Tipping at Sonic & HEB (gated, salaries, costs)

[snippet]

The servers at Sonic DO NOT make $7.25. They used to, but it was changed a year or two ago. The servers make $2.50. Drive thru servers get min wage because they aren't expected to receive tips. I know this because my daughter worked there for over a year during the wage change.

And they do more than just hand you the bag. Granted, the servers at other fast food restaurants might also do what the servers at Sonic do (depending on the number of employees in the store).

[kdiaz7]

What is HEB?

[TXtrkgrl]

Originally Posted by kdiaz7

What is HEB?

H-E-B is our local grocery store. They have a monopoly over the city. Your other choices are Super Walmart and Target stores.

H-E-B — Here Everything's Better.

[xsa210tx]

Originally Posted by snippet

The servers at Sonic DO NOT make $7.25. They used to, but it was changed a year or two ago.

That sucks. More corporate greedisim it seems. It's probably better working there at Sonic than Luby's tho.

[SAAggiemom]

I ate there yesterday and because of this thread I asked the girl that delivered our food how much she was paid. ( I agree it was very rude to ask and I apologized in advance) She said she used to make minimum wage (about $5.50) but now that things were restructured she makes $3.65 an hour so tips are important to her.

[xsa210tx]

Originally Posted by SAAggiemom

I ate there yesterday and because of this thread I asked the girl that delivered our food how much she was paid. ( I agree it was very rude to ask and I apologized in advance) She said she used to make minimum wage (about $5.50) but now that things were restructured she makes $3.65 an hour so tips are important to her.

Cool! Well that's not to bad. She could have been getting $2.13 like I did as a server at crappy and hellish Luby's

It seems like working at Sonic would be a fun job. I don't go there but if I did, depending on what I ordered, I would definitely tip accordingly.

[TexasRedneck]

Don't mind tipping the folks that bring it to the car - it ain't gonna be no 15%, but mebbe 5 - 10%. Sorry, but it's not THAT big a deal. What DOES get me is the tip jar that are popping up at so many of the drive-thru lanes!! I'm sorry - but one of these days, I'm liable to dump an old coke in it...

[OaklandR]

Well I'm still not tipping at any fast food restaurant even if they walk to my car. If everyone did that people would stop applying at Sonic and either they would go out of business or they would change their wages back.

Tip jars are popping up at every fast food and to-to windows. Just silly.

Also they still get paid minimum wage:

A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage. If the employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by motown mary

I am new to SA & we do not have Sonic or HEB back home...when the Sonic kid comes out to the car with my order, how much do I tip? What about the kid who pushes my grocery cart out & loads the car. A couple of times they have walked away while I was still buckling my kids in.

Sonic = zero tip

I worked at Sonic for 2 years in High School.
The kids that go out, get paid the same as the cooks plus tips and don't have to do all the hard work that the cooks have to do (cleaning).

There were nights when I was busting my ..... working like a slave in that kitchen because it was extremely busy.
I got paid about $5.50/hr at the time, and one of the girls told me that in a good night, she could get $80 in tips in 5 hours, so she made up to $20/hr.
We closed, she cleaned a few things and went home, while I had to stay scrubbing the whole store for an hour.

[OaklandR]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Sonic = zero tip

I worked at Sonic for 2 years in High School.
The kids that go out, get paid the same as the cooks plus tips and don't have to do all the hard work that the cooks have to do (cleaning).

There were nights when I was busting my ..... working like a slave in that kitchen because it was extremely busy.
I got paid about $5.50/hr at the time, and one of the girls told me that in a good night, she could get $80 in tips in 5 hours, so she made up to $20/hr.
We closed, she cleaned a few things and went home, while I had to stay scrubbing the whole store for an hour.

And I guarantee that that $80 in tips is not being reported especially now. Maybe some, but not all. I knew a few people in high school that worked there and they didn't. I knew some of the cooks also and they felt the same way.