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Karma? Tipping For Counter Service & Take-Out
By: Patrick Maguire
Book Chapter: Human-to-Human Service
Posted: 04/23/2010
Sandwich Counter-Bakery
Diner Take-Out
Diner Take-Out
Ice Cream Truck
Pizza Shop
Deli Counter
Sandwich Shop
Donut Shop
The Karma Jar kills me. It immediately caught my eye the first time I saw it in a sandwich shop a few blocks from my home in Boston’s South End. Maybe it’s the indifference of the hipster staff, or perhaps I associate it with the image of the uneasy elderly customer watching a brazen waitress practicing her ballet positions and singing to attract attention. But it’s mostly the guilt-inducing nature of the Karma Jar that bothers me. I tip very well if someone earns it, but the cutesy mind games are a turnoff.
A few weeks ago, I received the following email from Tom C., a loyal reader; One thing I’ve been thinking about is tipping. Specifically, who gets a tip? I go to a sandwich shop and order a pre-made sandwich to go. They hand it to me and I pay and leave. Do I leave a tip? Some people do, some people don’t. If I tip them, do I tip the cashier at the grocery store too? What differentiates these transactions? I know I tip the guy or gal that delivers pizza, Chinese, Thai, or whatever food to the house. If I’m going to do that, do I tip the UPS guy too? And for that matter, what about the guy that pumps out my septic system? Just curious on your input as I’ve noticed tip jars showing up in a lot more places lately.
Tom is not the only one feeling a little “tip fatigue” and confusion these days. Workers and businesses are pushing the boundaries beyond customary tipping environments. Sure, there are times we are inspired to tip when we’re not expected to, like the UPS guy in a driving blizzard. My dad used to send us out with cash for the trash men to encourage them to take everything, including an old appliance, or the aftermath of a basement or garage cleaning. Extraordinary circumstances certainly warrant special rewards.
Tipping is a loaded issue. Few topics elicit more spirited responses than politics, sexuality, science, religion, manners, and yes, tipping. The comment sections that follow articles on tipping are predictably vicious, and the “right fighting” that ensues is mind-numbing. Everyone has a strong opinion of what should transpire based on their own experiences. In many cases, there are cultural guidelines, but no right answers. Tipping is discretionary and discretion is subjective.
My blog and book aren’t going to spend a lot of time talking about tipping. Tipping is an important topic when discussing service, but the scope of my project is much broader than the restaurant industry and tipping. In addition, Steve Dublanica, author of the best-selling book, Waiter Rant, has just completed a book on tipping titled, Keep The Change, scheduled for release in November. I have corresponded with Steve, and encourage you to visit his award-winning site.
One of my first experiences receiving tips came as a teenager in the 70’s working as a bagger in a local supermarket. We called the position ‘sacker’ in those days. We always offered to help customers to their car with their groceries, and we often got a few quarters, and sometimes a buck or two. We didn’t expect it, but it was always nice to develop a good rapport with a customer and to make a little extra cash. It would have been unthinkable in those days to have tip jars at cash registers in grocery stores. Times sure have changed.
In a recent article on the OpenTable Blog, Caroline Potter mentioned seeing a tip jar at a dry cleaner. Caroline references another article by Susannah Cahalan of the New York Post who notes, Samantha Shepherd, a 25-year-old Ph.D. student from Queens, refuses to go to a C-Town Supermarket near her neighborhood because the grocery’s baggers have tip jars. “I had this conflict of feeling: I felt bad for not giving her money, but I didn’t feel she deserved it. I don’t go to that supermarket anymore,” she said. “You’re made to feel guilty. And I don’t like that.”
I’m with you, Samantha. The proliferation of tipping jars in atypical locations has gone wild, and some of them look foolish. And the kitschy signs on the jars that Ms. Cahalan alludes to like, Momma Needs a New Pair of Shoes, do nothing to motivate me.
