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I recently went on a trip to another town and ate at a self-service restaurant. It was considered a sit down restaurant (not fast food) but they did not have wait staff to bring drinks, condiments, take orders. You walked up the counter and placed your order, and you got your own drinks and got your own silverware and napkins.
They did have staff to clean tables (you did not have to throw out your own plate) but that was it.
When I placed my order, there was a line for how much tip that I wanted to provide. I put $0.00 down since it was not a serviced place.
Was this correct? Rude? The person who took my order immediately saw the size of tip, so I suppose they could have spit in my food if they didn't like it.
I was slightly perplexed at how to respond to the tip line on the receipt.
this is common these days. even for food pickup at any chain restaurant, they have a line for tip. i usually tip 5-10% even for pickup, because i used to work food services many years ago, and remember how difficult the work was for such little pay. but you shouldn't feel forced to tip for self service, they see a tip as something as a bonus, and not expected so don't freak out thinking they'll spit in your food of anything like that.
Tipping in America is a messed up system to begin with. Typically there is a line for a tip on every receipt, but I would not tip at self service restaurants...and it's not expected.
Some places do share the tips with the kitchen staff, and some waitresses are expected to share their tips with the bus boy, etc. I haven't waitressed for a million years, but I was expected to share my tips. After all, if the kitchen is slow, it will be reflected in the waitress' tip, or if nobody takes away a dirty plate, or the table isn't clean when you sit down.
There's a bagel place near me with a tip jar. I go in, order a half dozen bagels, the employee puts 6 bagels in a bag, takes my money and I'm supposed to give them a tip for doing their job? What's next? Tip jars at McDonalds?
So frustrating. This is a newer (last decade or so) trend. I put $0.00 on the credit or debit card receipt. They took my order at a counter! I do leave a couple of dollars on the table for the bus person. I'm not a cheap person and I tip well at sit down restaurants.
Editing before I come across as a total jerk! When you are at a restaurant where you are waited on, your tip is supposed to go to the waiter for the job they did. It doesn't go to the kitchen staff, for example. Servers are often paid under minimum wage and they rely on those tips to make up for it. In the case of a tip line on a check at a place where the tables are not served, I don't understand whom the tip goes to. As I said, this has been a more recent concept.
If there's a tip line, I would write in "I'll tip in cash, after service" or "I'll tip in cash, depending on service" or "Tip will be left on the table" or something similar. TIP PRIOR to service? No way.
There's a bagel place near me with a tip jar. I go in, order a half dozen bagels, the employee puts 6 bagels in a bag, takes my money and I'm supposed to give them a tip for doing their job? What's next? Tip jars at McDonalds?
The only "tip jars" I leave money in are those for musicians, always if I request a song, and other times, if I feel like it (I usually do). I also usually leave something for street performers.
I sometimes leave coins in the "charity" jar at the supermarket, but otherwise, no, I do not leave tips for employees who are putting bagels in bags or otherwise doing something so simple.
There's a bagel place near me with a tip jar. I go in, order a half dozen bagels, the employee puts 6 bagels in a bag, takes my money and I'm supposed to give them a tip for doing their job? What's next? Tip jars at McDonalds?
no, but if i order a dozen bagels made to order with nova, capers, red onions and cream cheese, lightly toasted for my office, and my overworked bagel guy downstairs does it all in under 3 minutes as he always does, i tip him $5. same for the food court sushi guy.
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