Tipping for carry-out from "nice" restaurants?

[haulingthescoreup]

All these posts from those who've manned the take-out window are really helpful. I didn't realize what they do, as opposed to what the cooks do, so it's very enlightening.

Once the young woman on the phone said, "Oh, you always come inside, right?" I knew that she was the regular to-go employee. If she's learning my ways (and doesn't give me those danged rolls), I'm happy to tip.

[Anonymous]

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@MsKiwi wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Something to remember:  Unless it is a fast food type joint, regardless of how you order, those servers only make $2.50 an hour because they rely upon tips for their income.

Therefore, IMO, part of the price of food service is not printed on the menu, it is the discretionary amount you pay for the level of service you receive.  Therefore, the more service, the more tip since your represent a growing percentage of their time and time = money (or loss if the customer stiffs).

So I think that a 12-15% tip is just fine for a takeout since you represent little time, as opposed to sit down service.  However, I do agree that you get what you pay for, and that if you are a regular, and you tip well, you will be rewarded with better service.  If not, then it is a judement call.

But I cannot in good faith buy food service of any kind and not tip when I know for a fact that the servers make no money in wages, and therefore service to me is not their job.  That part of the job is more like contract labor.  When they work for me, I like to pay well for good service.  If I don't receive good service, I will at times at the end of my meal (never during or before) call the server over and explain that I really like to tip my servers.  And that I understand they have a high stress and high demand job, and that I pay well for the extra care.  I then pay the tip as though they offered me great service and smile, telling them I appreciate their service and hope that their day goes well for them.  On numerous occassions I have returned to those places, even some extended time later, and been greeted warmly by one of these people who tell me how much they appreciated my kind words and the fact that I extended gratuity even at a time when they were less than stellar and that I had wished them well rather than complained to them or management.

Anyway, there is a raging political debate about what minimum wages should be.  In the area of service, we as consumers get to decide what it will be.  And IMO we should either have the willingness and ability to pay for that service, or we are otherwise asking for free service, which we ourselves would not wish to render.

To all those who serve me, I thank you and hope that you are providing excellent service in which I may reward it proportionately! 

I hope nobody takes my post as argumentative nor authoritative.  It is opinion and personal positions only....

Have a great day everyone! 

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I am a waitress and I have to say that I NEVER expect a tip (on to go orders), this is why people order to go. If someone leaves me a tip I think it's a bonus. To go orders are easy (IMO) I have received anywhere from 30 cent tips to $10 on a to go order. I'm not saying don't tip (we love it!) I'm just saying do not feel obligated to tip. Some of my coworkers strongly disagree.

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Hi MsKiwi!

Hey, so are you paid minimum wage in your position, or do you get the $2.50 per hour deal?  For those positions paying minimum wage or higher, I don't feel as inclined to be bound to the same tipping rules.  But for any food service worker who is paid lower than minimum wage, the only reason those industries can get away with it is because of the "expecation" of tips.

I appreciate your great work ethic and sense or responsibility.  But if you work for less than minimum wage,  I am going to tip you for any time or service you provide on my behalf and believe it to be the ethical thing to do....and I am grateful for your belief that it is a bonus and needs to be worked for.

Take my dip, darnit!  lol    It makes me feel better!

[Paxx]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I was the 'take-out' girl at our local Olive Garden for 5 years when I was younger.  This made up 85% of my job.  Answering the phone, properly taking multiple to-go orders and as previous posters have stated, making the salads, getting the food ready, plating up desserts in to-go containers, bagging the breadsticks and getting sauce cups, etc.  Often times businesses or whatever would order large pans of food to-go and the prep on this would take 20-25 minutes.  That being said, I *never* once expected a tip.  However, once in awhile someone would throw me a buck or two and it MADE MY NIGHT!  So if you do happen to get extra friendly, smiley, kind service with take out orders, please consider it!  You may totally be making someone's day/night/week.  I still remember my favorite customer.  He came in at night, ordered 2 lunch portions of spaghetti and meatballs, 6 burnt breadsticks (which he wasn't willing to pay extra for, his order only included 4 but he got six goshdarnit!), extra dressing on the side for his salads, extra veggies on his salads, extra meat sauce on the side for his spaghetti, and an entire soup to-go cup of the fresh grated romano cheese.  Man, that made my arm sore!  The first time I put together his order, it took me at least half an hour haha!  But after time had passed, I got to know his order like the back of my hand (and apparently still do!) and would have it ready in under 5 minutes.  He gave me a dollar tip every time but I'll never forget him

Just my two cents!

-Mizu

Message Edited by Mizu on 11-20-2009 09:29 PM

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Did you make minimum wage or the standard $2.50 server wage? My guess is if you made less than minimun wage your feelings would be otherwise. A server in an establishment that servers alcohol has to be 18 to serve drinks so usually the take out person/host/bussers are younger (15 - 17) and make minimum wage or more.  This may not be the case for you but you can usually tell if the take out person is getting more money per hour than the other servers. Obviously there are cases where there are older people performing this duty but in my experience working in a couple different restaurants and by ordering take out this is how it is.

I would have to agree with you, a tip may not be necessary if you were making minimum wage or more. However, if the main job description of the person preparing your order is a server, they deserve a tip.