Despite the increasing number of tip jars popping up in unusual places, I support tipping at restaurants with counter service and take-out, regardless of who prepares your order. A significant number of people never even think about tipping in these circumstances, especially on take-out. The staff who prepares take-out orders is often making well below minimum wage, and gratuities comprise the bulk of their compensation. They balance their other responsibilities while taking your order, wrapping everything, remembering special requests like the sauces on the side, the utensils, napkins and condiments, and packaging everything to-go. Even if a host or another staff member prepares your order, the extra money always helps.
For counter and take-out service, here are a few factors that influence whether or not I tip, and how much:
- Initial greeting/acknowledgement.
- Attitude, hospitality and service.
- Effort and hustle.
- Complexity and size of the order.
- Accomodation of special requests.
- Order being accurate and ready on time.
- Extraordinary circumstances, weather, holidays, etc.
- How often I frequent a place.
- If a place I frequent remembers my preferences.
- Acknowledgement and appreciation of tips.
- How busy the place is.
- The sign on the tip jar.
I mention appreciation of tips because I’ll never forget the day I walked into a pizza place for a slice and a drink. I was the only person in line. The drink was self-service and the gang from the kitchen delivers the slice when it’s ready. I put a dollar and some odd change in the coffee can in plain view of the cashier who watched and said nothing. Apathy is bad karma. I almost pulled the buck out of the can…
I invite you to participate in the discussion. As always, comments will be moderated and off-topic, vitriolic attacks will not be allowed.
Customers: Please relate your experiences, stories and opinions regarding tip jars. What unusual places have you seen them? What influences your decision about throwing something in the jar?
Workers: Please share as much information as you can about this topic. Most customers are genuinely interested in your perspective. Please share your hourly wage, percentages of people who tip and how much they tip. War stories, good or bad?
Business Owners: What do you think? What’s your policy? I’d like to hear from people across the spectrum, including owners who prohibit tip jars from their establishments. What is your philosophy, your rationale, and how do you compensate your staff? (Hourly rate, benefits, percentage of sales, meals, other?)
Note: All of the tip jars pictured are located within a few minutes of my home in Boston. Please be on the lookout and share your photos of tip jars in the photo album in my facebook group. Please note the type of establishment where the jar is located. Thank you-PM
4/24, Saturday morning update: I just came from a walk around Boston and spoke with an employee at a Dunkin’ Donuts who told me they had no tip jar because the owners don’t allow them. I then went to another Dunkin’ Donuts about a mile away with a tip jar that said, “Gratuities for Exceptional Service.” I like the message that sends. It would be interesting to know if there is a difference in the hourly wages and/or benefits at the 2 locations. The photo is on the wall of my facebook group.
34 Responses to “Karma? Tipping For Counter Service & Take-Out”
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Permalink | Posted in Human-to-Human Service | 34 Comments »
I wonder of there’s a correlation between/among tipping street performers and dropping change on a counter-top? Or stepping over a person living in the street and moving-on as if he weren’t there…and tipping? Empathy boundaries?
Just a random thought.
Dr. Hank
Great discussion topic! As a customer, I never want to feel uncomfortable, and tip jars can sometimes do just that. Like the one in the self-serve frozen yogurt place I sometimes go to. I’ve been tempted to ask if I should take a tip since I did all the work. (I haven’t – I know that would be rude.) Other times, the tip jar seems just fine. I guess it’s all in the presentation, and as you pointed out the quality of service.
One thing I still can’t figure out — tipping can sometimes feel weird if you know your cashier is also the shop owner.
One thing that I wonder about with these tip jars is, are the prices/wages fair? I mean, if you expect a certain amount from the sale of something, shouldn’t that fairly cover your costs etc??? That to me makes the tip jar something that is there for something extra, and not something that is really meant to supplement the salary. I rarely tip in tip jars, though am a pretty generous tipper in other contexts.
For anyone that “operates” a tip jar, I am curious about how much money gets put in there. Is it a significant portion of sales?
