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I have a question about standard tipping at restaraunts. When I am at work we eat restaraunt to go places quite often. Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Applebees, etc. When you are just picking up and leaving should you tip the person? Same at Sonic Drive-In? My boyfriend says you should but one of my co-workers says not to. What do you think?
You should tip the person at the bar at the chains you mention. They gather the food for the customer just like the waiter/waitress does for seated customers. 15% is probably okay for take out.
I also always tip the Sonic kid $1.
People who frequent a restaurant and don't tip, get more than they pay for.
I think 10% is reasonable. They're not getting you drink refills and waiting on you at a table. In other words, they work on you once, not in an ongoing fashion of serving all your needs which is what merits the 20% tip I generally leave at restaurants.
You should tip the person at the bar at the chains you mention. They gather the food for the customer just like the waiter/waitress does for seated customers. 15% is probably okay for take out.
I also always tip the Sonic kid $1.
People who frequent a restaurant and don't tip, get more than they pay for.
bjh is right.... I have worked in a couple of food chains and dated someone who worked in another....all of which I am sure everyone on here has heard of and eaten at.... TIP PEOPLE!!! Believe me... it is in your best interest. I am talking pizzas dropped on the floor "by accident" and cooked just for you....the oldest baked potato from the "stash" for the very BEST customers to be LOADED and sent out to the table nice and pretty.... people, you have no idea.... And to the people that think if you go to a buffet you don't have to tip your server as much.... Just think about all the dishes you are making her/him clear away each time you go and walk up to get another fill and a new plate compared to that one plate they have to bring out and clear away. You make so much MORE work for them at a buffet than you do anywhere else....I know I have served both types of meals.... TIP YOUR SERVERS.....They remember you..... I wasn't that type of server- but I worked with them (and the cooks are their friends)
bjh & skbs are right on target. TIP YOUR SERVERS. We live in a college town and most servers here are working their way through school. I have seen a table of 4 seniors leave as little as .02. BOGO coupons are the worst, people seem to think they should tip on the amount of their bill after the discount. NOT!! When we go to eat at OG & RL we sit at the bar, they have an in house policy that the servers DO NOT have to tip out the bartenders that make their drinks unless they want to, that ended pretty quickly here when the bartenders made the servers wait 10-15 mins. for drinks. I have said many times when asked this question about tipping, if you can't afford 15-20% tip, stay at home and don't go out to eat, your servers will thank you and they will be able to take care of people who tip well and everyone will be happy.
I pay tips for people who take my order, bring the food to my table, and make sure I'm happy. I do not tip people who stand at a cash register, input my order, pick it up and put it in a bag. So I'll tip at a Sonic, but I won't tip at a Burger King. I think the same dynamic works in one of those restaurants that offer curb pickup.
And, yeah, I made good money as a waiter in college and my first year out of school. I really don't have any patience for would-be servers who are continually begging for tips, or punish customers who don't give them the tip they think they deserve. And I certainly don't think a barrista at a coffee shop should get tipped for just pouring me a cup of joe, essentially doing his job. While we're at it, why don't you just tip a clerk at a bookstore for helping you find what you're looking for? Or the guy at the hardware store for getting a box off a really high shelf? Where does the freaking sense of entitlement end? And making the idle threat, "Tip the counter help or he'll spit in your coffee," is a really, really lame and noxious response.
Almost inevitably, the people who complained at the different restaurants where I waited were the same people who were always gossiping or smoking in the back, not doing a good job of guiding the customer, not paying attention to their tables, and not making sure the food was right. 99% of the time, if you take care of your customers, your customers will take care of you.
I'm personally getting sick of everyone expecting a tip. Fast food, doughnut shops, and ice cream parlors with tip jars are annoying. Nobody tips me at my job....just because I'm nto puring a coffee or using a cash register shouldn't mean anything.
We don't tip the mailman, and he does more than someone who scoops an ice cream cone.
I'm personally getting sick of everyone expecting a tip. Fast food, doughnut shops, and ice cream parlors with tip jars are annoying. Nobody tips me at my job....just because I'm nto puring a coffee or using a cash register shouldn't mean anything.
We don't tip the mailman, and he does more than someone who scoops an ice cream cone.
Yes but you probably earn WAY more than minimum wage at your job and so does the mailman. Servers don't make even minimal wage. That said, I don't tip at MacDonalds, etc so get your point on that score. Cheers!
Yes but you probably earn WAY more than minimum wage at your job and so does the mailman. Servers don't make even minimal wage. That said, I don't tip at MacDonalds, etc so get your point on that score. Cheers!
Hold on. When I took a job as a server, I fully understood that. I also recognized that, by doing an excellent job, I would make a lot more money than working in a store. So I busted it, and was very happy with the arrangment.
Back in the 80s, when I did this, I routinely pulled in $100-$140 cash in a night. As in cash. Name any other job back then where a college student can make that much coin working four-six hours.
So, no, I don't feel sorry for any server. If they're not making decent money, it's much more likely to be their fault than either the diners or the restaurant.,
I don't tip at Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Starbucks.... these people don't get a tip from me. I am talking about Servers. Not a chashier. And, don't get me wrong.... if your server doesn't do a good job.... then they deserve not to get a good tip. It is not hard to refill a glass of soda when it is empty or to make sure you have a full hot cup of coffee.... that is their job. If they can't do that, and you are left thirsty through dinner and your server has not been around the entire meal.... well, then they deserve to be given a poor tip.... But if your food is backed up, that isn't their fault... that is the kitchen staff's fault. I do think people who make what I was making... I think it ws like $2.70/hr at the time deserve tips.... especially when they are on their feet busting their butt to make your dinner enjoyable.... sorry.... but they do.....
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....the oldest baked potato from the "stash" for the very BEST customers to be LOADED and sent out to the table nice and pretty....
people, you have no idea.... And to the people that think if you go to a buffet you don't have to tip your server as much.... Just think about all the dishes you are making her/him clear away each time you go and walk up to get another fill and a new plate 
compared to that one plate they have to bring out and clear away. You make so much MORE work for them at a buffet than you do anywhere else....I know I have served both types of meals.... TIP YOUR SERVERS.....They remember you..... I wasn't that type of server- but I worked with them (and the cooks are their friends
)
When we go to eat at OG & RL we sit at the bar, they have an in house policy that the servers DO NOT have to tip out the bartenders that make their drinks unless they want to, that ended pretty quickly here when the bartenders made the servers wait 10-15 mins. for drinks. I have said many times when asked this question about tipping, if you can't afford 15-20% tip, stay at home and don't go out to eat, your servers will thank you and they will be able to take care of people who tip well and everyone will be happy.
