As a bartender, this is also my M.O. when I’m at work…if someone is tipping me and someone isn’t (or tipping very poorly), the person who is tipping me will get their drinks first. They are my priority.
The people who don’t tip–or tip badly–will get their drinks too. When I’m done taking care of the people who are taking care of me.
I don’t see this as unethical; if I were completely democratic what would be the point of tipping? When I go out to other bars, I tip really really well and the bartenders know this; I get excellent drinks and quick service regardless of how busy they are. That’s the point of tipping.
Re: the OP, you tip what I tip delivery drivers…I never tip less than $3 regardless of how small the order is (because percentages don’t apply to orders under $15, IMO, whether you’re talking about delivery or waitresses or bar tabs) but the tip goes up from there on orders over $20.
I’ve never had anything delivered that cost more than about $30…my standard tip for that delivery would be $5-$6 bucks.
I think you’re tipping well on delivery and needn’t worry. And no, I don’t think delivery should be tipped as well as sit-down, although it’s never a bad thing to make someone’s day.
I would rarely tip a delivery driver more than $5, even if it’s a big ol’ indian or thai takeaway for five people.
The work is about the same, regardless.
Waitstaff’s contributions to a meal are way beyond anything a driver is expected to offer. Got the food to me? Great. About the same effort if I ordered a small pizza or a three course meal for four people.
Waiting on a dining party, on the other hand… The amount of work involved is more reliably proportionate to the bottom line of the cheque – and contributes much more to whether or not the meal is going to be properly enjoyed.
Yeah, hell no here, too. I used to be a delivery guy in '97-'98, and I’d say the standard tip was about $2. People who tipped better certainly got moved up the queue when possible, but depending on how the orders were clustered, it might not make much of a difference in timing. We also got paid a normal wage (I think it was around $7.25/hour, back when minimum wage was $5.15/hour). I’d end up with about $13/hr (after factoring in gas costs) for pretty much brainless work. As a college student, I was thrilled, as the previous job I held–three years at a coffeeshop–I had made about $8/hour.
I’d say about $5 is the most I would tip a delivery driver, unless it is a crazy big order. If I had to make a rule, the tip is either $3 or about 7-10%, whichever is greater.