Do people really always tip 10-20% on carry out orders? Still?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me and my husband's orders are anywhere from $20 to $50, so I always tip $2 maybe $3, which I thought was fair. Google'd out of curiosity and several links claim the to-go standard is 10% with many leaving 20%? I worked in the service industry in high school and for a year in college, so I thought I was a decent tipper. How is leaving a $5 (to $10!?) to the gal (hostess/cashier?) for every $50 order she hands off fair to normal waitresses and bartenders who have to actually work?

Honestly I assume the overwhelming majority of to-go orders don't tip 10 or 20%, they actually tip $0?

How is it unfair to the waitress or bartender? I'm not sitting down to eat so I can't tip them. When I do, I tip the same percentage I do on takeout (20% rounded up to an even dollar amount). It's not unfair to employees who don't serve you to tip the one who does.

[Anonymous]

You're a bad tipper and have no understanding of the industry from your one year in high school. Let me break this down.

1. You call the restaurant.

2. Typically your call is forwarded to the bartender, who enters your order.

3. Kitchen makes order, packages in to-go containers, sticks under the warmer.

4. Bartender or Expo puts together your order from the variety of to-go's awaiting packaging.

5. Bartender or Expo completes order with silverware, sauces (some of which they have to make at the time of the order), and other special whatever.

6. Order either stays at expo station or comes to bar.

7. You arrive to pick up order. Either you come to the bar, the hostess goes to the bar/expo, or someone brings it to you curbside.

8. You throw them a dollar or two.

Keep in mind, bartender is serving a bar of people in addition to doing service drinks, possibly having a few tables on the floor, and managing all the other takeout orders.

Tip for your service. Don't want to? Enjoy the McDonald's drive thru.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We certainly aren’t wealthy by DCUM standards, but our income has not been impacted by the pandemic. I tip 20% on take out - a small donation to people who have been severely impacted by the pandemic. Prepandemic, I did 10% on take out and 20% on eat in.

Me too.

[Anonymous]

No tip for carry outs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t tip on take out orders

This, except a rare occasion as tipping is for service.

[Anonymous]

No way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're a bad tipper and have no understanding of the industry from your one year in high school. Let me break this down.

1. You call the restaurant.

2. Typically your call is forwarded to the bartender, who enters your order.

3. Kitchen makes order, packages in to-go containers, sticks under the warmer.

4. Bartender or Expo puts together your order from the variety of to-go's awaiting packaging.

5. Bartender or Expo completes order with silverware, sauces (some of which they have to make at the time of the order), and other special whatever.

6. Order either stays at expo station or comes to bar.

7. You arrive to pick up order. Either you come to the bar, the hostess goes to the bar/expo, or someone brings it to you curbside.

8. You throw them a dollar or two.

Keep in mind, bartender is serving a bar of people in addition to doing service drinks, possibly having a few tables on the floor, and managing all the other takeout orders.

Tip for your service. Don't want to? Enjoy the McDonald's drive thru.

This isn't how it works. You order and pay online. They put the stuff in a bag, generally no silverware and you grab it. No place we go to even has a bartender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're a bad tipper and have no understanding of the industry from your one year in high school. Let me break this down.

1. You call the restaurant.

2. Typically your call is forwarded to the bartender, who enters your order.

3. Kitchen makes order, packages in to-go containers, sticks under the warmer.

4. Bartender or Expo puts together your order from the variety of to-go's awaiting packaging.

5. Bartender or Expo completes order with silverware, sauces (some of which they have to make at the time of the order), and other special whatever.

6. Order either stays at expo station or comes to bar.

7. You arrive to pick up order. Either you come to the bar, the hostess goes to the bar/expo, or someone brings it to you curbside.

8. You throw them a dollar or two.

Keep in mind, bartender is serving a bar of people in addition to doing service drinks, possibly having a few tables on the floor, and managing all the other takeout orders.

Tip for your service. Don't want to? Enjoy the McDonald's drive thru.

We go to the same place twice a week. We use their app to order, they do not allow phone orders, and add tip on the credit card while we pay - $2 or $3. We go inside to retrieve the bagged order from their to-go area on the side. This to-go area seems to be staffed with their newest employee. If this employee was making $15 an hour PLUS $5 to $10 each order then that to-go area would be staffed by their most veteran waitress. Why would a veteran employee allow the newest employee to make hundreds of dollars a shift handing people bagged orders?

[Anonymous]

I tip 15% on takeout and 25% when we eat in. $2 tip?? Seriously? If you can’t afford to tip, eat at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me and my husband's orders are anywhere from $20 to $50, so I always tip $2 maybe $3, which I thought was fair. Google'd out of curiosity and several links claim the to-go standard is 10% with many leaving 20%? I worked in the service industry in high school and for a year in college, so I thought I was a decent tipper. How is leaving a $5 (to $10!?) to the gal (hostess/cashier?) for every $50 order she hands off fair to normal waitresses and bartenders who have to actually work?

Honestly I assume the overwhelming majority of to-go orders don't tip 10 or 20%, they actually tip $0?

How is it unfair to the waitress or bartender? I'm not sitting down to eat so I can't tip them. When I do, I tip the same percentage I do on takeout (20% rounded up to an even dollar amount). It's not unfair to employees who don't serve you to tip the one who does.

I'm referring to casual restaurants and delis and bistros that have like a full-time cashier / hostess handing people to-go bags. If I were a waitress or bartender and some teen gal was making $5 to $10 every to-go order I'd be pissed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tip 15% on takeout and 25% when we eat in. $2 tip?? Seriously? If you can’t afford to tip, eat at home.

I tip 25% always when dining out. I don't see the point in more than 2 or 3 bucks on a to-go. Then again, it's just modest orders for me and my husband, I'm not talking about some $100+ meals for a family of 4 with apps and entrees and desserts.

[Anonymous]

$3-5 carry out
$8-10 delivery

[Anonymous]

Wow, you are super cheap, OP. Someone has to pack up your food, it's not just handing it off. And restaurants are making maybe 30% of what they were making pre-pandemic, so servers are not making nearly as much money. Have some compassion for people who work in an underpaid, really shitty job.

[Anonymous]

Years ago I asked Tom Siestama this on one of his chats. He said 10% assuming it’s a normal restaurant (not a sandwich shop). During the pandemic, I was doing 20 but have now scaled back as restaurants are reopening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tip 15% on takeout and 25% when we eat in. $2 tip?? Seriously? If you can’t afford to tip, eat at home.

I think most restaurants/servers would much rather have people ordering takeout and leaving a 5-10% tip then just opting out and getting nothing.