Do you tip for take-out food?

[Axtremus]

@doctor-phibes said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

Depends on the takeout. I don't generally tip McDonalds/Starbucks etc., but I do tip the local Chinese takeout and the pizza place.

During the lockdown, I tipped quite a bit more - I wanted to express gratitude for what they were doing

+1

I also tip the fast-food places (McDonald's, Burger King's, etc.) during the pandemic, but there was one time when the worker manning the takeout window declined the tip citing company policy that prohibits them from accepting tips.

[Mik]

I do. Most of the same amount of work takes place. I may not tip quite as much as I do for table service, but at least 15%. I do not tip at drive-thrus or anywhere where I have to go to a counter to order my food, by and large.

[xenon]

I do. Seems to be the norm now. The point-of-sale systems always prompt for one.

It’s weird because there’s no pay-for-performance aspect to it - just direct comp for the workers.

I don’t do that for any other industry (e.g. retail), and you can make the same justifications for them.

It’s just a weird social norm.

[Doctor Phibes]

@xenon said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

It’s just a weird social norm.

The whole tipping thing is weird.

If you work at a place where the average meal costs $200, you get 18% of that. If you do pretty much the exact same job at a place where the meal costs $25, you get 10% of the first guy's tip for doing at best maybe 80% of the work, but without the bow-tie.

[Loki]

TIP: to insure promptness

That’s my general criteria but I agree with Phibes points.

[Aqua Letifer]

Never for takeout.

Almost always for delivery, but I prefer to pay the tips in cash. They can keep all of it, and it also allows me to decide how much to give them after services are rendered, not before.

[LuFins Dad]

Here’s the thing… I’m a regular at my take out places. They know my orders, they know my number. While I am not a fan of tipping for takeout, I am also not a fan of having unknown surprises in my food…

[Aqua Letifer]

@lufins-dad said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

Here’s the thing… I’m a regular at my take out places. They know my orders, they know my number. While I am not a fan of tipping for takeout, I am also not a fan of having unknown surprises in my food…

I dunno. Around my area, tipping for takeout isn't really a thing. Restaurants don't expect it.

[Mik]

@aqua-letifer said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

Never for takeout.

Almost always for delivery, but I prefer to pay the tips in cash. They can keep all of it, and it also allows me to decide how much to give them after services are rendered, not before.

I used to do that too, until my daughter did Instacart for a while last summer. The drivers can see what the tip is before they accept the job. If there is no tip many of them won’t take the job. Since then I started tipping with the order and my service has improved.

[Aqua Letifer]

@mik said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

@aqua-letifer said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

Never for takeout.

Almost always for delivery, but I prefer to pay the tips in cash. They can keep all of it, and it also allows me to decide how much to give them after services are rendered, not before.

I used to do that too, until my daughter did Instacart for a while last summer. The drivers can see what the tip is before they accept the job. If there is no tip many of them won’t take the job. Since then I started tipping with the order and my service has improved.

Mine hasn't, hence the aforementioned old-school strategy.

[jon-nyc]

I do. Not 20% though.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

I do. Not 20% though.

Do you tip on a percentage of the cost, or a flat rate? As far as the doordash/grubhub/ubereats driver goes, the effort is the same whether the order is $15 or $100.

I believe in tipping for greater effort and level of service, but I don't see that with delivery services (esp when the restaurant doesn't get a cut of the tip).

[jon-nyc]

@george-k Delivery is different. I do 20% for that. Granted, I never have $200 dinner deliveries so I'm not sure what I'd do in such a case. And I can't imagine giving less than $5 even for a small dollar delivery.

But the question was about take-out, so I'm assuming kitchen staff no wait staff. Maybe I'd give 10%. it could be higher for a very low dollar thing, say $20 or less.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

@george-k Delivery is different. I do 20% for that.

Me too.

Granted, I never have $200 dinner deliveries so I'm not sure what I'd do in such a case. And I can't imagine giving less than $5 even for a small dollar delivery.

Me too, again.

But the question was about take-out, so I'm assuming kitchen staff no wait staff. Maybe I'd give 10%. it could be higher for a very low dollar thing, say $20 or less.

I'm such a lazy fuck that I never do take-out - BRING IT!

[Copper]

I tipped the drive-up places during the pandemic

I wouldn't tip take-out

[LuFins Dad]

@aqua-letifer said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

@lufins-dad said in Do you tip for take-out food?:

Here’s the thing… I’m a regular at my take out places. They know my orders, they know my number. While I am not a fan of tipping for takeout, I am also not a fan of having unknown surprises in my food…

I dunno. Around my area, tipping for takeout isn't really a thing. Restaurants don't expect it.

A few years back I was at a coffee shop in southern VA. I got a coffee at the counter, and didn’t feel like carrying around the $.37 change, so I asked the girl at the counter where her tip jar was. She looked at me like I was nuts. “Tips?” I told her that most every place in Northern VA had top jars…

The next day I stopped by for another coffee and the girl was excited to see me, pointing out the brand new mason jar with TIPS written in sharpie on a white label…

Take out places may not expect tips, until they get tips. Once they get tips, the expectations change…

I normally go 10%, 15% if I am a regular.