Does this, or does this not suck?

[Ghostlightkeeper]

I've been wondering, If you place a "to-go" order from a restaurant like Applebee's where you would also have the option to sit down but you're only gonna run in and grab your food and leave, should you leave a tip when you pay the bill? I don't want to be an SC but I don't feel like I should have to leave a tip if I wasn't served. As far as I know everybody involved in the transaction should be getting paid regular wages. I'm I wrong about this? It's really started to bother me. Let me know what you think.

[Hawkguy]

I tend to agree

as I do the same thing. There is an Applebee's right next to my store, and I walk over there a lot to pick up food. As I'm not being served, I always thought it was ok not to tip.

[kimbot]

i think you're supposed to tip. they have to box the food, get any condiments, get plastic forks, etc. it's actually quite a bit of work.

[flybye023]

I have been wondering about that too, except that the people bring it out to the car. On the one hand they are bringing the food to me, but on the other hand they don't have to prepare/clean/clear a table and dishes for me either. I do tip though if the weather is really bad and the guy has to come out in it.

[CaroPhoenix]

I tip no matter what. My husband tips about 10% but I tip 15%. I figure they're probably waiters/waitresses assigned to the carside-to-go place and since they're not waiting on actual tables, they're missing out on larger tips.

I could be wrong, but that's how I feel.

[marty]

I tip no matter what. My husband tips about 10% but I tip 15%. I figure they're probably waiters/waitresses assigned to the carside-to-go place and since they're not waiting on actual tables, they're missing out on larger tips.

I could be wrong, but that's how I feel.

I do exactly the same thing, and you are right about it being servers assigned to carside (well, at least I know that for sure at Applebees). At the Applebees near me, it's the bartender that gets that responsibility, so whoever's bartending has to take the order, bag it in the back, take it outside or ring up the person if they come in, etc, which takes them away fro the bar for more time than one would assume. Someone at the bar, thinking the bartender not attentive because they have to leave for a few minutes (the same could be said for a server's situation), may not tip as well.

Without tips, servers are making less than minimum wage. If someone answers my call or takes my order inside, then gets my food ready and brings it to me, bagged or not, I consider that serving me.

I mean, if you don't, I don't really know if it's sucky, but having been in the situation before taking to go orders, it sure as hell is disappointing.

[wagegoth]

I was told you should tip about 10%, as the servers often take the orders, then have to put the meals in the containers and bag the items, so you are using their time that they would normally be putting in on tables, or, in some places, they rotate who takes the delivery calls, so if you don't tip that person, then they're losing money from not covering tables.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I always leave about 10% or a little more, which is considerably less than what I would leave if I was sitting at a full service table. 10%, I think, is reasonable. Waitstaff is probably who is putting your order together, which does take some work (and I know cuz I've done it) done by people making around 2 bucks an hour. More than that is not needed, unless you are feeling generous or want to be known as a generous regular (helpful if you go there frequently.).

We get take out at LEAST once a week at a little local greek place near where we live and work. I want them to be kindly inclined towards me and value me as a customer. So I tip for take out. And I over tip for full service, when I eat in.

Not ONCE has my order been in any way less than perfect. And Saul, who owns the place, slips suckers into the box for my daughter and makes a point to come out and speak to us whenever we come in.

[bigjimaz]

15 - 20% across the board when I go out to eat, whether I sit there and eat it or just pick it up. I figure they're still serving me, even if it only takes 5 minutes to put together all the components.

[Alpha Strike]

While I have no problem tipping for regular sit-down service, I have to say I question the motivation for tipping given the circumstances in the original post.


I have a very hard time believing that bagging food, putting napkins and silverware in and running a credit card can take any more then a couple minutes. Even if you have a massive, elaborate meal that takes a whole 5 minutes to prepare, why would you tip the same amount as if you had sat down and been taken care of for an hour or two?

I tip no matter what. My husband tips about 10% but I tip 15%. I figure they're probably waiters/waitresses assigned to the carside-to-go place and since they're not waiting on actual tables, they're missing out on larger tips.

While I admire your generosity, I don't believe I should pay for service I'm not getting - just doesn't make sense to me.

[By the way, if this is part of someone's regular job and it IS a lot of work, please tell me. I don't want to be stiffing folks if they've put a lot of effort into getting that meal ready.]

[Dave1982]

Most places that offer take out have a tip space on their credit card slips because they do offer services (sit-down or delivery) where tipping would be appropriate. They just don't maintain a separate machine for carry-out.

I was even told by a member of staff at a restaurant to be sure to put ZERO on the tip line for take-out for my own protection. He said that if he were unscrupulous, he could fill in whatever he wanted there.

All in all, I do not believe tipping is required for carry-out food. If you want to leave one, that's fine, but I dont' think you should feel obligated to.

Any restaurant employees have input here?

[earl colby pottinger]

Not usually

For self-serve or take-out I usually do not leave a tip, but any time the server goes even that little extra I do tip. Some servers don't just take your order, some make intelligent suggestion that are more than just the company splee to push something, or had to handle difficult combinations. Those I always tip, sometime a lot if I can afford it.

[Ghostlightkeeper]

Well, I'm glad that it seems to be a gray area. Now I don't feel so bad. I haven't been tipping for take out but I always tip 20% for dine in, so I think from now on I'll do 10% for take out and leave it at that.

I usually get takeout from Buffalo Wild Wings where I have to go in myself and get the order from someone who seems to be stuck behind the counter anyway. I sort of wish I had some way of knowing that my tip was going to the person who took my order.

[alacazar]

hmmmm

I was always taught that if i was picking somehting up myself, or going to a fast food/take out place of any kind there would be no tip. This is primaraly because the peson taking the payment didnt make the food. Likewise, the foood was often pacakged prior to me getting there, so i cant even confrim if they had anything to do with packaging the meal for me.

With a Sit down meal the guideline was always 10% if the server made an attempt to do their job. If the service was good 15% or more. If the waite was rude, the service was pverall bad, or you had to acctualy chase down the waiter for something. a much smaller tip if anything depenging how many waiters I had we had to deal with, and if some of it was not their fault. Keep in mind that with this system a waiter can get 15% or more as a tip if the food wad bad, late, burnt, or someone else secrewed up as long as the waiter at least tried to explain or rectify the situation.

Befor you comment about how little waiters or other service people becasue tips are included in wages. Keep in mind I live in British Columbia canada. There is a blanket minimum wage of 8.00 per hour that effects most anyone as long as you have worked more than 500 hours since april of 2001. A person that waits tables for a living will often start at the same wage as a cashier at the local food store, or as I did as a Technical Support Specilist. Depending on tenure and where they work, they may be making much more.

[PepperElf]

back in the states, yeah, i'd still tip... perhaps not as much as if it was regular service

then again last time i did it was over the 06 holidays, and i tend to tip higher then


here in japan, no, cos it's not expected (and can be offensive in some areas).