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I've altered my stance slightly with dine-in seating being closed, though. There are two places in town I regularly order from. One of them is owned by a lady who runs the kitchen and has one of her cashiers handling carryouts, when I order from there I leave a tip. The other is owned by a husband and wife, she runs the kitchen and he handles the register. I haven't been tipping there because they control the menu, if they need to make more they can raise the prices.
They can only raise prices so much. We live in an area with a lot of local restaurants and good food. These weren't cheap places. Per person is usually $25 and up to $100+. What we've seen is that these places are offering meal packages that are more affordable. I know one place is offering more pasta and cheaper dishes. They also contracted with a local grocer for a period of time to sell in store. Another place was doing more of a limited menu type deal. They focused on food that could be frozen and reheated. They were both selling bottles of wine and adult beverages to go.
We tipped more because we want to see these places be able to survive. One of these days we're going back to a normal lifestyle and we want the restaurants to be in business. The pandemic has already taken out too many of them.
If people are saying that the tips go to the waitresses wages, then that doesn't make much sense. To help a restaurant's survival, you should either donate money to the owners or purchase more from the restaurant. Especially menu items with higher profit margins.
If people are saying that the tips go to the waitresses wages, then that doesn't make much sense.
Where do you think tips go? To the restaurant? Most states allow servers to be paid a lower minimum wage because it is assumed they make it up in tips. Furthermore, why shouldn’t you be willing to help a server survives if you are willing to help a restaurant survive?
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To help a restaurant's survival, you should either donate money to the owners or purchase more from the restaurant. Especially menu items with higher profit margins.
That would work for the restaurant, but you should tip the server as well. Or are you implying that only people who own businesses deserve to be paid?!
I'm helping a restaurant survive by choosing to eat there. I live in an area with an abundance of good restaurants. Tipping helps to keep good workers there. There are a couple of places I've been that are family owned. Some places will not allow tipping for family. Others do. Regardless of how it gets broken down, it's helping someone.
Where do you think tips go? To the restaurant? Most states allow servers to be paid a lower minimum wage because it is assumed they make it up in tips. Furthermore, why shouldn’t you be willing to help a server survives if you are willing to help a restaurant survive?
That would work for the restaurant, but you should tip the server as well. Or are you implying that only people who own businesses deserve to be paid?!
The point of his whole post is that tipping somehow helps the restaurant's survival. So obviously if it's going to the waitress, it does not help pay the restaurant's bills. Not hard to understand. The restaurant itself should pay their employees a fair wage for providing minimal fast food takeout level of service. If the poster wants to go above and beyond to help the restaurant survive, they should give more money to the owners, not to the cashier.
Tipping buku-bucks might be a feel-good thing for you, like telling your kiddies to eat their veggies because of the starving kids in africa, but in reality it does zero to help the kids in africa or the restaurant. Only spending or donating money helps the restaurant and kids in africa.
But do you tip the full 15-25% that you would for sit-down SERVICE?
Feel free to do so if you would like to, and occasionally if the service is exceptional I'll leave a tip for takeout, but keep in mind, waiters/servers/delivery drivers are paid a *tipped* wage. This means they are being paid a fraction of a full wage. Cashiers are full wage workers, so while I'm sure they appreciate a tip, it's not expected, because they already get paid a full wage.
Waiters/delivery drivers, and other tipped jobs, their wages DEPEND on tips. It's not the same for cashiers and cooks for takeout. Some people don't realize this when it comes to this topic, so it's worth clarifying. A tip for your waiter or delivery driver is expected.... a tip for the counter person is not.
That said, if you have the option to and would like to, go for it. Especially through these rough times.
I generally will not tip for takeout, but it's also my least preferred way to get food. During the first days of Covid I did at a few places because I could tell they were MUCH slower than usual, but that was more of a charity toss than normal tipping. Normally I'll pay with cash and dump the coins in if everything was ready to go.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to tipping at all. I generally tip quite well for delivery and dining. I have no problem tipping for valet, bags brought up, hotel cleaning service, taxis/lyfts....and I always tip in cash. That money is for them, not Uncle Sam or some other POS with sticky fingers.
Still, it's a good question and...frankly I don't think I'm going to tip for take-out unless it's a big office or party order, then I will tip the people putting it together. While I do tip well, it's not a gimme. I truly do hate the new model of restaurant that has me waiting at a counter to bring my own food back and bus my own dishes when I'm done....if there's heavy emphasis on tipping. Earlier Togos was mentioned. I want to be a decent human and tip where I'm supposed to, and be good about it, but I don't understand the emphasis on the tips there. It's an impossible equation that I've tried both ways. When I don't tip, I'm worried that I sacked a poor person who did their job and feel miserable. When I do tip, I feel gross about wasting money on a scam and supporting such a horrid business model. To solve the problem, I no longer consider Togo's an edible option. I also tend to avoid the shared space restaurants that all want credit cards used and then pop up the tip screen. I've placed an order while walking to you and standing. You will not be bringing me drinks, inquiring about my day, giving any pertinent information....I don't want to tip...or even support those businesses. They've blurred the line needlessly.
But now I'm all construed. I've taken out at several restaurants that I have dined in at and tipped at for years. Now I'm not tipping them. Is that the new norm I wonder? I honestly hope not. If you ever get to one of the few remaining restaurants with delightful waitstaff, you'll understand beyond a doubt the value in the original model. There really is an amazing art form that comes with fine waitstaff. It is a profession. Throwing money at a cashier....just isn't right. If we do it fine, but call it something else.
I have never in my life tipped for any take out order and I do think this tipping culture is going overboard. However, with COVID times are certainly different now. As a former restaurant owner I know how tough owning a restaurant is. I'm surprised by the number of those on this thread who said they tip on take out. Of course the replies here are just anecdotal and a very small sample size but they seem much higher than the 20-25% that tipped on take out when I owned my restaurant. Just reading the posts here and thinking about it, I'm starting to think maybe I should start tipping for take out during these times. Thing is with me, I'd rather have the tips go to the owners than the wait staff. Owning a restaurant is much more difficult than being an employee in one. I may start tipping in several of the small family owned restaurants that I frequent.
The point of his whole post is that tipping somehow helps the restaurant's survival. So obviously if it's going to the waitress, it does not help pay the restaurant's bills. Not hard to understand. The restaurant itself should pay their employees a fair wage for providing minimal fast food takeout level of service. If the poster wants to go above and beyond to help the restaurant survive, they should give more money to the owners, not to the cashier.
Tipping buku-bucks might be a feel-good thing for you, like telling your kiddies to eat their veggies because of the starving kids in africa, but in reality it does zero to help the kids in africa or the restaurant. Only spending or donating money helps the restaurant and kids in africa.
Are you trying to write beaucoup? French for many?
The OP of this thread is about tipping, not about keeping restaurants in business. They are loosely correlated of course.
Feel free to do so if you would like to, and occasionally if the service is exceptional I'll leave a tip for takeout, but keep in mind, waiters/servers/delivery drivers are paid a *tipped* wage. This means they are being paid a fraction of a full wage. Cashiers are full wage workers, so while I'm sure they appreciate a tip, it's not expected, because they already get paid a full wage.
Waiters/delivery drivers, and other tipped jobs, their wages DEPEND on tips. It's not the same for cashiers and cooks for takeout. Some people don't realize this when it comes to this topic, so it's worth clarifying. A tip for your waiter or delivery driver is expected.... a tip for the counter person is not.
That said, if you have the option to and would like to, go for it. Especially through these rough times.
In many restaurants, the waiter is the person who runs the register, and is paid the tipped/fractional wage.
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