Always an interesting topic. It never ceases to amaze me when I watch a valet rip up a dollar bill at the valet stand that he was given (true story one early evening when I was at work), every business and service in Key West have a tip jar somewhere visible and when “entertainers” that depend on tips pick up their coin change at the bar of the club where they “work”. I couldn’t swallow once being forced, while on a cocktailing pick up shift, tipping out the hostess for directing customers to my section, the bartender for making my drinks, the barback for supplying the ice, the busser for bussing the appetizer plates and the expo for plating up the food that the customers ordered. Really? The hostess and the expo???????!?!?!? I doubt I walked out with any tip money left for myself. Customers need to realise that they are tipping an entire team when they write a number in that line on their credit receipt slip.
Alms, alms for the poor, alms for the spiritual.
When you give, you receive. What you receive might not be what you expected so drop your expectations. You’re not buying anything with your alms, not even a thank you, though you might get one.
If you are uncomfortable with alms/tip jars where does that discomfort come from? Release your guilt and live a free life. It is after all a two way street we live on.
I was helping my barista over a tough day talking about how he, just as the grocery clerk, always have a line of people waiting no matter how fast or expertly they complete their job.
I worked part time as a grocery sacker at a military PX for tips alone. The going rate was 25 cents a bag but some left a dime or nothing. That was in the mid sixties, my military pay was only $91 a month, but England was a wonderful place to spend three years in that era.
I saw this one for financial agents: “from those most gullible to those most greedy.” I don’t think any of the people mentioned in the article are greedy, gullible is another issue.
I will tip at the coffee counter, or the donut shop, etc., IF the person who takes my order is nice, smiles and says, “Thank you!” (before I tip). These people are already being paid a ‘nice’ hourly, so the tips are just extra. I don’t mind helping out — however, if there is arrogance/rudeness, or disconcern, I will not leave a tip.
Really enjoyable discussion…..
When we spontaneously tip freely and from our hearts it is such a rewarding experience!
I was on fumes this morning at 6AM pulling into the local full service gas station….feeling so grateful/relieved I had made it— since I had to be driving for what felt like forever last night with the orange empty light on!!! (the station I had pulled into last night had just closed!)I found 3 wrinkled one dollar bills at the bottom of my pocketbook I managed to scrounge up and gingerly but with real gratitude hand to the young tired man who had just filled my tank… bless him!!! the expression in his eyes told all… My God, imagine if it had been more!!! He watched me drive out of the station…. like he hit the jackpot!!! Not sure who was more delighted!
I think with the “The whole Jar thing” —- it should be a natural flow…. warm greeting, great service , discrete, non-obtrusive tip jar: result being we are motivated/have the desire to give back ie tip—- ( we’re tired, busy, stressed… don’t irritate/insult/lay guilt on us….with a degrading/distracting/jar in an odd place!!) We won’t be back!
Being the owner operator of a quick service restaurant, I am always amazed at how few tips we actually receive. We average about 3%. And at times I believe the customers we deal with can be more demanding than sit down customers. We cook a fair amount of our food to order and often the person taking the order is also filling drink orders and preparing food while dealing with customers. Yesterday I had a family come in there were 8 of them by the time they put in their order they had revised it 5 times and taken 15 min of time. Their bill came to 94 and change. He handed me a hundred bucks and took his five and change folded it up and put it back in his pocket. They ate and continued to order more food and desert over the next hour maybe another 30 bucks. As they were leaving they said how great everything was and how full they were as I packed up their to go bags. After they left I then had to go bus their tables which they couldn’t figure out on their own that the trash can by the door was for that purpose and then I had to sweep the entire dining room because of the mess they made. So on $120 tab the didn’t leave a dime for a tip and occupied my time for at least 30 min. The part that sucks about that is that my employees who get all the tips, as I don’t take any, bust their ass to put out great food and great service and don’t get rewarded for it. I always tip at least 10-15% to any kind of take out, counter service except maybe fast food. Everyone working at that counter works hard with the public all day and unlike a sit down restaurant setting you can’t always go in the back and hide or go away to put in the order you are standing in front of people all the time… Alright enough ranting… Tip your counter staff.
http://www.btsmokehouse.com/
I feel like there are too many tip jars out there. I also did not know until recently that some pizza places add to your total if you order ‘delivery’ service. On top of the extra money for the ‘delivery’ service I was tipping them a little more… I might think twice next time, not to put that extra dollar or two…
I tip at the coffe place, the take out sandwich place, and for delivery food. I tip my mailman, but seldom my paperperson, because he/she gets the paper wrong often enough and there is always the veiled threat in the Christmas card…which I abhor. I will not tip if I feel like I am being extorted from. Since I am “in the business”, it is really easy to leave your change at the counter, which can easily add up to 10%. I always tip for a beer at Fenway…does anyone else?
