Are you supposed to tip for take-out? (More details inside)

[yazoo]

Tipping is so arbitrary. We don't tip the gas jockey who works in the freezing cold, but we tip a waitress who walks 10 steps to give us a beer. More if she's hot looking. 'Cuz maybe we'll get somewhere and she'll come and hang out at our table and flirt a bit.

I don't think we could devise a less pc method of compensation if we tried. Let's reward financially based on age, gender, sex appeal, and willingness to wear slutty clothes. And then everyone who usually rails against those things, somehow calls you out if you don't agree with tipping.

 

[peter putter]

You're referring to food being delivered.
Everyone tips for that....

Do they? Does everyone tip the cabbie? I drove for 4 years as a student and got tipped about half the time. All I did was drive and never expected a tip for doing my job, I was grateful but would never complain if I didn't get one.

You tip for service not doing your job, I guess it's a generational thing.

Oh and by the way, I understood the post and was adding to the general conversation, you must be a conservative as that is their way, belittle rather than discuss.

 

[peter putter]

Exactly. The word "delivery" was never mentioned in my post so I'm not sure where he got the idea that I was talking about deliverymen. Reading comprehension problems.

In many places I have live "take out" and "delivery" are synonymous, expand your horizons and don't get hung up on semantics.

 

[yazoo]

In many places I have live "take out" and "delivery" are synonymous, expand your horizons and don't get hung up on semantics.

I used to live above a restaurant once too. The fumes from the exhaust was too much though, so I moved. I never asked them to deliver though - always just went down on my own to pick it up. Once every few days they'd come up looking for their plates.

 

[peter putter]

I used to live above a restaurant once too. The fumes from the exhaust was too much though, so I moved. I never asked them to deliver though - always just went down on my own to pick it up. Once every few days they'd come up looking for their plates.

Hope they gave you a tip for taking care of their dishes.

 

[Hoops]

Oh and by the way, I understood the post and was adding to the general conversation, you must be a conservative as that is their way, belittle rather than discuss.

I wasn't belittling you. You have done that on your own.
I was just trying to clarify.

 

[johnsmit]

i cant see tiping when you go in and take out.
your not usi f a table
.or making a mess... and they dont need to be friendly to you for the next hour lol
allthough all those things are part of the job dicrip. even if you did not tip
but i tip 20% if i eat in.. nothing if i take out

As for delivery .. yes you should tip .. maybe 10...15%
Drivers acctually do the job .because of tips

 

[mimi]

I worked as a counter attendant at a fast food chain back in the early seventies and I don't remember anyone getting tipped more than once a month, just small change. We certainly never had a tip jar on the counter. I don't think about tipping someone who owns the joint, either.

 

[VanessaofBC]

I've never tipped for take-out because I think it's BS and undeserved. The only service they've provided me is put my food in a bag and ask for my money, which is their job and takes 1.3 seconds. I work in an office but I don't get tipped every time I do my job and answer the phone for example. I already get paid an hourly rate for doing my job and I'm expected to do my job at a very high standard. I'm thankful that I have a job and I don't have the attitude that clients owe me stuff.

I always tip 15-20% if I eat in the restaurant even if I get bad service though, because at least they're doing stuff for me and it's socially expected of me. I still think tipping in Canada is stupid because unlike the US, servers are not making like $3/hour and they're just doing their job like everyone else in other professions. If you want more money, go into a higher paying profession. How come you're not expected to tip the mailwoman or the cashier at Walmart? I think their job is equally as hard and stressful as a waitress. Also what's with the flirting and the BS small talk? I know that you don't give a shit about me and I equally don't give a shit about you and your level of attractiveness and flirting is not in any way correlated with how much I tip. I'll tip the same 15-20% whether you're wearing that short dress or not.

Anyway are you expected to tip for take-out or are you not expected to tip for that?

I too have worked in bars and restaurants from 1 star - 5 star. Have you ever worked in a kitchen? Chefs are expected to present a perfect meal every time!