Message Edited by Paxx on 11-23-2009 07:24 AM

[Anonymous]

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Paxx wrote: 

Did you make minimum wage or the standard $2.50 server wage? My guess is if you made less than minimun wage your feelings would be otherwise. A server in an establishment that servers alcohol has to be 18 to serve drinks so usually the take out person/host/bussers are younger (15 - 17) and make minimum wage or more.  This may not be the case for you but you can usually tell if the take out person is getting more money per hour than the other servers. Obviously there are cases where there are older people performing this duty but in my experience working in a couple different restaurants and by ordering take out this is how it is.

I would have to agree with you, a tip may not be necessary if you were making minimum wage or more. However, if the main job description of the person preparing your order is a server, they deserve a tip.

Message Edited by Paxx on 11-23-2009 07:24 AM

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Hmm...  I happen to live in one of the (very few) states that servers legally must make minimum wage.  All servers in all restaurants here make at *least* minimum wage.  So yes, I made at least minimum wage   I really do feel for those servers out there that are making $0.68 per hour because their jobs are considered "commission".  Not to deter you from tipping on your next take out order, but I did make a few dollars more per hour than the servers as the take out girl, but when I first started the position I was right around minimum wage.  Most nights I would get $0 in tips.  Good nights, I'd walk away with $4-10.  

[Anonymous]

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:

I don't want to put the tip on the CC, because then the employee has to report it for IRS withholding. They don't make enough as it is.

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This brings up another interesting point.  I'm not sure if this is true in every state, but I'm sure most states have it set up similarly.  Servers in restaurants that earn tips must report at least 8% of their total sales.  For example, if I was a server and I brought in $500 in restaurant sales that night, by law, I must report at least $40 in tips for that night.  And just to spell it out a little more, that $40 will go on my W2 at the end of the year and I will be taxed for it.  So to those of you who are thinking server get pretty screwed as it is with such a small wage, if you are at a restaurant where there is no take out girl (or boy!) and the servers are picking up the to-go orders and you do not tip, then you are further adding to what they must report in earned wages.  

On an average restaurant to-go order for two people, lets say it adds up to $30.  Well, if you didn't tip (and the person was a server) then you just caused that person an additional $2.40 to go on their earned wages at the end of the year.  With taxes how they are, and I'm no expert, but I'd say that would cause them to lose about $0.20.  Obviouly that's not a lot but it is something to consider!

I hope that was succinct enough! 

[Anonymous]

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:

I don't want to put the tip on the CC, because then the employee has to report it for IRS withholding. They don't make enough as it is.

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Now we aren't suggesting anyone to fail to declare taxable income are we?  I bet that is TOS no-no.  LOL

[haulingthescoreup]

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txjohn wrote:

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:

I don't want to put the tip on the CC, because then the employee has to report it for IRS withholding. They don't make enough as it is.

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Now we aren't suggesting anyone to fail to declare taxable income are we?  I bet that is TOS no-no.  LOL

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Moi?

I know, back when my kids were babies, and I baby-sat for others while DH was on the road, I actually declared my income --paid the social security self-employment tax, too. Did they credit this on my SS history? No, they did not!

[Anonymous]

LOL

We need a baby sitting tax credit! 

[Paxx]

Yeah, we had the ability to print out our currently percentage for the week what we had claimed in tips and it also had a running total for the year. It was actually very nice to have that flexibility. It was nice because if you needed more cash that week for whatever reason you just didn't claim anything and got a decent payroll check to compliment your tips at the end of the week. The following weeks after you would just claim a bit more to pick up the slack.  One of the very few benefits to the job. Just had to make sure you claim enough at the end of the year to avoid getting audited.

Message Edited by Paxx on 11-25-2009 09:27 AM

[Anonymous]

1- federal law requires all tipped income (minus tips paid out) be declared.

    a- declared tips must equal at least state minimum wage for a pay period otherwise the employer must pay you minimum wage for said period. Since this is an average over the whole pay period, in most cases you do hit minimum wage.

    b-declared tips must equal (minus tips paid out) at least 8% of gross before tax sales regardless of monies actually made, or credit card tips (which are "hard copy" and therefore provable).

    c- if a restaurant does not have 8% of total sales reported as tipped income the restaurant may go into "allocated tips" and issue allocated tips to employees based on sales. this is usually an audit precursor.

 2- this "tip credit" exception of paying less then minimum wage allows restaurants to offer the services/staffing they do and not encounter the unsustainability of wages that a normal company would have.

 3- Many companies have "ran" with this. and many positions are now "tipped" positions where the servers are forced to split tips: busser, hostess etc. 

 4- Many companies have an enforced mandatory tip policy that involves forced set tip out by servers as a factor of sales, regardless of income/tips actually made. ie:Ruby Tuesdays requires that 4% of sales be tipped out on to the busser and host (along with mandatory bar sales percentage), which means that someone stiffing a server has now made the server "pay" for the priveledge of them to eat there. Cheesecake factory is similar.

 5- Some companies have actually started to deduct the CC processing fee from server tips to help them, the company, make ends meet

 6- Some companies (ie: Bob Evans) hold charge tips and the server does not get them daily but has them added/taxed and totaled and then disbursed in their paychecks.

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At any point you are not claiming exactly what you make minus amounts you "tip out" you are violating federal/state law.

If you are underdeclaring you are also hampering your ability to secure  paycheck based income credit lines.

In general: I tip when i know its a tipped position, and do not elsewhere.