

[JLRodgers]

Actually before you said somthing, I would've assumed that all the people working at the counter were paid actual non-waitress types of wages. Similar to like a fast food place.

The way I view it, an employeer putting someone at a register-like position at a food place should be paying normal wages (or at the least, pay the "waitress" wage + at least 5% of the total tickets as pay).

[Andara Bledin]

Yeah, this is an area where the person working to assemble the take-out should not be paid the same wage as a server. Servers are underpaid because it's expected that they will get tips. Thus, if they're doing a job that is not serving and, thus, not receiving tips, they should be paid on a different payscale, such as whatever they pay to the person that works the counter, since it's a comperable position.

^-.-^

[myswtghst]

The restaurant you work at sounds a good deal like my favorite Chinese place around here. And to be honest, I've never thought of tipping there - and I'll tell you why.

For one, they're always super-busy. So usually, if I manage to say thanks to the kid at the counter in between everything they're doing, I feel good. I don't want to make a big fuss over trying to give them a tip, and take up their time as well.

For two, there is no tip cup, nothing stating that tips are accepted/welcomed/etc. I feel akward, and don't want them to get in trouble if they're not supposed to accept tips.

For three, as has been mentioned above, it seems like it varies from place to place who does how much work. Some places, the kitchen staff assembles orders, some places, the person who gives you your food is the one who did all the work. It's hard to tell, and people tend to respond to that ambiguity by not tipping.

So I'd say, if your bosses will allow it, put up a little sign that says "Tipping is encouraged!" or put a tip cup out, to inspire tipping. I don't think it's rude, especially if it's done in a fun way, plus it gets the point across quickly and (hopefully) inoffensively.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Are my customers being jerks, or I am expecting something I shouldn't be getting?

I have to go with the latter. It has never occurred to me to tip the person at the restaurant handing me my food to go. It's kind of like the sub shop in the strip mall attached to my store that I frequently order food from. They take the call-in order, assemble the order and have it bagged up for me to pick up. I have never tipped the person giving me my food, it hasn't occurred to me I'm supposed to, and I'd hate to think that drops me into the bowels of SC hell.

And from the customer's point of view, all that you're doing is handing them their food and taking their money, and they don't see that as being worthy of a tip. They see it as a function of your job you should be doing anyway. They're not aware of the behind-the-scenes stuff you do.

That being said, if you're doing this kind of work but still being paid server wage, you're getting bent over. Perhaps you could try to negotiate a better wage for this kind of work, so that you're not depending so much on tips to get by. And if that fails, you can put out the tip jar, but don't be obnoxious and rattling the thing in people's faces. The point should be clear.

[wagegoth]

I always tip at least 10% on takeout, because I know that usually the server is putting the order together, not the kitchen, and it is taking them away from their tables.

Back on topic, maybe you should have your boss add a $2 fee to takeout orders. They can put it down to supplies or something, if a customer asks. Then they should turn it over to whoever took the order.

[Spiffy McMoron]

I guess I'm another SC here but I don't tip in this situation. To me this is more of an issue between you and the owners. They should be paying you a decent wage if you are doing the carryout stuff.

I do tip if I'm ordering delivery, and I tip if I'm sitting down and having the waitress deliver the food right to me. I don't tip if I'm picking up. Why?

Because I think that I'm doing part of the work for you be coming by and picking it up. To me, I don't see much of a difference between collecting my order at a Chinese-food take out, or collecting my order at a KFC. It's work, sure, but not something that I think I should tip for.

I don't think that you should get paid waitress' wages, either.