Tip or no tip when picking up food?

4% surcharge on take out.

 

Ok, here's my overly complicated approach to tipping on pickup orders. I don't tip at a place that is targeted to carry out (like a pizza place, or a restaurant that has no / very few tables). I also don't tip at a place that pushes their carry out / take away, like Chili's or Outback, to such a degree that they have a separate door or separate parking places - that more or less makes them similar to the first group.

I usually *do* tip (but never 15%+, more like 10% unless it would look cheap, like $1 on a $10 order) if it's a place where the bartender or host stand is managing the takeout queue as well, because that person almost never gets tips from tables and is usually jugging a bunch of things at once. In such places, I'm more likely to tip or tip more when you have to call in to make an order (because someone has to take down the order, enter it into the point of sale, bring it to the front of the house, and so on). I'm less likely to tip if there's an online ordering system, because most of the labor involved is gone.

So for the most part I tend to tip at mom-and-pop/local chain restaurants, and I tend to not tip at big chains.

 

absolutely tip. A server making $2 an hour still has to put everything together. Everyone is good enough for a few bucks that works in the service industry.

 

At Papa John's? Pizza Hut? Nah. Sorry but I'm not tipping the person who walked from the warming lights to the register.

 

I generally do. Friends of mine worked in restaurants back in school, and they would talk about tipping out the busboys and kitchen staff. I assume this is common in most restaurants, so I acknowledge the fact that the tip isn't just for the waiter/waitress. Why should the kitchen staff lose out just because I'm not dining in? For them, they're still doing the same amount of work.

 

Because they are hired to work in the kitchen, not in the front of the house

There is a hierarchy among restaurant workers

 

I wouldn't tip picking up a pizza or Chinese food... or McDonald's.... but if I put an order in a restaurant that I could dine in, I would tip.

 

While going to college, my daughter worked at Chili's as the to go person. She was essentially a curbside waitress that bagged up and brought the food out to the car. Few would tip, maybe a buck, only the regulars that she got to know would tip. When she first started she would get maybe $20 a week in tips. When she left she was getting $100 a night on some nights. She talked to the girl who took her place after she left, and she was back to getting $20 a week.

 

Yeah, the curbside pickup is one of my exceptions. I will tip a buck or two because there are server(s) involved.

 

Order from the McDonalds app and pull into the designated space and they bring it out to you.
All of the people who say they tip takeout are you tipping the McD employee who brings it out to your car?

 

I sure wouldn't.

 

They are saving you the trouble of even getting out of your car and you wont tip....interesting

 

I usually tip most times when I get carry out it’s usually $1 -$3 depends on amount but carry out bill usually for 1 or 2 person meal(s)

 

I don't tip the grocery pickup people at Walmart either.

 

. Walmart I would tip them...they were shopping for you picking out items. If it looks like they did a good job I would tip

 

I own a family style restaurant, no tip on a to go order needed here

 

The one who brings it to the car isn't necessarily the one who picked the items.

Going down this road pretty much means we should tip everyone we come across.

I think it's kinda silly to be honest.

 

In reference to the kitchen workers, I always thought they were paid a competitive decent wage.

The wait staff and bus people do not. They get paid considerably below the decent wage and depend on tips to make a living.

 

Here's one, do/would you tip someone making more they you do?