I pay for almost everything with a card these days, which is great. However I’m encountering one dilemma that I’m having trouble working out. When I take out food from a restaurant and have to sign, there’s usually a field for giving a tip. I realize this is simply because it’s programmed to always put that field there, but it makes me wonder if there’s an expectation that I give a tip. I’ve worked enough food service to know how important tips are, and I generally pride myself on being a good tipper except when the service is REALLY bad. But it seems to me that when I take out the people who are laboring for me are the cooks and the hostpersons, who are not the recipients of tips when I eat at the restaurant. This logic leads me to believe that it’s perfectly appropriate to not give a tip when taking out. But I really don’t want to be a prick. Does anyone have a clear guiding principle on this issue?
I usualy don’t tip for take out. I simply write 0 for tip and the total before signing
By the way any threads on mesage boards concerning tips usualy end up as flame wars. If you can’t find this thread a bit later it will be in the pit.
The difference, as you undoubtedly know, is that the cooks, dishwashers and hostesses are being paid a lot more in hourly salary than the waitstaff. If you are simply walking up to a counter and being given a bag of food to take out, I don’t think there’s any reason to give a tip.
I don’t tip for take-out, and I tip very well for eat-in. I’m curious now if others do or not.
It is not expected and certainly not in the 15% - 20% range of eating in. I usually don’t tip but occasionally a hostess or counterperson will work pretty hard to make sure thing end up well and I will give them $2 -$3 or so.
I think that is how the comp program works.
At the pizza joint I worked at, the credit card machine didn’t know whether we were running it for a delivery order (taken over the phone) or a pick-up. If someone wants to tip, the space needs to be there.
And I’ve been tipped at take-out numerous times and it makes my day. Even though technically I didn’t necessarily deserve it, I take it. I’ve made huge orders that have tipped on pick-up and I wasn’t at the counter then, so it worked out for everyone. It’s just the luck of the draw.
Someone has to get your order ready.
Usually it’s someone who’s also waiting tables so your order is taking them away from their tipping customers.
I couple dollars is always nice and appreciated.
I have never tipped for pick-up. Does not matter if it is the local Pizza place or a restaurant. Tipping is for the Waitstaff, busboys* and delivery people.
Jim
- Is there a PC term for busboys? If so what is it?
I don’t get take-out often and don’t leave when a tip when I do but I have had a question about tipping for the past couple months that I’ve been wondering about – if you are paying for your bill at the register with a credit card, should you include your tip on the receipt even if you have the bills to leave it in cash?
I ate at a small locally owned sushi restaraunt recently and even though I left a generous cash tip at the table for my waitress, I felt a little uncomfortable writing “Ø” on the receipt at the register with the proprietor looking on. What would be proper etiquette in this situation?
This thread is SO not what I expected it to be. And, man, I had some stories queued up . . .
At a business where tipping is customary, the CC printer is going to be set up to print the tip line on every receipt, regardless of the transaction. I did a double take last week at Cost Cutters when I was signing for my shampoo and conditioner (no services rendered) and the receipt had a line for the tip. I had a little laugh with the stylist who was ringing me up: “Well, you’ve been real nice and all, but I don’t think I’ll tip you just for taking my money!”
I think you can go ahead and omit the tip on a takeout order with no worries. BUt as others have mentioned, leaving one might make someone’s day.
Server assistants.
Thank you.
I don’t tip for take-out (and I CERTAINLY don’t tip for being given a bag of A & W hamburgers - those Tip jars that are popping up so inappropriately everywhere are going to give me high blood pressure from the stress of hating them so much, especially when they label them all cutesy and stuff - I got your Karma right here, baby. But I digress…); as far as I’m concerned, tipping in restaurants is to indicate your appreciation of good, personal service. Putting your order in a bag and handing it to you is about the bare minimum of service, and if you feel the need to tip at all, I wouldn’t worry about giving a token tip.
Same here. My reason is that when I tiip, I’m tipping to be waited on. If I am doing all of the work, paying at the counter, standing at the counter, waiting, not taking up a comfy table, then I’m NOT being “waited on”. You don’t tip counter people at McDonalds and the people bringing your takeout food aren’t doing any more waiting on you than there.
I’ve been a waitress, it’s hard work, IMHO, they deserve tips. Someone quickly snatching a styrofoam box off the back of the cooks counter takes about 15 seconds to do so. That’s not being “waited on”.
Automotive-mass-transit boys 
Who do you think gets your order ready,the magic take-out fairy?
When I waitressed take out was a huge pain in the butt and everyone hated to do it.
You had to stop what you were doing, leave the customers who were actually going to tip you. Run around getting the order ready, look for containers. Try to make sure you didn’t forget anything while your real customers were looking for you. The take out orders were always a pain to get ready, extra this and extra that.
I wouldn’t say you have to give 15% or anything, but a dollar or so would be appreciated.
Someone is actually doing a little work trying to get your order ready and make sure it’s what you ordered.
Some places, that’s the bus person’s little perk. They get the take-out orders ready and get to keep the tip if there is any.
I meant to put a little 
by the fairy remark. I was kidding.
My restaurant calls them buspeople, even though they are all male.
If you’re concerned about them thinking you’re stiffing their servers, just write “CASH” on the line where it says “Tip/Gratuity” and then write in the total as you would.
I have this same problem. I guess if anything they get pleseantly supprised with the cash.
In some places it is preferable to tip in cash if at all possible. In places where they only have to report a % of their tips as income they can do this if they have cash. Unfortunatly, many places put card tips on the paycheck and 100% is reported. So not a REAL big deal, but if you have the cash, it’s prefered to being on the card.
And yeah, there’s a local FAST FOOD chain that gives people the option to “tip” around here too. :smack: