Do you Leave a Tip When You Pick Up a Takeout Order? (2 Viewers)

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Who does do the takeout stuff if it is a normal, non-chain, restaurant? Do the cooks put everything in the togo containers and then a manager, server, or bar tender puts it in the bags?

 

[Spin]

Who does do the takeout stuff if it is a normal, non-chain, restaurant? Do the cooks put everything in the togo containers and then a manager, server, or bar tender puts it in the bags?

Usually. If there isn't a togo person the expo or bartender generally handles it. Cooks make the meal exactly as they would for dine in customers, except instead of on a plate it goes in a box, set the boxin the window. Togo usually has their own screen (at least every restaurant I've worked in has) so when it is bumped, they grab the boxes from the various windows, put it in a bag, add a couple things of silverware and stick it on the counter.

 

[RUSF18]

I laugh when I see tip cups now. Somebody gave it a try one day and people started putting money in it so it caught on. I highly doubt that the owners of the establishment later decided to give all the employees pay cuts to offset these tips as that would have led to the tip cups going away. I highly doubt employees are paying taxes on those tip cups too.

Back in college, we would all take turns bartending when we had house parties. Just pumping taps and filling cups, and it was great way to meet girls/give #### to guys you didn't know very well. One time another buddy, who didn't live there, was behind the bar and he left a tip cup just for the hell of it...less than an hour later we had enough money for 3 kegs for the next party.

 

[BigJim®]

Who does do the takeout stuff if it is a normal, non-chain, restaurant? Do the cooks put everything in the togo containers and then a manager, server, or bar tender puts it in the bags?

Usually. If there isn't a togo person the expo or bartender generally handles it. Cooks make the meal exactly as they would for dine in customers, except instead of on a plate it goes in a box, set the boxin the window. Togo usually has their own screen (at least every restaurant I've worked in has) so when it is bumped, they grab the boxes from the various windows, put it in a bag, add a couple things of silverware and stick it on the counter.

That's an employer decision that customers shouldn't be expected to subsidize - same as if an establishment chose to make a tip-reliant bartender responsible for seating guests. Customers should not therefore be expected to tip to be seated, just because a bartender seated them.

 

[Spin]

Who does do the takeout stuff if it is a normal, non-chain, restaurant? Do the cooks put everything in the togo containers and then a manager, server, or bar tender puts it in the bags?

Usually. If there isn't a togo person the expo or bartender generally handles it. Cooks make the meal exactly as they would for dine in customers, except instead of on a plate it goes in a box, set the boxin the window. Togo usually has their own screen (at least every restaurant I've worked in has) so when it is bumped, they grab the boxes from the various windows, put it in a bag, add a couple things of silverware and stick it on the counter.

That's an employer decision that customers shouldn't be expected to subsidize - same as if an establishment chose to make a tip-reliant bartender responsible for seating guests. Customers should not therefore be expected to tip to be seated, just because a bartender seated them.

I rarely got tipped as a bartender when doing togo, mainly because the customers had to come inside to the bar to pick it up. Unless they ordered a drink while waiting.

 

[PatsFanCT]

I order wings from a local bar. When I go to pick them up, the bartender/waitress will ring up my order, walk into the kitchen with my order already bagged up by the cooks. I don't tip for ringing up a take out order like that. But as some have said, if they have to spend time preparing everything, then I'll toss them a couple bucks. If everyone tipped a couple bucks for a minutes worth of work, they would be making $100 an hour. I've bartender plenty in the past, and when it was busy, I was making $50 an hour easy.

As for Chinese, all the places around me are small family owned places. No tip for pick up there either.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Really, it all depends on how much work the takeout person has to do.

For example, a few weeks ago, I got some to-go wings from BWW, and I never get ranch or blue cheese or anything with them, so my order is basically them putting my wings in the box (which the kitchen guys do) and putting the box in the bag. I still tipped a buck or two, IIRC, because why not, but had I asked for stuff in little to-go containers, like ranch or blue cheese, where the bartender had to take time to fill them up and whatnot, I would have given her another few bucks.

 

[jon_mx]

I order wings from a local bar. When I go to pick them up, the bartender/waitress will ring up my order, walk into the kitchen with my order already bagged up by the cooks. I don't tip for ringing up a take out order like that. But as some have said, if they have to spend time preparing everything, then I'll toss them a couple bucks. If everyone tipped a couple bucks for a minutes worth of work, they would be making $100 an hour. I've bartender plenty in the past, and when it was busy, I was making $50 an hour easy.

As for Chinese, all the places around me are small family owned places. No tip for pick up there either.

Yeah, i can see not tipping the Chinese..........what about the Japanese?

 

[Spin]

Really, it all depends on how much work the takeout person has to do.

For example, a few weeks ago, I got some to-go wings from BWW, and I never get ranch or blue cheese or anything with them, so my order is basically them putting my wings in the box (which the kitchen guys do) and putting the box in the bag. I still tipped a buck or two, IIRC, because why not, but had I asked for stuff in little to-go containers, like ranch or blue cheese, where the bartender had to take time to fill them up and whatnot, I would have given her another few bucks.

