tip for carry out?

[Goldy1]

I just ordered carry out from a food chain and they aksed me if I wanted to add 10% gratuity to my total. kind of different. I have heard you should.

[gamecock43]

WHAT! NO! cmon- you ordered food and they cooked/handed it over. I get that restaurant employees make zero money, but why are we the customers required to compensate? We are already paying for the food. We should not be expected to pay the employee salaries too- that's the restaurants job. Next time they ask that, ask them to give you a 10% discount on your order and to keep the money.

[Ima saver]

The waiters/waitresses will probably NOT ever see that money. I have never heard of this being done.

[Goldy1]

I said no thank you. I am not bad mouthing any company so I will come and say I was asked this at Ruby Tuesday.
I read an article where a writer was picking up carry out at pf chang's and saw another guy tip for his carry out. He said it never occured to him to tip. He was against the carryout tipping and wrote about that. Writers write in and convince dhim that 10% was appropriate.
I guess the rationale was that a waiter has to bag your food etc. To me tha tis like paying for labor though.
I imagine the carry out person at the restuarant I bought from gets the tip. They have a whole "to go parking spot" and sign etc. Not so at many restuaurants.

[gamecock43]

Once again, I don't like the idea of tipping getting customary for carry out as well as dining in. I don't like the idea of customers paying employee salaries, rather than companies paying the salary. I pay for so many things that take employee labor (moving companies, house repairs, roofing replacement) and I pay a lump sum to the company, who then distributes payment to the employees who interact with me. These employees kill their bodies to do the work and they don't get tipped (except maybe a bottle water or a fast food lunch), why are we feeling we need to tip for a person to bring us a tray of food or hand over a carry out bag?

Because the company does not adequately pay the employees, and we feel guilty. We start to compensate and now its expected.

[wnlbutterfly]

I have to say I never understood food service wages. They should get at least minimum wage like everyone else. A tip was/is suppose to be for good service, not just to compensate for their wages.

I would not tip for carry out, PLEASE...they should be giving a discount for carry out, you aren't taking up a table, nor making a mess there for them to clean up. No one has to come back and see if your food was okay or if you needed more to drink. But they are getting the same price as if you did order it there. And if you have it delivered and tip that guy, it is more for the gas they use, and with carry out it is YOUR gas.

I also tip on the light side at buffet places. I have to go get my own food, the only thing they are doing is bringing me my drinks (if I am lucky) and taking the dirty plates away (if they notice them).

[gamecock43]

yeah btrfly! I am with you- all excellent points. Some I have not even thought of!

[Goldy1]

yes and the 15% used to be standard and now if you don' t leave 20%, you feel cheap and like you slighted the waiter. Funny how that crept in. What next? 25% then 30%

[Confetti]

I can't speak for places with takeout, although it's a good idea to leave them something for their trouble because they often have a lot to do with putting your order together other than just handing it to you, but to not tip for service at a regular place is bad. The server is taxed on a percentage of their sales, so even the government expects you will tip. State minimum wage for servers in my state is $2.85 per hour. If you don't tip, you are costing that person money because the tax is due whether they get the tip or not, because they made the sale. Often, they have to tip out bus persons and bartenders as well. Technically, places have to pay minimum wage, and if a server makes less than that when all is said and done, they need to tell their employer who is supposed to make it up for them. Whether you agree with it or not, this is the current system, and if you are not going to tip, then servers everywhere kindly ask you to stick with the clown or the king where no tip is expected.

[southerndoc]

If I have to walk into the restaurant to pick it up, then I don't tip.

If they bring it out to me (Carrabba's, Ruby Tuesday, Outback), then yes, I tip 10%.

[Goldy1]

Iwould NEVER not tip well inside. I went inside and got my food. All valid points. I have never been a server, but I have had roomates who were.

I worked as a server literally one night of my life on a one night stint for a catering company in college.
I will say the situation was more physically demanding than a regular restaurant scene b/c I had to bring out full trays of meals for many on a platter nonstop. (served hundreds at an event at a university)

It was horrible. I was the most physically beat I have literally EVER been in my life and that includes hauling dirt to help my dh waith our landscaping.
I was used to being the one dined at places on dates and respected.
I accidentally spilled a few drops of a drink(I did not spill it, just a FEW drops spilled out) and the lady I was serving was so repulsed with me she verbally let me have it. (how mean)
I was chastized b/c all we had to offer was coffee and not tea(um sorry, I drink work here %$#)
lol

[marvholly]

Tip for carry out??? NEVER!!!
What exactly has the wait person done for me except put my order in a bag and MAYBE taken my money.

He has NOT:
taken my order
brought me/refilled a bread basket (did NOT even get bread w/ take out)
Filled/refilled my water glass
Filled/refilled my coffee cup
asked if I needed anything else
asked if everything is ok
asked if I want desert
spent more than 2-3 minutes onme/my order

I also believe we should get a discount for carry out:
no bread
no dishes to be washed
no mess on floor to sweep up
no table to wipe & reset

Waht next?? Tipping at McD & Burger King???? I will give up eting out altogether before I do that........horse poop.

[Ima saver]

The area that I live in, the wages for servers are $2.07an hour. When I started waitressing in 1985, we got paid $2.01 an hour. They should be getting paid a lot more than now. I agree, they should get minimum wage. We were expected to completely clean the restaurant and change the salad bar for that $2.01 an hour also.

[gamecock43]

I don't think anyone is arguing that wait staff should not earn their fair wage. Everyone wants restaurant workers to get normal pay. But I am angry the restaurants are trying to put the responsibility on the customer to pay the wait staffs wage.

[Ima saver]

Sadly, it has always been that way. That is why we were made to do all the cleaning so they did not have to pay a minimum wage earner to clean. I am talking cleaning windows, chair legs, mopping, vaccumming, scrubbing tables, and bussing all our own tables. The job will really wear you out. On a typical Sunday, I would make about $12 in tips for working really hard.