Attention Restaurateurs

[runstarfishrun]

Geo has it right. If it is a full service restaurant and the waitstaff is packing up your orders, the server/bartender is taking time away from their seated customers to help you. And although packing up an order seems fast, every single second counts when you are waiting tables. There is a lot of multi tasking going on and we want to take care of all our guests dining in and and out to the best of our ability. I think everyone should work service industry once in their life to get perspective from the inside. Then maybe there would be (even) more understanding folks dining out

 

[scooterbug44]

I think someone preparing a takeout order deserves a tip - it's the 20% auto tip plus fee people are questioning.

 

[Geo]

Geo, I hear what you are saying, but you have to agree that it is atypical for a restaurant that is a majority dine-in establishment to add a tip to the meal for two diners, much less a carry out order for two people. I know of nowhere where this is done other than a few places around here. It is tacky. The way I see it is as follows: The operator runs a restaurant that operates in a traditional manner and does not add a gratuity to a party of fewer than six and gets away paying the server the low base wage OR the operator runs a restaurant in the traditional 'take out' manner where any concept of a tip involves a jar at the cash register and the employees are paid at least the minimum wage. That is just how I see it. Maybe I am behind the times...

Geo has it right. If it is a full service restaurant and the waitstaff is packing up your orders, the server/bartender is taking time away from their seated customers to help you. And although packing up an order seems fast, every single second counts when you are waiting tables. There is a lot of multi tasking going on and we want to take care of all our guests dining in and and out to the best of our ability. I think everyone should work service industry once in their life to get perspective from the inside. Then maybe there would be (even) more understanding folks dining out

I agree with both of you. But to sum up my position,

I have attempted to provide the perspective of the restauranteur only for the sake of our discussion. I do not believe gratuity should be added to carry out orders (unless it is for large orders similar to gratuity added to large parties dining in).

It is my hope that folks who don't normally tip on carryout orders learn from the thread that they should pass a few bucks to the person delivering or packaging their takeout order. And it is my hope that owners and management learn that the practice of requiring gratuity can be a real turn off.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Geo has it right. If it is a full service restaurant and the waitstaff is packing up your orders, the server/bartender is taking time away from their seated customers to help you. And although packing up an order seems fast, every single second counts when you are waiting tables. There is a lot of multi tasking going on and we want to take care of all our guests dining in and and out to the best of our ability. I think everyone should work service industry once in their life to get perspective from the inside. Then maybe there would be (even) more understanding folks dining out

I have worked service industry and never expected a tip for preparing a carry out order. A tip recognizes exceptional service-there is nothing exceptional about bagging a few containers that were prepared in the kitchen, especially during the off hours. The way I see it, tipping on a carry out order is good karma-demanding it from the customer is simply bad policy. Look at it this way-if packing an order for two is worth 15% of the order, should servers expect a 40% tip to actually wait on a two top? It makes no sense.

 

[runstarfishrun]

Not really sure about automatic gratuity on togo orders. However just keep in mind the points I mentioned above.


I've got a twist to this question for everyone. On buy one get one's at a restaurant, do you tip on the check after the discount? or what the check would have been before the discount? And I am talking about dinging in, not take out. Keep in mind the server is still doing the same amount of work....

 

[Everytime]

Not really sure about automatic gratuity on togo orders. However just keep in mind the points I mentioned above.


I've got a twist to this question for everyone. On buy one get one's at a restaurant, do you tip on the check after the discount? or what the check would have been before the discount? And I am talking about dinging in, not take out. Keep in mind the server is still doing the same amount of work....

On "BOGO Night" or when dining with a coupon, I tip on the full, pre-discounted price.

I got take-out at a neighborhood pizza/pasta place in the suburbs of Birmingham last night; my wife ordered pasta; I noticed on the menu that it comes with a salad. They did not ask me what type of dressing she wanted on the salad, so I inquired if it does in fact come with the salad. They informed me that the take-out pasta, although the same price, does not come with the salad, because the salads which they prepare for to-go orders are nicer than those from the salad bar which are what comes with the dine-in pasta. An optional to-go salad was available for an additional $2.00. Accordingly, perhaps they should have reduced the price of the take-out version due to its lack of salad privileges.

 

[Everytime]

I can see having a tip tacked on at Taco Bar. The customer pays up front at the counter, and because it's an outdoor restaurant, it's easy for a customer to just walk after eating without leaving a tip or someone strolling by and picking up a tip left on the table.

I can also see having a tip tacked on for takeout at Pizza Bar, at least during spring break and in the summer. The bartenders are scurrying around preparing drinks for the diners in the restaurant plus at the bars, and somehow have to also manage answering the phone for takeout orders and packing up such orders. I don't really see how they do it on busy nights.

Is the food brought out to the customer's (dine-in) table at these venues? Just my opinion, but I still don't see the point in automatically tacking on the tip. If it's a counter-service restaurant, where the customer goes up, places there order, then returns to pick up their food, a tip seems kind of odd. Maybe they should instead adjust their posted menu prices and not solicit or tack on a tip in order to meet the costs, just an idea based on my opinion.

 

[Douglas the Intrepid]

I think way too much extraneous thought can be put into this subject. For me it boils down to just two simple things.

1. Don't decide for the customer where and how much they are tipping thus taking the decision from them.
2. I tip based soley on service. Good service equals good tip. Bad service equals bad tip.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Not really sure about automatic gratuity on togo orders. However just keep in mind the points I mentioned above.


I've got a twist to this question for everyone. On buy one get one's at a restaurant, do you tip on the check after the discount? or what the check would have been before the discount? And I am talking about dinging in, not take out. Keep in mind the server is still doing the same amount of work....

That is the motivation for this thread!

 

[Kurt]

I think way too much extraneous thought can be put into this subject. For me it boils down to just two simple things.

1. Don't decide for the customer where and how much they are tipping thus taking the decision from them.
2. I tip based soley on service. Good service equals good tip. Bad service equals bad tip.

I'll take the owner's side. They have to decide how to run things to keep staff happy (which gets harder and harder). They have to provide good service if they want a good business. If there are too many customers who are not tipping enough then the staff, if they are any good, will go work somewhere else. Keep in mind some of the customers around you never tip, make mistakes and tip a dollar when they meant to tip 10, tip 2%, and some walk out on the whole bill. Granted some great tippers make up for some of this, but an owner has to make SURE it balances out in their favor to stay in business.

The owner has to look out for staff. It's a constant balancing act of keeping staff happy, which keep customers happy and keep them coming back. A smart owner will keep it going and adjust when necessary. The price is going to go up somewhere if it needs to.

Look at the total price and if you like the product, get to eating. However if you're the type who complains to your Publix cashier because your milk went up 10 cents then you should buy your own cow or drink water.