It is the role of the EMPLOYER to pay the employee. My standard tip rate is 0%.
I generally do agree with tip jars/cups at places like donut/coffee shops and fast food restaurants. Working the morning shift at a Tim Hortons anywhere north of the 49th parallel is no easy task, so if I have a bit of extra change, then by all means I will tell them to keep it or add it to their tip collection. (I really cannot do the 10% – 15% deal simply because half the time I can barely afford the $3 for a tea and donut.)
I have always felt that tips should be reserved for those who do not get a “regular minimum wage” such as waitresses, bartenders and the like. I will give holiday tips, but only to those whose service I use on a consistent basis. The implication in the self-addressed envelope that I receive from my newspaper delivery person a few times a year bother me especially since the service isn’t all that good. I work in front of the public all day as PART of my job, I do not expect a tip as this is what I do for a living and get paid for it, even if it was minimum wage I would not expect a tip. The tip jars bother me at places where the staff is doing their job and getting paid what; they are doing is their job. That being said, I also think that they take away from a real tip to a waitress/waiter that is busting their butt to give you a good dining experience. I have worked in the public service sector for over 30 years and I would love a well written note to my boss/company mentioning that I did a good job, which would be reflected in my review and lead to either a raise or promotion. People hardly ever go that extra mile. It would mean more than a bunch of change at the end of the day.
One thing I really despise about restaurants/merchants involving tipping is the credit card situation. When I pick up my dry cleaning and they have programmed their credit card machine to have a gratuity line, I feel obligated. What did you do anyway? Did you go above and beyond your job duties by handing me my clothes that I paid you to wash? Did you offer me anything while I waited? What exactly did you do to deserve a tip?
Getting take out is another example. Does walking through the cafeteria style trough at Chipotle really merit forfeiting a tip? I am not opposed to offering “extras” where due, but you have to work for it for christ’s sakes. It isn’t a handout. I bend over backwards for my customers, and every so often one of them will come back to the kitchen and slip me a twenty. Do I expect it? NO. Do I take it? YES.
Well said Jeff and Whitmore.
Tip jars…, yeah they sure are showing up in the most random of places aren’t they!!!! The problem with a tip jar is it is usually placed on a counter top because some one is trying to compensate their income. I personally have issues with tip jars. I tip, well… when it is warranted. most individuals are unaware that TIPS is an acronym…To Insure Prompt Service. my concern is if a tip jar is placed on counter tops everywhere there is sometimes the question of who I am tipping and for what service. when there are multiple employees in an establishment and only one is actually serving me i want them to get the tip, not the guy standing next to them that has not given me a second glance. Tips are designed to be an incentive for service employees to give customers the best possible experience…for most service workers tips are their income (i receive a paycheck every two weeks that states “this is not a check”) and they depend on tips warranted from a job well done to provide for their families to me in most cases a tip jar says, “my job does not usually warrant a tip but times are hard and i want an income supplement!!!! I am a server I make 2.13 an hour, which is just enough to cover taxes. I have been a server for 12 years and provide for myself and two children off of the tips I receive, since i depend on tips I take very good care of my guests in hopes they will take care of me, with tip jars popping up everywhere, it makes people feel obligated to tip someone who is already making a competitive hourly wage, i feel it is making tips seem as if they are expected for everything, this in turn just takes away from those who honestly depend solely on tips. It is becoming more of an expectation then a reward for a job well done.