If your steak is medium instead of rare people send it back. That means the steak goes in the garbage and the chef makes another one. I would actually say that the Chefs job is more important than front of house. Working in the kitchen means long hours on your feet using fire and knives to make a perfect meal. Over and over and over and over......

I think lack of tipping is lack of manners. People just don't know any better. imo

 

[PlayfulAlex]

I too have worked in bars and restaurants from 1 star - 5 star. Have you ever worked in a kitchen? Chefs are expected to present a perfect meal every time!

If your steak is medium instead of rare people send it back. That means the steak goes in the garbage and the chef makes another one. I would actually say that the Chefs job is more important than front of house. Working in the kitchen means long hours on your feet using fire and knives to make a perfect meal. Over and over and over and over......

I think lack of tipping is lack of manners. People just don't know any better. imo

I think this is a great point, Miss VW. Now here's a question from someone who's never worked in a restaurant: if we tip for take-out, are we tipping only the person who puts the food in the bag, or are we tipping the entire staff (proportionally, of course)? I understand tipping my waitress for attentive service but, if I'm taking out, I won't know how wonderful the food is until I get home and indulge. By then, its kinda late, although I suppose I could tip them next time but that does seem kinda weird, because I won't know if the same people that made my last great meal are even there any more! This is so complex!

I think tipping is kind of a strange custom because it's not consistent. As has been said, if I get great service at the shoe store, the book store, the Dollar store even, tipping isn't cool. Yet in the restaurant (simply another service industry) business, tipping is expected. We even show our displeasure in the service by not tipping! When we tip the pizza driver, we're not tipping for the food but for the delivery of it, presumably he got it there to us in a timely manner. What gives?

 

[VanessaofBC]

I think this is a great point, Miss VW. Now here's a question from someone who's never worked in a restaurant: if we tip for take-out, are we tipping only the person who puts the food in the bag, or are we tipping the entire staff (proportionally, of course)? I understand tipping my waitress for attentive service but, if I'm taking out, I won't know how wonderful the food is until I get home and indulge. By then, its kinda late, although I suppose I could tip them next time but that does seem kinda weird, because I won't know if the same people that made my last great meal are even there any more! This is so complex!

I think tipping is kind of a strange custom because it's not consistent. As has been said, if I get great service at the shoe store, the book store, the Dollar store even, tipping isn't cool. Yet in the restaurant (simply another service industry) business, tipping is expected. We even show our displeasure in the service by not tipping! When we tip the pizza driver, we're not tipping for the food but for the delivery of it, presumably he got it there to us in a timely manner. What gives?

I see a few people have mentioned this already. In 95% of the restaurants I worked tips were split. The other 5%, well it's the owners decision not mine. I have gone up to young bussers at the end of the night and given them a $10 directly.

There was another occasion where I purchased take out for 8 people. Over $200 worth of food. Do you think I tipped on that? Your darn right I did. When I handed him the $20 I said "and this is for your kitchen staff". Now, whether it went right to them OR was split amongst the server who " bagged" and brought me the food and the kitchen staff, I will never know.

This is another reason I sometimes have the server send thanks to the Chef, belive it or not that is one "tip" that is ALWAYS passed along!


And again just imo. If you cannot afford to tip (or don't like to) , try places like McDonalds or A&W. You can sit there ALLLLLLL day with your one cup of coffee and they will not bother you!!! Now, they won't bus your table either so I would throw out my own coffee cup.
Not tipping is a bad habit that has only gotten worse with the downturn in the economy.!

 

[SeductiveCameronDEL]

Snip..... How come you're not expected to tip the mailwoman or the cashier at Walmart? I think their job is equally as hard and stressful as a waitress.

If you think that walking solo from house to house with a heavy bag (at a government wage) or standing in the same place for six hours while scanning a barcode is equal in stress to being screamed at by 10 different tables (60+ people) for 10 different things and kitchen staff, all while trying to keep up the joviality of a court jester, you have never really thought about it, never worked as a server, and really need to think through what the differences might be. Not the same. I have been both a cashier and a server. Not the same at all.

