At some point tipping went from 15% to 18% to 20%. I don’t understand this tipping inflation. Has the price of a meal (and therefore the size of the tip) not kept up with the cost of living (it certainly doesn’t feel that way). Or are we trying to turn waiting tables into a middle class profession?
I order pizza from time to time. Most of these places have a delivery charge. Is it nreasonable for me to forgo the tip because I am now paying a dlivery charge? Is it reasonable to charge people for delivery and pay the delivery folks as if they are going to receive the same level of tips they would receive without a delivery charge? I used to tip about 10% and now I don’t tip.
I get takeout from the local Chinese restaurant. They now have a takeout charge. Is it unreasonable for me to forgo the tip because of this takeout charge? I used to tip about 10%, now I tip nothing.
If there was a $20 tale waiting charge I don’t know if I would tip on top f that in most circumstances absent exceptional service (and by definition most service is not exceptional). Why would I pay a delivery charge or a takeout charge and pay a tip on top of that absent exceptional service?
I usually tip nothing on takeout. What for? They’re not doing anything extra. If there’s a tip jar and they are consistently good, I might toss in a buck every now and then out of general appreciation, but it definitely not automatic.
A “takeout charge” I have never seen and sounds absurd. Again, they’re not doing anything extra; in fact, you’re saving them any additional effort. I would stop going to any place that tacked on an additional charge for me to come and retrieve my food.
The “delivery charge” seems to be a fairly recent trend. It’s usually something like another $2.00 - $3.00, which I’ll deduct from whatever I would normally tip, and I’m very generous with delivery drivers.
Tipping guidelines are just that. You shouldn’t feel compelled to leave a certain amount but base it upon the service rendered. Dropping a buck in the Starbucks bucket? Never…they aren’t doing a damn thing to merit a tip. The delivery guy? Ummmm…maybe if I’m in a good mood but again no reason to. As for standard waitress/waiter service? Depends on how they do. I’ve been known to tip 50% for an exceptional dining experience or just leave a $1 for rotten service.
I don’t do delivery much, but I usually tip. I want the guy to remember me next time.
Same with takeout, which I do quite a bit of. I usually tip like the Europeans do-- round up. If my takeout is $23, I’ll give them $25 and say “thanks”. And since I get takeout from the same few places over and over again, I hope that means they take care of me a bit more than they would otherwise. At worst, I gave someone a few bucks. It’s just money.
I order a couple of pizzas the other night. The girl on the phone said 25 minutes but I was over there in 15 and the pizzas were waiting. They know me, they know I tip. But it’s not a percentage, it’s change, or $1 a sandwich, or $2-$3 for pizzas, or rounding up as John mentioned. When I call for delivery it shows up faster than they say, and a couple of weeks ago rushing from place to place I stopped in at lunch time while they were busy, asked if they could make a sandwich in a hurry, and it was the next one they made. I’ve reaped the benefits from good tipping many times. I don’t know if I can justify it to everyone, but it’s working for me.
Tipping for takeout doesn’t make sense to me, as I associate the concept of a tip with the services involved in delivering food to customers. If the customer is picking it up at the counter, then the food isn’t delivered.
Reducing the tip for the delivery fee doesn’t make sense to me, because a tip is paid to the individual server, while the delivery fee is paid to the corporation.
I have discovered that, apparently, a 15 to 20 percent tip for food delivery drivers is expected. If that’s what’s expected, then fair enough–and in order to avoid undertipping, I don’t get food delivered anymore.
“Takeout charge”? I won’t go to that place again
“Delivery charge”? I accept that most place have a minimum delivery ammount, but no charge for regular delivery.
No tip for takeout, except if i’m a regular
“Rounding” tip for delivery.
WOW!!! I’m surprised. I used to get disemboweled for implying that tipping less than 15% might be appropriate in any circumstance that didn’t involved urine in my food.
You should be aware that the delivery charge almost never goes to the driver. If you stop tipping because of that charge, the only person you are screwing is the one who brought your pizza to you because you felt too lazy to go get it yourself.
The way it basically works in the US is that you buy the food from the restaurant, but you buy the table or delivery service from the server or driver. And 20% of your total bill is pretty dang reasonable to hire someone to wait on you.
A driver isn’t “waiting on you,” though. It just isn’t the same service as an actual waiter, who actually is waiting on you through an entire meal and interacting with you over and over again.
[QUOTE=RickJay]
A driver isn’t “waiting on you,” though. It just isn’t the same service as an actual waiter, who actually is waiting on you through an entire meal and interacting with you over and over again.
[/QUOTE]
No, but the driver is driving their own car on mostly their own gas dime to your house to bring you your food. Table service and door service are different things, certainly, but in this country the customer is expected to pay extra for both services.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at. The restaurant will tell you that the delivery charge is for a number of things - the box your pizza comes in, etc. They don’t claim it’s in place of a tip or to pay for the driver, although many people assume that. I mean, the restaurant is probably screwing their employee somehow, but so is the nontipper.
I don’t think I’ve ever ordered from a place where the delivery charge went to the driver. If you can’t afford the 2 dollar delivery charge and the 2 dollar tip then you can’t afford the food, in my opinion.
If my food arrives hot if it’s supposed to be hot, cold if it’s supposed to be cold, the salad before the entree, the entree before the dessert and all within about an hour and a half, I tip 20 percent. I even tip 20 percent when I have less than stellar service because tipping 50 cents doesn’t magically tell the server that they needed to come around with the water jug a few more times. And plenty of people undertip as a matter of habit so I overtip to even the scales, so to speak. I’ve never been a tipped server but I’ve been in food service; it’s not fun and the customers suck. So I always tip 20 percent unless they do something absolutely galling.
The delivery charge goes to the store. The tip goes to the driver. Drivers make more than waitresses, but less than minimum wage, at least where I work. I was actually thinking of starting a pit thread, because at the chain pizza place I work for: Delivery fee $2, food is priced more on delivery (large 1 top $7.99 pick up, $10.49 for delivery, not a special, regular prices) and the mileage I receive barely covers gas, no oil changes or new tires for me. It’s like my boss wants me to be screwed.
Takeout and delivery are different situations than actual sit-down meals. The effort, time, and attention per transaction are substantially less, and it’s reflected in the tipping system.
Yep, and when I am too lazy to go get my food, I pay someone to bring it to me. That involves a surcharge.
Yes, and - like waitresses - they are underpaid by their employers because it is assumed that they will receive tips from customers. That is a built in part of getting paid to deliver pizzas. It’s not a secret or anything - that is a feature of the job.
Have you ever worked in a pizza joint or a basic sort of restaurant that would have delivery? I promise, the cost of one large box nearly comes out to running rack of plates. Cleaning a table generally involves wiping it down with a damp rag or maybe a quick spritz of cleaner. That being said, let me be clear, I’m not supporting the idea of delivery charges that do not go to the driver - I think it’s a cash grab and a rip off. But the driver didn’t come up with it and can’t control it, so not tipping him or her doesn’t address that issue in the slightest.