My sense of it is that if they need a tip jar to get you to tip, then the tipping isn’t appropriate. I hand the tip directly to the person who receives it (take-out, doorman, bell-boy, etc.) for extra care or labor, not for doing the specific job they were hired to do. Waiters get tips because they are running around sometimes at my beck and call, and I just sit there. Tips at a coffee shop? A grocery store? The labor isn’t deserving of more cash – what exactly did the individual do to warrant extra cash? And who gets the money from the jar? A bad practice; I NEVER put money in a tip jar that isn’t on top of a piano.
I thought that MA workers in counter-service places, where there is no longstanding tradition of tipping, have to be paid at least the minimum wage ($8/hour), in contrast to FoH workers in table service restaurants, where the longstanding customary practice of tipping 15% or more allows employers to pay them only $2.63/hour. Can anyone confirm this?
Steve @ 16, I spent some time as a barrista and we definitely earned tips. You get regulars who come in every day and who really appreciate having their drink ready before they even get up to the counter. People frequently tossed the change from their coffee order into the tip jar (though I never quite understood tipping $0.90 on a $1.10 drink…) and as a high school student, that paid my car insurance and gas.
I will usually go out of my way to tip the piano man actually! I think it is the Charlotte airport, but they have rocking chairs and a gentleman playing the piano and it was one of the most relaxing 15 minutes I had ever spent at an airport.
This comment is for those who want a quick laugh, and some insight as to “how it is” behind the take out counter. Thanks.
I was working at the Cheesecake Factory in Cambridge, MA. I was normally a server, but I broke my leg snowboarding and had a boot walking cast that limited my mobility. I worked behind the take-out/cheesecake counter while my leg healed for about $12 an hour. The tips were split among all the employees behind the counter naturally. The tip amount was a great help, and I always said that if each customer left a quarter it would really help the 3 employees behind the counter to make about 10-15 dollars a shift-gas money-lunch etc.
The point:
There was one customer that worked in a real estate office and was normally the one who ordered and got lunch for everyone. He would call almost every day that I was working and ask the same question, seriously…”I want the club sandwich on wheat toast, do you think it would taste good with yellow mustard?” I am not sure if this was a joke, but we knew one another over the phone and I thought that the fact that he asked the same question every day was annoying, but that is only the beginning.
He would come in every day to pick up his order and pay. Instead of waiting patiently to pick up his order he would walk around the line to the counter, where he would proceed to rifle through other people’s orders until he found what he thought was his, and then unwrap some of the wheat bread and eat some in front of me while I helped other customers. At the lunch rush there was normally about 4-8 customers in line waiting to pay for take out or get cheesecake to go. He would hold his credit card out in front of my face…you get the point. A 20 year old kid with a broken leg hobbling around on a walking boot behind the counter, an impatient ass who would order 60-100 dollars of food 2-3 times a week, (about 2-4 bags of food which I wrapped and organized with dressing and of course, yellow mustard). Never an issue with the food, ie missing something, incorrect order, etc. and NEVER A TIP! Not even 1 dollar once! This was troubling to me, I think repeat service deserves at least something, so I have tipped ever since.
The best part:
One day I was unable to take the phone because I was slammed behind the counter with orders, etc. My manager took the order and when he delivered it to me he realized that he forgot to take the patron’s name for the order. I took one look at the order, which included a club sandwich with yellow mustard, and knew immediately, it was the Douche Bag! So that’s what I labeled his check as “Douche Bag”.
I found out about an hour and a half later that the name appeared on his guest check. Wow was that stupid, I was employee of the month the previous month, and as the Douche Bag walked into the restaurant for the second time that day, I knew my tenure in the infamous all-white uniform was over. Douche Bag walked over to the counter with one of his friends after speaking to the manager on duty. He looked at me and pointed to the check and said “What does this say?” I quickly replied, “It says Douche Bag”. His friend said in a high-pitched tone with an emotional twang, “Why would you write that?” and I replied, “I don’t know man, why don’t you figure it out?”. This infuriated Douche Bag and his friend. They quickly went back to speaking with the manager, and then left.
I was sent home immediately, and there was a severance check for vacation pay there for me from corporate the next day. The worst part about it: One of the fellow Cheesecaker’s sister worked in the office with Douche Bag. He went back and bragged about how he got me fired! Who brags about being called a douche bag?
