At a takeout counter there is no expectation of a tip, right? There is a space for one on the credit card slip but that is for the sit down section of the restaurant, right?
Normal not to tip for takeout.
You are under no obligation to tip. Period. Traditionally, sit down restaurants have a tip history. Fast food places do not. It appears the trend is to have a tip jar or hand out for everything these days.
Other than those places where employees come under the federal tip law, I don’t tip.
What if it is a sit-down restaurant that also serves take-out (or “to go”)? Such as a pizza place. Not a fast food restaurant.
I’m always conflicted about this. I often give them the change I have in my pocket, or if I’m using a credit card I’ll add a dollar to the bill. I feel like our society hasn’t yet come up with a standard custom in this situation.
Another situation I’ve never been sure about is when you order at the counter and a waiter takes your food out to you, but doesn’t stop by again to refill your drinks, ask if you need anything, etc. Should you tip the usual amount, less than usual, nothing at all?
Nope, tip is for sit-down or delivery, not take-out.
Let’s move this to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I don’t think it’s an institutionalized expectation to tip on take out. Personally, I do tip a small amount (a dollar or 10%, depending on which is higher) for take out from sit-down restaurants, because I feel that there is still service rendered in the packaging and communication with the kitchen.
I might tip at a restaurant for takeout, but I do not tip at Starbucks. All they do is take the order like they do at McDonald’s. I don’t like to tip for takeout, only do it if I feel like I’m obligated. I don’t really like to tip for hairstylists either, but I do. And pedicurists. Ugh the list goes on and on. No one tips me at my job!
I tip at many take out places. Not 20%, but something. I don’t feel obligated to, and I don’t think it’s a valid “expectation” like sitting down at a restaurant. Maybe conduct by people like me is going to make it more of a societal norm, and the rest of you will curse my name for eternity.
But you’re typically being served by the kitchen staff not the wait staff, right? Even so, they did like 30 seconds worth of work so if you are going to tip, they certainly wouldn’t deserve the same amount as they would if they waited on you for a half hour and brought out the same amount of food (less a few sodas maybe), and they’re not going to have to clean and reset a table after you leave.
I tip at mom-and-pop take-out places where I am a regular. But the tipping is partially motivated out of selfishness. I tip so that the next time I return I get good service. I’d probably get it anyway, but it can’t hurt.
But I have never gotten into the habit of tipping just to be tipping. The custom has already lost all sense of proportion. I didn’t tip my dental hygienist for all the hard work she did on my mouth on Wednesday, but I’m expected to tip the person at the self-service frozen yogurt shop, who doesn’t have to do anything but watch me swipe my debit card? And the people at McDonalds work just as hard as the people anywhere else. No on ever tips them. All they get are insults about being a fry jockey.
I read this story the other day. At first I felt sorry for the guy because it would have been nice for someone to give them a tip. But demanding one? And then tweet-shaming them? Dude, someone told you wrong if you think you’re any different than any other low-level food service worker.
Agree. There is a pizza place we frequent. Sometimes we eat there, sometimes we pick it up and take it home. I always pay with credit card, and when I get to signing the slip, there is always the line for “Tip”. I usually add a couple bucks out of shame of the thought of leaving it blank, or actively drawing a line thru it.
Yes, it makes sense not to leave a tip for take-out, but I am in the habit of doing it (for karma).
You don’t need to tip for takeout. It’s not the same as a full service restaurant, and the counter people are making at least minimum wage unlike most waitstaff. At a local deli I’ll leave them a dollar a sandwich because they know me and they try to provide me some personal service. If there’s a tip jar at a place I usually toss the change in there. But I tip for just about anything.
If they come to you, you tip. If they stay where you are, you don’t.
It’s not expected and you don’t have to do it, but it is very much appreciated.
Counter staff generally has pretty much full time duties in addition to managing take-out. When you are seating a 30 minute wait list and cashing out every customer, a take-out order is a huge pain. It actually is a fair amount of work to take and enter the order (especially by phone), run around looking for the take out supplies, make the salads, cold appetizers, desserts and (worst of all) milkshakes, fill up fiddly containers of dressing and sauces, and try to time things so your food is ready before you arrive but not too long before.
But most importantly, counter staff makes probably half as much as wait staff. They supplement their meager wages with tip outs from wait staff, which they earn by helping them out (taking drink orders, refilling water, prepping salads, etc.) when they are getting your take out, they are losing money by not helping waitstaff.
Which is a part of the job and expected. But when you do throw over a couple bucks, it makes a huge difference. I ate off my tip outs, and coming home with $10 in my pocket rather than $8 was enough to have a pretty big impact. I am still grateful to the few who would tip me.
This is typically the way things are done in pizza places and probably some other kinds of restaurants. The person bringing your pizza will not be a waitperson, but usually the counter person. However, if they’re busy, it could be anyone working at the time, which could be the manager or a delivery driver or a kitchen worker.
Any tips you leave will most likely be kept by the person who buses the table (who could also be anyone working at the time). You should tip based on how much of mess you or your party leave behind.
I wound up feeling foolish and uncertain, and left $5 for a $50 takeout order. I was sitting at what was also their bar (though it was otherwise empty), and they gave me a glass of soda water and declined my offer to pay for it. Now I feel about right, instead of foolish and uncertain.
Thanks!
Just as an FYI, that line is just ‘turned on’ because it’s a restaurant. The person running your credit card doesn’t choose to put the Tip line there or leave it off on a per transaction basis. “Tip” is just a global option buried deep in the settings somewhere in the machine.
I’m sure there are some credit card terminals that give the cashier the option to turn it on or leave it off on the fly, but why bother, it’s an extra step and since they know a lot of people, like you, will leave a tip they might as well leave it on.