Do you tip for carry out?

[m3racer]

My wife thinks I'm being cheap for not tipping for carry out meals. I thought tips were reserved for service provided during a sit down meal.

[mom-from-missouri]

Carry out-no tip.
Waiting on me and delivery yes.

[maat55]

I tip carryout if they have a jar. They don't earn near what we do, make their day.

[Brokemofo]

I do if they act like they care even a little. But, if they act as if they don't care, why should I?

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by m3racer

My wife thinks I'm being cheap for not tipping for carry out meals. I thought tips were reserved for service provided during a sit down meal.

Yeah, I think as you do.

If you've stopped off at a place for carry-out food... what service have they provided that you have not already paid for? We pay for the full menu price whether or not we sit down and eat there. In fact by not sitting and eating there, we allow them to have their tables/charis for people who have time to enjoy the atmosphere and would tip. Plus they don't have to clean up after us!

If we ever ordered Delivery, then definitely yes we should tip. And maybe the tip should even be a little higher considering the price of gasoline now.

Sit down and "be served", yes of course.

But unless you have some other reason for tipping, I think you already "more than pay for" your cooked meal that you've gone and gotten.

[PrincessPerky]

Depends on the type of carry out..for fast food or pizza no tip, for a fancier restaurant I would tip because there is more going into getting me the food than the 'cook line' prep. Course then I have never carried out food from one of those places.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I usually don't tip either. But how many places do you do carry out that isn't like fast foodie? I mean chinese come on. But otherwise?

[Caoineag]

Olive Garden does to go and we usually leave them a nominal tip for packing it all up and giving it to us with a smile. But definitely not the 20% tip that we leave for actual service or delivery.

[Fizgig]

Yes, I do, but only a dollar or two per dish. I don't care if they've technically earned it or not - I only get takeout from my favorite places and most of them are privately owned small businesses. I'm happy to give them my money. When a few dollars is the difference between being generous or stingy, I'm more than happy to kick in a few bucks for the easy karma points.

If I'm in frugal mode, I just won't get restaurant food. Tips are par for the course and I won't stiff anyone just to save a couple of bucks.

[disneysteve]

No. If I stand at a counter and order my food to go, no tip. Does anyone tip at McDonald's counter or at a drive-through? I doubt it.

If you happen to go to Coldstone Creamery for ice cream, though, make sure to tip them because they'll sing for you.

[DebbieL]

I'll be honest with you here, the reason I go pick up the food (when I do that) is so I don't have to tip. If I get it delivered I give a very generous tip, and of course if I'm at a sit down restaurant I tip. I do sometimes feel a bit guilty if there's a tip jar or I'm punching in the "No tip" option on the hand held debit thing. Maybe I should start leaving just a little.

[QueenOphelia]

I tip if they don't do delivery.

[jimmyengland]

no tip that is the most rediculous thing i have ever heard of. If there not providing a service for you. Only tip when you eat there in my opion and they are providing extra value.

On the section of tips I think these big businesses like the Olive Garden for example are getting away with murder. Why cant they pay their servers / waiters appropriately. Why should we be paying for their staff. This really irritates me when its not like these big businesses are not earning enough to pay their staff sufficient salaries

[DebbieL]

Well, Jimmyengland, all I can say is that as far as I know it's always been that way here. When I waited tables I made minimum wage (plus tips). Here in Canada the wait staff get minimum wage (or more - but it's usually minimum wage). I guess in the US they are allowed to pay wait staff a lower minimum wage? We don't have that here (thankfully).

[JanH]

I pay a tip when I pick up food if: I've walked in and ordered it and the same person has taken my order, checked on it, packed it and delivered it back to me. It is the same to me as if I was sitting at a table. If I have called it in, I don't unless they've provided extra service by checking on it, packed it for me, put in extra whatevers or treated me extra nice. Most of the time, the ones that take my order when I walk in have been pulled from a section and I am an extra "table" for them. I've had several members of the family work in food service--including myself eons ago, and I know how little they are paid (less than minimum wage). I try to pay for extra "service" when someone has gone the extra mile to make it easy for me. I don't tip as high as if I was at a table and served for a length of time. I tip mostly at "regular" restaurant takeouts--not sandwich shops or fast food, bakeries, etc. I have a hard time figuring out whether to tip at the fancy ice cream places or the food shops in the mall. They have tip jars and I can't figure out whether they should be tipped or not. That confuses me. I have tipped at a coffee place once that fixed one of the best cups I've ever had at one of these places. I don't go there often enough to figure that one out either. How much should you tip at one of these types of places?

[jimmyengland]

DebbieL, irregardless of "how its always been" i still think that the government should look at these companies and start to make these companies shell out some cash. You cant tell me that these big chains are not making enough money to be able to pay their staff a reasonable salary.
I am not trying to say that waitresses and waiters do not deserved to be tipped, my point here is is how can these companies get away with paying people 2-3$ an hour. It is absolutely scandless and i dont think that the customer should pay their salaries. what does everyone else think

[JBinKC]

I may be super cheap but I tip food deliverers roughly 10% of the bill and wait staff ($5 or 15% of the bill whatever is more). Food deliverers make minimum wage without a car allowance. Wait staff makes about half of that from their employer. Try to live off that.

[JanH]

Originally Posted by JBinKC

I may be super cheap but I tip food deliverers roughly 10% of the bill and wait staff ($5 or 15% of the bill whatever is more). Food deliverers make minimum wage without a car allowance. Wait staff makes about half of that from their employer. Try to live off that.

I know food servers that are making about 2.15 an hour, I think they said. They live off the tips more than their paychecks! And this is in a top-grossing restaurant in their area.

[DebbieL]

Originally Posted by jimmyengland

DebbieL, irregardless of "how its always been" i still think that the government should look at these companies and start to make these companies shell out some cash. You cant tell me that these big chains are not making enough money to be able to pay their staff a reasonable salary.
I am not trying to say that waitresses and waiters do not deserved to be tipped, my point here is is how can these companies get away with paying people 2-3$ an hour. It is absolutely scandless and i dont think that the customer should pay their salaries. what does everyone else think

I don't know. Here in Canada the minimum wage is the minimum wage no matter what the job. There's no such thing as paying someone $2-3 hourly for waiting tables. The minimum in my province is $8 and that's what they get (plus tips). That's still nowhere near enough to live on where I live (it's an extremely high cost of living area). With good tips, I'm sure you can do okay. A minimum wage job without tips would be very tough to get by on (here).

[Slug]

I also order take-out so I don't have to tip. There's almost no work involved. I speak from experience having worked as a dishwasher, busboy, waiter, and host. The system is what it is. I knew what the job was and what the pay was before I CHOSE to take it on. As a waiter I got $2.12 (half the min. wage at the time) an hour plus tips and free food.