Tips

That's a great question. I've tipped before - $5 for a $50 order. But it is not my norm. A friend of mine in NOLA always tips. It's a conundrum!

I'm not sure what the norm is, but I usually leave a tip - $5 or so, depending.

When y'all pick up food to go, do you tip the person that rings up your order?

Regarding tipping for take-out, I think that if you get take-out from a real restaurant, not fast-food, then you should tip. A server or bartender or whoever had to answer the phone, take the order, make sure the kitchen did it correctly, and probably pack it up for you. Then deal with you when you come in to pick it up. All of this while trying to juggle a bunch of tables or other duties. It's worth 10% or $5, whichever is greater, in my opinion.

I stand by my opinion from a few years ago.

Be aware that some restaurants add in the tip on carry out orders. Check first before double tipping.

Yes, I tip the person who rings up my takeout order because s/he has to pack it up in all of those separate containers, remember to include the condiments, etc. In some ways it is more of a pain for the person ringing up the takeout order than it is for a server because if something in the order is wrong for someone dining in, the problem can get get fixed pretty quickly. But if a customer gets home and finds something wrong or missing in their order, it is more maddening to the customer. So the person ringing up the take-out has to be more careful in checking the order so that s/he doesn't have to deal with the rage of someone having to make a second trip to get the correct order.

Yes, some restaurants add a tip for takeout. But Pizza Bar always makes that clear up front.

Let's tip everybody.

This was a discussion at work recently.

Thanks, BR! Yes. As a local hostess/to-go person, I can tell you that we very much appreciate tips for all the reasons she's listed above. You don't have to go nuts--we do get paid more than waiters do, generally.

But a couple of dollars is a nice way of saying, "Thanks for making sure that my order was correct, so I don't have to drive back up here when I get home and realize I got chicken instead of fish, and thanks for taking the time to anticipate my needs, so that I have all the condiments/dressings that I may want, to make sure this meal is as terrific at home as it would be in the restaurant."

The kitchen doesn't usually do those things. They just make sure your food gets cooked properly (which, in and of itself, is a big enough responsibility) so it's up to your to-go person to handle the rest. If not for us, you'd be walking out the door with a styrofoam box of food with no fixins!

P.S. -- Y'all come see me at the Seagrove Village Market! You'll be SO glad you did!

P.S. -- Y'all come see me at the Seagrove Village Market! You'll be SO glad you did!

we definitely will!

No

If you can afford to order "take out", you can afford to leave a tip.

If places like McDonald's and KFC had tip jars, would you leave a tip? That is take-out in a sense and the workers put a lot of time into packaging your food. Should you tip the person at the drive-thru window? Or maybe this tip on take-out rule only applies to establishments that also provide full restaurant service with servers waiting on customers at tables. Maybe fast food doesn't apply. If that's the case, how slow (or freshly cooked) does the food have to be before you decide a tip is necessary. Just adding food for thought, no pun intended.

Many places charge a take out fee. I generally don't tip those locations unless it's obvious someone went out of their way to go above and beyond.

P.S. -- Y'all come see me at the Seagrove Village Market! You'll be SO glad you did!

Always one of my first stops...even if for the tea alone. Now, I'll have another reason.

If places like McDonald's and KFC had tip jars, would you leave a tip? That is take-out in a sense and the workers put a lot of time into packaging your food. Should you tip the person at the drive-thru window? Or maybe this tip on take-out rule only applies to establishments that also provide full restaurant service with servers waiting on customers at tables. Maybe fast food doesn't apply. If that's the case, how slow (or freshly cooked) does the food have to be before you decide a tip is necessary. Just adding food for thought, no pun intended.

fast food chains are tipless. You order at the counter or window, pay, pick up and drive off, hoping to have all your order in the bag along with a dozen packets of ketchup. I suppose its part of what makes fast food more economical.

when I order pizza and pick it up - its kind of like fast food - but I know those folks and no way am I not tipping them - they take care of us! when I order thai for pick up, they pack it up so carefully, including all the little extras you requested, and you know its so delicious that you MUST tip!

Maybe some of it is just your own judgement.

in case some of you havent noticed.. SOWAL is not where ever you came from. You dont tip PizzaHut. (unless it is the delivery person) well...we DO tip Brunos or Fat Daddys' or the airstream or wherever... There are alot of places that a person takes your order at a counter/window around here that have small tip jars (normally unnoticed) that is a part of that persons claimed wages. It might not seem alot to some people but, when an employer only pays $4.23 per hour and whatever is in that small jar at the end of a shift hopefully makes up to the minimum wage it means alot to the person taking that order. I hate to point this out but most employers in this area will put employees in a "tipped" position to save themselves $3 an hour per employee. Please dont forget that the person taking your order is just working for a living ....

yep, tipping is good whenever you can!

in case some of you havent noticed.. SOWAL is not where ever you came from. You dont tip PizzaHut. (unless it is the delivery person) well...we DO tip Brunos or Fat Daddys' or the airstream or wherever... There are alot of places that a person takes your order at a counter/window around here that have small tip jars (normally unnoticed) that is a part of that persons claimed wages. It might not seem alot to some people but, when an employer only pays $4.23 per hour and whatever is in that small jar at the end of a shift hopefully makes up to the minimum wage it means alot to the person taking that order. I hate to point this out but most employers in this area will put employees in a "tipped" position to save themselves $3 an hour per employee. Please dont forget that the person taking your order is just working for a living ....

Is this just about take-out tipping in SoWal or is this just a general discussion about take-out tipping? My personal opinion about this is that the rules are arbitrary and there are no real conventions. My opinion about tipping for a take out order is that it should not be expected, but I do it some of the time. Certainly not as much a percentage as I would for a sit down meal. I think most people feel in their gut that favorite local establishments get the best take-out tips. The closer the restaurant is to a fast food joint, the less they get. There is not always a clear dividing line. Probably on the lowest end of the pecking order are out of town chain restaurants that suck. Again, I go with what seems right, and I think most others do too. For a sit down meal it's a different story. The rules are more rigid and I generally give at least 20%.

I think most on here would be surprised at how many people don't tip for takeout. I would guess 75% don't.

I think most on here would be surprised at how many people don't tip for takeout. I would guess 75% don't.

you're probably right. and then when you do decide to tip for take out, what is the percentage? I just totally wing it.

I think most on here would be surprised at how many people don't tip for takeout. I would guess 75% don't.

And why would you??....I don't even think to do it...all the employee has done is throw a few styrofoam cartons in a plastic bag along with maybe a few Sysco Set- Ups...like someone said earlier it is no different then a drive thru at Popeyes...In N Out Burger...etc etc...Tipping is getting completely out of control where the Customer is almost expected to start paying the Owners Employees...

It's clear as mud.

Whether I tip or not depends on the meal and who is doing the order taking/prep.

When it simply consists of the kitchen putting a standard menu item in a container, and the owner is the one taking my money I usually don't tip.

When it's a real "meal" with sides, fixings, or I get it made a certain way, and I assume the person doing it works for tips, I tip.

And when I feel the restaurant is nickel and diming me with take-out fees, surcharges, etc not only do I not tip, I stop going there.

What's funny is when you get a takeout from the limited offering budget conscious menu of a high end restaurant. They don't even ring you up right away. No, they give you that plastic billfold with your bill inside and give you a minute to ponder how much your going to pay while you stand around. Then you put your money inside, give it to them, and they ask you if you want change. "Damn straight I do", says I. Then you stand around for another 5 minutes and wait for them to come back with your change. Last time I ever do that. The meal wasn't even that good. Imagine how I'd have felt if I left a tip.