The Takeout Tip-Toe
Posted on | July 17, 2008 at 9:36 pm | 5 Comments
Question for my readers: Do you tip for takeout? And if so, how much? I always tip for delivery or dining in, of course, but I’m always unsure what to do in the various takeout situations. Tipping didn’t used to be much of an issue for me. I’ve always been a generous guy and would usually tip (too much) for pretty much every circumstance. But lately with the economy the way it is, the high price of food and gas, and an uncertain job situation, I’ve been pinching my pennies and making lifestyle changes.
Say, for example, you call your local pizza joint and order a pizza for takeout. You go down there to pick it up. There’s a tip jar on the counter. If you pay by credit card, there’s a line for tips on the slip. What do you do? I usually don’t add anything if paying by credit card, though sometimes I’ll add $1 if I’m in a good mood. If paying by cash, I’ll usually throw the change in the tip jar. And then there’s the case where you order takeout from a chain like Domino’s or Black Jack, and there’s no tip jar on the counter, and yet they’ll still have that tip line on the credit card slip. I figure that in this scenario, it’s not unreasonable to throw in a little extra money above the price of the food, because I called in the order and it was prepared in advance.
Or what about when it’s your turn for Treat Day at work and you phone in a big order of breakfast burritos to the local Mexican joint the night before? I figure if the order is there and waiting (and still hot) in the morning at the time you specify, you should probably kick in some extra dough. But how much? If the order consists of different types of burritos, and the workers labeled each one, then that probably deserves some extra bills as well.
Okay, but what about when you’re just dashing into your local Chipotle or Starbucks or some chain place like that for a quick burrito or coffee or something. You stand in line at the counter. You make your order, you get your food, you leave. There’s no other contact with the employees. Do you tip in that situation? I don’t think Chipotle, for example, puts a tip line on their credit card receipts, but they do usually have that tip jar out. And sometimes I’ll throw some change in there if I pay in cash and get some back. But it doesn’t feel right. It almost feels like tipping at a grocery store or 7-11 or Target or something, even though I guess the various food-preparers involved go to a little extra trouble to serve you personally than your standard store clerk. But you certainly don’t tip at fast food joints like McDonald’s or Taco Bell, so why should you tip at these slightly more upscale eateries? Even though I just don’t feel the burning need to tip in those situations, I’m sometimes willing to tip when there’s a tip jar present if the people are pleasant to me. But with all the people involved in preparing the order, how do I know who the tip is even going to?
It gets even more complicated when you go to a restaurant that is not really fast food, like Chili’s or California Pizza Kitchen or some place like that, and where you didn’t call in the order and you have to wait a little while for your takeout. I always feel a bit odd standing or sitting there waiting 10-15 minutes for my order. Again, there’s no tip jar but there is that line on the credit card slip. I don’t order takeout from those types of places very often, but in the past I don’t think I’ve added much of a tip, if any.
If it’s some place I go to often where they may start to recognize me, like the local pizza joint in the example above, I’m more likely to tip in the hopes of the food being ready faster or prepared better the next time. Or to prevent the employees from spitting or peeing on it the next time.
I’m sure I could look up the opinions of numerous anonymous web denizens and etiquette mavens, but I’m more interested in what my buds do. So, how do y’all handle the takeout tipping dilemma?
Latre.
Poignant Search Term Of The Day That Led To This Blog: “what do roses smell like”.
Comments
5 Responses to “The Takeout Tip-Toe”
July 18th, 2008 @ 12:58 am
I would never tip at the counter, though if you pay in cash I can imagine dropping the change into a jar. When I worked at a Blackjack, we’d actively refuse tips from customers picking up their orders.
Of course, here in Australia tipping is pretty much unheard-of. We once tried to tip someone in Tasmania for above-and-beyond service and she became confused and nearly upset…
Good food service is the rule rather than the exception here, at least in my experience. Plus they let businesses add tax onto the listed prices, so when it comes time to work out the check there’s no percentage calculations to do at all. (they even round to the nearest 5 cents on cash purchases)
July 18th, 2008 @ 9:28 am
For take out I normally do a low tip, around 10%. But that can vary, if I get take-out wings at Hooters I do the full 20% plus tip because those ladies have such a crappy job. They get grabbed and pinched by disgusting neanderthals who leave a sub-par tip, if at all. I just want them to know that someone appreciates them.
July 18th, 2008 @ 9:40 am
Heh, I actually wrote to an etiquette columnist about this a few years ago (back when one of our alt-weeklies had an etiquette columnist), and he said it wasn’t necessary to tip for take-out, though if you’re a regular someplace or placed a particularly large or complicated order (like your breakfast burritos!), you might add a few extra bucks. I would NEVER NEVER tip for pizza I am picking up myself to take home — that’s just un-American and wrong. I will occasionally put a buck or two in the tip jar at places with counter service, if I’m getting something more elaborate like a sandwich or a burrito.
July 18th, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
Follow up to my previous comment: I talked to one of my co-workers who recently worked in food service. Apparently they have to pay taxes on 15% of take out whether tips amount to that or not, now I feel bad that I’ve only been doing 10%.
July 18th, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
Apparently they have to pay taxes on 15% of take out whether tips amount to that or not
I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying. Wouldn’t the restaurants be charging enough to cover that 15%? Or wouldn’t it be added on to the bill? I know that I often see “tax” listed on a restaurant receipt. Why would the workers get taxed, and what difference does it make if it’s takeout?