I tip for carryout, because even though the person is not serving your food, they are packaging it and making sure that your order is correct. I don’t leave as much as I would for a sit-down dinner, but definitely a couple of dollars just to show appreciation, especially if I get carry out at the restaurant fairly regularly.
Tip for carry-out? Why? All they’re doing is giving you your food, you went and got it. If they sing you a song or something, or offer to send you home with an exotic woman, then I guess you can give em a couple bucks… otherwise, put that money back in your pocket.
I only tip for carryout orders at certain restaurants. Mostly the steak house I frequent, and a Mexican food place. It gets you better service, and they get the order right more often. Usually about $3 on a $25 order…
The only carryout I do is pizza or chinese and neither place has dine-in. I don’t tip. In fact, I raised a ruckus at one pizza place once because they took the liberty of adding a tip to my already-signed charge slip. (I didn’t find that out till I was reconciling my statement) I did get the money credited back to my account and I didn’t patronize that place ever again.
I order take out at a local restaurant where I am friends with the chef. I had a large Special Event last year and he did my catering. (I tipped him and his staff BIG time for that one. He did a party for 450 people for me. Besides it was the company’s money I was tipping with, so…)
I do not tip when I get takeout there. Because the chef does exactly the same thing, whether he plates my food or tosses it in a styrofoam thingy. Usually he hands it to me personally and rings it up himself. If they are all busy and the wait staff has to hand over my food and ring me up, I might tip a little. When I eat in, I usually tip 20-30%.
When I order take out at any other restaurant, where I’m not on a first name basis with the staff and owner/chef… then I just tip about 10% or round up to the next whole dollar.
Do not tip at buffets, but I understand that’s another thread.
But doesn’t the waiter/waitress get majorly screwed on delivery then? Or does the delivery guy tip out to them?
I don’t think this line of argument works. The fact that the server is also serving other people has nothing to do with me or my order.
[quote]
[ul][li]Many, many restaurants have a practice of “tipping” out cooks, dishwashers, hosts and bartenders.[/li][li]This is almost always a percentage of the bill (not a percentage of tips).[/li][li]This means that on a ticket where there is no tip, given the fact that waitresses are paid appallingly and count on tips to make a decent wage, the effect can be that the waitress that took the order basically paid for the privilege of serving you a to go meal. [/ul][/li][/quote]
If you get service beyond what is included in the price, then you tip. If not, then you don’t. That’s how tipping should work. Who cares what’s going on behind the scenes? Well, I do care, actually. But if I were to find out that employees were horrendously underpaid or otherwise mistreated at a restaurant, I would feel obligated to stop patronizing that restaurant, rather than to pay extra.
I am sorry, but its not my lot in life to provide extra money for people who dont have high paying jobs.
Tips are a token of satisfaction above what you actually paid for. If I get a takeout order twice as fast as normal, I would tip. If its a normal order, I would NOT tip. If its a larger than usual order (takeout for 10) I would tip. If the waitress flashed me, I would tip, If they stayed open a bit longer just to make my order i would definitely tip. Otherwise, I am paying for the food and thats it.
I tip the pizza driver a buck (flat rate). He gets it in at under 30 and that still impresses me. Late pizzas, no tip. Cold pizza, no pay. Pizza delivery made by BMW, I tip with a sneer. 50cent surcharge for check, I take it out on the tip. Good cheerful attitude, maybe gets you more than the flat rate but definitely gets you a tip.
almost forgot.
If pizza delivery girl flashes me. Thats a 5 dollar tip!