I went out the next day and got a job waiting tables on Newbury Street. The position was twice as lucrative, and the whole thing turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The other worst part about it: I waited on the Douche Bag with several of his friends at my new restaurant a few months later. He didn’t recognize me. I put gratuity on the table of 7 and got the 18%, and never saw the Douche Bag again!
What offends me is when a server presents a check for $11.00 and after giving them a twenty dollar bill, they’ll ask “Do you want change?”. Normally I’ll tip 20% (sometimes more), but this tactic will only cause me to reduce the gratuity below that amount.
Tip jars at takeout/fast-foods counters are awkward and seem inappropriate. If the workers are being paid at least the standard minimum wage (as opposed to the much lower server rate), then tipping for routine service should not be expected. Prominently displaying a tip jar is presumptive and no better than panhandlers canvassing vehicles at a stop light.
Has anyone ever seen tip jars at McDonald’s or Burger King? Why should any other restaurant expect tipping for the same type of service? OTOH, if an attendant at Subway skillfully prepares a sandwich for me, making certain of my exact specifications every step of the way as we go down the line, then they’ve performed a personal service for which a tip is definitely earned.
We have a related problem at our retail store- we don’t have a tip jar but sometimes we have to stop people from leaving tips in the penny dish! Thanks anyway!
I’ve also noticed tip jars everywhere, and am constantly wondering “Isn’t your employer paying you for this?” As for Btsmokehouse, it sounds like the answer is no. (FYI it would be illegal for a manager to take tips provided for employees.) I tip waitstaff usually around 20% but there is a huge difference between a server who makes $2.35 (may have increased a bit) and depends on tips, and “Geoff with a G” who made $12/hour serving cheesecake.
The server:
– brings your meal to your table in steps
– provides drinks and attentive service,
– faces huge income fluctuations…next to nothing if a slow night
– has a compact with customers that an additional amount on top of the bill pays for the service
The counter worker:
– is already paid for their job of handing an order over the counter
– does not face fluctuations in earnings.
For these reasons, I do not feel compelled to hand over tips to them to help them make money off the books. I do occasionally tip at counters when service is above and beyond.
Mary, thanks for your input, but you must also realize that the counter worker is doing a lot more than “handing an order over the counter”. Aside from taking the order, (which a server does), the counter worker must take “steps” to package your order once it’s cooked, and bring it to the counter. Furthermore, the counter worker makes far less on any average week than any of the servers, that’s a fact. I worked as a server, host, and counter service employee at Cheesecake, and believe me, the most difficult was counter service, so all I am saying is just a quarter from each customer can make an impact in those people’s lives. After taxes 12$ an hour is less than 9, which is difficult to live on.
I think this tipping business has gotten way out of control.
When I pick up carry-out, I will not tip. When you pay for take-out there is limited service other than packaging the food and adding utensils to the bag. Shouldn’t that be part of the price Im paying for the food? As for the excuse that servers/take out employees make less than minimum wage; so do a lot of others. I am in my residency and though I make a good wage, when divided by the 80 hours a week I work, it’s less than minimum wage. Does that mean that I should get tipped every time I save a life?
Don’t get me started on the pizza delivery guy…If I shell out for the pizza and the delivery fee, should I then be expected to tip..please.
The problem is that servers have come to expect 15-20% regardless of the service provided. This is flawed thinking. A tip is to reward exemplary service. If you provide average or less than average service you shouldn’t expect a tip like that. In what other profession does average performance garner you a bonus on top of your wage? I have no problem tipping an excellent server 30% but if you come in and just do the basics don’t expect 15% from me and if you give poor service expect a penny.
As a customer, I:
– Always, always tip anyone who is or might be in a sub-minimum-wage role that assumes tips. So I tip at a table-service restaurant even if I’m getting takeout, for example. I don’t feel obligated to tip the full table-service amount in that case, since the server didn’t have to spend as much time on me, but I generally do anyway.
– I tip in a coffee place if there’s an identifiable tip jar and someone made me a drink or plated food for me. If I just bought an already-wrapped scone, for example, I feel less obligated to tip.