Odds are, the kitchen guys are doing the ranch / bc containers as well. Unless the bartender is trying to score you free ranch.

 

[PatsFanCT]

I order wings from a local bar. When I go to pick them up, the bartender/waitress will ring up my order, walk into the kitchen with my order already bagged up by the cooks. I don't tip for ringing up a take out order like that. But as some have said, if they have to spend time preparing everything, then I'll toss them a couple bucks. If everyone tipped a couple bucks for a minutes worth of work, they would be making $100 an hour. I've bartender plenty in the past, and when it was busy, I was making $50 an hour easy.

As for Chinese, all the places around me are small family owned places. No tip for pick up there either.

Yeah, i can see not tipping the Chinese..........what about the Japanese?

Japanese is Hibachi. So we eat at the restaurant. They get a tip.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I found out that even the pizza delivery guy delivering in the snow isn't supposed to get 15%. He gets like $1 a pizza.

I tip more than I should, but I feel guilty if I give less than 20% eating in and 10% if I am picking up.

Who told you this nonsense?

Delivering pizzas, I found out pretty quick people werent tipping based on percentage like you find in a restaurant. People were basically "tier tippers" as Id call them. You had your cheap ####s who would tip less than $2, your average tippers who would give around $3 or a little more, and your considerate tippers who would give $4+.

I served at quite a few places before I delivered actually, so Id always been a 20% type tipper because of that in restaurants, but for whatever reason $2 was my standard for delivery (all my orders were typically around $15 so not big orders). I guess part of my thinking was that the driver is getting at least some portion of the delivery charge. I know at the italian place I delivered for that was sort of a "local chain", I got all of the $1.50 delivery fee, and I call BS on places like Domino's, PH, PJ's that say none of that charge goes to the driver. Anyhow, once I started delivering I was surprised how many people tipped $4-5. Id say 25-30% of people tipped around $4 or a little more. Because of that now I tip usually $3+ for deliveries, and my orders are generally still <$20.

 

[Kenny Powers]

To the guys in the business- am I wrong in thinking that the delivery guy is doing "less" in terms of the overall process of getting my food to me than a waiter would if I'm dining in the restaurant?

For no real reason, that's just what I've always assumed- so I tip less for the delivery guy than I ever would for a waiter.

As someone who has done both, Id say its pretty close. Yes, a waiter is checking on you frequently at your table to take orders, do refills, get updates on food or put in more orders. However how much time is a delivery driver taking to get your order to you and then drive back to the restaurant? Id say about 20 minutes at least, on average. Plus, driver has to pay for his gas and car wear and tear. How much time is that waiter spending solely on your own table's (not also his 3-4 other tables) dining experience? If I had to again estimate, Id say around 20 minutes.

So no, I wouldnt really say the driver is doing less. Plus, to go in line with the take out portion of this thread, the driver is checking your order before he leaves to know that youre getting the correct order.

 

[Kenny Powers]

at someone that did not know bartenders and wait staff make their living off tips and not their wage

This is something I could understand my 14 year old son not having a grasp of. An adult? This is dumbfounding.

Hell, your 14 year old probably is aware. He's probably getting close to thinking about what he'd want to do for his first job, whats the best way to maximize the money he can make at a more than likely ####ty job.

I think I was 15 when I started my lawnmowing business, did it all thru high school and then once I went to college, I had a couple people maintain it during the fall and spring and I still did it during the summers when I was back home until I was 20 or 21. I figured easy job that I ended up making more than triple of what minimum wage was, everything tax free, I basically set my own schedule/when I mowed the lawns (within reason, obviously I wasnt neglecting a customer's yard for much over a week if that), and I frequently cut all that grass high as ####. Now that I think about it, that was the best job I'll probably ever have.

 

[Kenny Powers]

When I go out to eat I get the attention and service from a person for like an hour(less or more depending on the restaurant but you get the idea). A good server will visit your table for your drink order, your food order and to bring your drinks, to check on your drinks, to bring your food, to check on your food, check on your drinks again, clear the table, bring the bill. These are just the basics. If you have multiple people drinking alcohol or a table with teens that slam multiple sodas, you could go to a table three times as often as this. This gets to be very hard work. It can also be very difficult when you have picky eaters or people that are just rude and expect the world. I have zero problems tipping them well. Heck I tip 15% if the service is awful. Far more for good service.

Takeout takes all the BS out of the equation. Usually no beverages. No clearing tables. The cooks prepare the food and voila. The bartender makes the same money per hour if he puts my food in a bag or if he doesn't. The 30 seconds it takes isn't hurting him. That is what the basic small $2.75 wage is for. The random misc. things they have to do that they won't receive tips for.

This is probably the best explanation Ive seen in this thread on why I generally tip 20% when Im dining in, but nothing for takeout.