I worked in the service industry for way too long. I had to leave because I thought I might assault a customer due to lack of appreciation and adequate pay. Needless to say, I would rather do anything than work in the industry again

Delivering food...I can only say that where I worked, the drivers were high school students who got stoned the whole time. They didn't tip out anything and they weren't supporting themselves, they were more trying to get a foot in the door for having work experience.

Here's an interesting article about tipping in food service: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-walsh/open-letter-to-bad-tippers_b_4549644.html

The fact is, it IS a norm in North America. If it were a norm at your job, and you depended on it for survival ($8.50/H I believe is a server's wage), you would be vehement about it as well. Not everyone is in the industry because it's their only choice, some people are career servers. Who is anyone to tell them to get another job?

I know people get really uppity about this, but let's just clarify that we aren't talking about slack ass servers who consistently give bad service and don't seem to care. There are customers out there who truly will use any reason at all to not tip or tip poorly. If you can afford your $100 bill, but you can't tip an adequate amount when you receive good service, call it was it is: you're cheap.

 

[allhorsesaresamecolour]

If you think that walking solo from house to house with a heavy bag (at a government wage) or standing in the same place for six hours while scanning a barcode is equal in stress to being screamed at by 10 different tables (60+ people) for 10 different things and kitchen staff, all while trying to keep up the joviality of a court jester, you have never really thought about it, never worked as a server, and really need to think through what the differences might be. Not the same. I have been both a cashier and a server. Not the same at all.

I worked in the service industry for way too long. I had to leave because I thought I might assault a customer due to lack of appreciation and adequate pay. Needless to say, I would rather do anything than work in the industry again

Delivering food...I can only say that where I worked, the drivers were high school students who got stoned the whole time. They didn't tip out anything and they weren't supporting themselves, they were more trying to get a foot in the door for having work experience.

Here's an interesting article about tipping in food service: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-walsh/open-letter-to-bad-tippers_b_4549644.html

The fact is, it IS a norm in North America. If it were a norm at your job, and you depended on it for survival ($8.50/H I believe is a server's wage), you would be vehement about it as well. Not everyone is in the industry because it's their only choice, some people are career servers. Who is anyone to tell them to get another job?

I know people get really uppity about this, but let's just clarify that we aren't talking about slack ass servers who consistently give bad service and don't seem to care. There are customers out there who truly will use any reason at all to not tip or tip poorly. If you can afford your $100 bill, but you can't tip an adequate amount when you receive good service, call it was it is: you're cheap.

I haven't been a server but I do understand that it can get stressful at times and that it can be a difficult job. But what job is not stressful or hard? We all know that all jobs have their positive and negative aspects and making money is not easy, regardless of what your job is.

The mailwoman was just an example. I could give you a number of other jobs that are equally as shitty as being a server yet nobody is expected to tip them. How about the janitors at a big university? I went to York University and I felt so bad for the janitors. They had this eternal look of misery in their face and their job degraded them every minute yet no students or profs were expected to tip them. I've seen so many waitresses post receipts on their Instagram and Facebook of customers who "are cheap and tipped only 10%" or whatever amount the waitress believes is too low for her. Very demanding and bitchy attitude I'd say.

Also your reply assumes that I said I don't tip when I eat in the restaurant. My question is about ordering food on the phone and going to pick it up yourself. I always tip when I eat in the restaurant because as you said it's the norm but I still think it's BS in Canada because they're not getting paid $3/hour like the US. How hard is it to ask me what I want and then walk 5 steps to bring me the food that the kitchen team cooked? I also think you're exaggerating the number of rude customers. I've never seen a rude customer but I've seen rude and demanding servers many times.

There is also this popular argument of oh these waitresses are struggling and need the tips to pay for school or they have to do this to pay their kids' expenses or whatever. Well I'm going to a restaurant, not a charity. If I want to donate money to charity, there are many organizations for that purpose and I'll get a tax credit. Again servers are not the only people struggling. The landscapers, the maid, the nannies etc are also struggling. I just don't understand this demanding and entitled attitude servers have (and don't get me started on bartenders whose job is even 100X easier).