However, there’s a difference here – in a waited table restaurant, I won’t buy a meal if I can’t afford a full tip; I consider it a mandatory part of the transaction. In a coffee place, I generally ensure that I have enough money to tip, but if I get there and I unepectedly don’t, I’ll make my purchase anyway.
If anyone tells me that coffee places often have sub-minimum-wage employees whose compensation assumes that they’re tipped, I’ll change this policy and call the tip mandatory in this case, too.
– I always tip a full tip in buffet restaurants. Most of the buffet places that I’ve been to have involved a lot of service – overworked but cheerful and willing people scurrying back and forth with drinks and rolls and taking plates and so on. If a buffet doesn’t have that much service, I’ll give a full tip and then just not return.
– I’ve never seen a tip jar at a grocery, dry cleaner’s, or any other place that isn’t about food that requires at least some preparation after ordering (if only bringing drinks in the buffet place). That trend must not have hit my area. I’m not sure what I’d do in that case.
– I never ever ask anyone to carry my grocery bags, so I don’t worry about tipping in that situation. If I get old and need the help, I’ll tip. There was one grocery that I used to go to that _would not_ let you carry your own bags out. I didn’t tip, and I avoided going to that store whenever possible.
The question of “appreciating” a tip may be a no-win one for the service person – while I like nice cheerful service, I actually don’t like anyone to express appreciation for my tip; it feels weird. I prefer tipping to be unobtrusive, and excessive appreciation for my tip might actually lead to my going somewhere else next time.
just a heads up. the place where i work is (as of recently) counter service. my boss is absolutely nuts and still only pays us a server wage ($2.15/hr) because of this fact it still means that i basically live off of tips. when someone doesn’t tip it means that I’m pretty much helping them out for free. That being said I never gripe when someone doesn’t tip, and i certainly wouldn’t give them any sort of look or attitude to make them feel guilty. I show everyone the same amount of courtesy and respect no matter what. so I guess what I’m trying to get across is that sometimes you might actually be paying the persons living wage. i agree that it seems worthless to tip for counter service, but that person does A LOT more for next to nothing than you might think (at least in my case i have to take orders, run food, bus tables, wash dishes, and various other things…i know its different in other places). i think at least $1 per customer is very reasonable for anyone to be able to throw in the tip jar. that way you don’t feel guilty for not tipping. it’s certainly not warranted for a person to tip 18% for counter service
p.s. i will usually get about $45 in tips for working a 7 hour shift (by myself) which translates to about $8.57/hr. if i am fortunate enough to have someone helping me on the shift then we have to split that $45 making it about $5.36/hr
I’m the daytime bartender at a really nice mom and pop casual dining restaurant with a lot of business crowd lunch guests. Along w/ making all the drinks for all the tables, helping run other servers’ food out to tables and waiting on my bar guests, I also take all the take-out orders during the lunch shift. We get A LOT of take-outs and I have many many regular take-out customers. I find whether I have a take-out tip jar on the bar or not, the tipping customers tip, and the non-tippers don’t. I recall several large, complex takeouts with not so much as a penny written in on the tip line. I don’t think most people even think about it or have the attitude, “i’m already spending my money here.” Then there’s the two very sweet ladies who get lunch at least twice a week but they never tip. They frequently tell me how much they appreciate it and are always pleasant. Imagine my surprise when last x-mas when they came for their usual take-out pickup. They had a $25 giftcard to my local whole foods, where they know I shop, inside a very nice holiday card. They said “We had to get you something, we never tip on our take-out orders, it’s the least we could do.” I was moved. Since then, they’ve brought me a very cute valentine on valentine’s day and also sang happy birthday to me when another guest told them it was my birthday. These are the guests that make it all worth while. These two gals make the demanding, impatient guests tolerable.
-Eric-
Tipping for takeout is a total rip-off for the consumer. We are paying for the food and the people who work the takeout counter get paid a regular wage (not a server’s wage). If the takeout staff are not being paid enough then their employer should pay them more – don’t rely on me to bring them up to a fair wage. These days consumers have very strict budgets for eating out and any money tossed into a tip jar is money that will NOT be spent at a restaurant. The restaurants all lose money at the expense of excessive tipping. The consumer has been squeezed so tightly the last several years that this extra expense of tipping EVERYONE you encounter in life is just ridiculous.
My boyfriend delivers pizza here in Toronto and he makes $2 below our minimum wage. He does not collect that delivery free – his boss does. He has to pay for gas out of his own pocket as well. We’ve learned that most pizza delivery (and I would assume other delivery) situations are similar.
So if you’re not tipping my boyfriend, he’s making even less per hour than his wage which is already below minimum, because he’s paying for gas too – and for cell phone calls.
His job involves driving in rush hour traffic all the time, his small, poorly managed small chain of restaurants delivering at least once per night (often more) to areas far beyond where they should be (meaning more gas is needed), poor management also leading to a lot of late bills which means angry customers, getting lost in labyrinth like apartment buildings, climbing 18 flights of stairs with elevators are broken (one building he delivers to a lot is like this), risks caused by all sorts of nasty environments in strange buildings, rude customers, prank orders, customers who take forever to come to the door and thus delay other bills, customers who are downright rude just because they can be… not to mention the risks that come with driving a lot, and the cost of wear and tear on our car.
One customer a few nights ago told my boyfriend to wait while he went to his car to scrounge for change. The man didn’t return for 15 minutes… he drove up eventually in an SUV with a fist full of quarters. And did not tip. He has had this job for 3 months and hates it, he looking for a better job, but it’s hard, especially since he just moved to the city.
A lot of people don’t tip delivery people or tip very little. I used to only tip a couple of dollars, but now I will always tip at least 20%.
Seriously, no one is forcing you to tip. So what if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Tip if you feel like they deserved or simply because you want to be nice. Everything will come back to you. You’re life will not be negatively impacted by leaving a dollar or two. Stop being cheap.
I’ve been working as a take out server for almost a decade (my regulars have kept me here) I make less than minimum wage. No one on my other servers ever want to do it. I can literally take 5 orders (at least 5 things I need to remember to box up per item per order) in less than 10 minutes. I also have to be patient and answer questions which adds a lot of wasted time. And some arrive to order in person. They don’t know or care how busy I am.
Some customers can demean me and make my job difficult and ruin my other orders for my nice customers cause they make me run back and forth to add to their order or complain. I run around sweating,feet hurting and back aching. I do it with a beaming smile. Even though inside I’m screaming and overwhelmed.
A handful of people don’t tip on take out and we sometimes talk about adding a jar to show that I accept tips. I’ve heard all the reasons why people don’t tip. Honestly blame capitalism for the tip struggle. Where they care more about profit rather than putting their money into paying employees a livable wage. So they can make their business even better.
Imagine your having an awful night. You’re tired you want to order take out and just go HOME. The person that does your take out took the time to get your condiments, sides, napkins/plastic ware. Even could review it with you (cause it can be busy and misplacing items is easy when they have a ton of boxes piling up). They do all this with a happy voice and a smile and that positive energy is just what you needed for your awful day.
I’ve accepted I’m never going to get paid a livable wage, go to college or even own a home. But I thank my lucky stars I have people who tip me for all the positive energy I put out for them. I work two jobs and over 40 hours. Would you have the energy to live like this and still give great service with a smile?
Worse than the prompted tips is the requests to donate a buck or two to charity, or the asking if you want to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar. I simply say, “no thanks, but I am accepting donations to my retirement fund, and you certainly seem to be supportive of donations, so can I count on you to donate to my fund today?” The response is always the same. A nervous laugh followed by “uh,…no.”
Leaving a tip will not make up for the lack of a living wage and/or the lack of health care coverage in this society. I prefer not to patronize businesses that treat their employees badly. Perhaps posting the hourly rate paid to service workers would inform us of the individual need and the need to change public policy to make a decent living possible.
Expecting patrons to carry their own drinks and food to the table and to clean up afterwards should allow employers to provide a better wage. Does it?