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Tipping

I've never seen a Japanese chef tipped before. That's new to me. I always assumed they were given a cut of the tips?

When it comes to ToGo pickups like that, I normally don't tip. If I do it's like a dollar and change to round up to the nearest dollar. That line on the bill that says 'Tip' makes me feel obligated sometimes.

I recently started tipping the girl that cuts my hair because of the 'Tip' line on the bill. I'd like to think I'm a pretty good tipper when I go out to eat, but there are some places where I'm not sure if a tip is required.
 
Tipping

Miller Time said:
I've never seen a Japanese chef tipped before. That's new to me. I always assumed they were given a cut of the tips?
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This is me as well. We hardly ever sit at the cooking table anyway but next time we do I will ask about this.

As for curbside take out. I don't think I have ever used curbside takeout. However after reading these posts, if I ever do use it, I believe I will tip a little based on what all they do as I never knew that.

I'm just glad this thread isn't about tipping on the golf course :)
 
1). I always tip the chef in addition to the waitstaff.

2). I'm not exactly sure how I handle curbside, it's not something I do a lot. Probably 50-50 in the past based on not knowing for sure what was expected. After Morgan's post, I will be tipping curbside from now on.

"You tip a flight attendant?"

"I tip everybody. It's not tipping I believe in, it's over-tipping."
 
I usually throw $10 into the tip jar at my sushi place, on top of any service tip.

I regularly tip the curbside person at Outback $5. Now not to offend, and I waited tables for 8 years of my life, but no way no how should the standard 15-20% tip be applied to a curbside check. Yes, there is effort put into putting the order together and getting it to you, but honestly, do you tip when you go through the McDonald's drive thru? How much more different is it really, outside of someone bringing the bag to you instead of through a window? Yes, there's a bit more effort involved, hence the $5, but assuming someone is taking probably 10-15 curbside orders/hour, and half the people tip $5 (assuming the other half don't at all), that's still $25-37.50/hr, and well within a fair service threshold for the role in my opinion. Waiting a table is much more time consuming and involving, and not comparable.
 
I go to japanese restaurants all the time and have never seen anyone tip the chef. How would you go about this? do you add it on the bill and write chef? Or just hand him a $5 when he's done cooking?

Restaurant take out? yes! That person checks your food and "usually" makes sure the order is correct and you have utensiles, sauces, etc. I always tip at least 10% sometimes more. ***disclaimer*** I never used to do this until my wife explained it all to me from her years in working at a place that did take out.
 
Car side is a tough one, because each place handles it different. Some people have a server making tipped minimum wage (somewhere far below minimum wage) running the carside orders out. Others have a non-tipped wage person running it out. Some places, like Outback, the person has to take your order, pack your order, process the payment, etc. At a place like Macaroni Grill, you can order and pay for everything online, so the person is basically handing you a bag that the kitchen packed up. In either case, I just give them about 5 bucks, because I don't know the right answer.

We could have a whole thread on tipping at Sonic.
 
I'm biased here as I spent 11 years in the service industry (7 as a bartender) so I usually over tip. Knowing that you are living off the tips is a no brainer for me. If I'm picking up food myself I will always leave a few bucks & if they bring it out to the car that's $5-$10 depending on the order.
 
jdtox said:
I go to japanese restaurants all the time and have never seen anyone tip the chef. How would you go about this? do you add it on the bill and write chef? Or just hand him a $5 when he's done cooking?
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usually there's a tip jar at the sushi bar, and i just throw a $10 in on my way out.
 
GolferGal said:
Many moons ago when I was in high school and worked the to go section of a restaurant 10% was usually standard for tipping. Some tipped way more and some not at all.
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This made me laugh. GG you aren't old enough to have "Many Moons Ago"!!

I've never tipped the chef specifically. He's doing 90% of the work so I always assumed that most of that goes to him anyway.
I've never used a carside service so it's never been a concern, but I would probably tip a couple or three dollars.
 
Erky said:
Car side is a tough one, because each place handles it different. Some people have a server making tipped minimum wage (somewhere far below minimum wage) running the carside orders out. Others have a non-tipped wage person running it out. Some places, like Outback, the person has to take your order, pack your order, process the payment, etc. At a place like Macaroni Grill, you can order and pay for everything online, so the person is basically handing you a bag that the kitchen packed up. In either case, I just give them about 5 bucks, because I don't know the right answer.

We could have a whole thread on tipping at Sonic.
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This is the perfect thread for the Sonic conversation. Another place that I never know how much to give.
 
Martsy said:
I usually throw $10 into the tip jar at my sushi place, on top of any service tip.

I regularly tip the curbside person at Outback $5. Now not to offend, and I waited tables for 8 years of my life, but no way no how should the standard 15-20% tip be applied to a curbside check. Yes, there is effort put into putting the order together and getting it to you, but honestly, do you tip when you go through the McDonald's drive thru? How much more different is it really, outside of someone bringing the bag to you instead of through a window? Yes, there's a bit more effort involved, hence the $5, but assuming someone is taking probably 10-15 curbside orders/hour, and half the people tip $5 (assuming the other half don't at all), that's still $25-37.50/hr, and well within a fair service threshold for the role in my opinion. Waiting a table is much more time consuming and involving, and not comparable.
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One thing to remember however is the bill is greatly inflated inside for tables due to drinks where as outside the average bill is smaller. So the ratio is correct, but the numbers might be a little off.

jdtox said:
I go to japanese restaurants all the time and have never seen anyone tip the chef. How would you go about this? do you add it on the bill and write chef? Or just hand him a $5 when he's done cooking?

Restaurant take out? yes! That person checks your food and "usually" makes sure the order is correct and you have utensiles, sauces, etc. I always tip at least 10% sometimes more. ***disclaimer*** I never used to do this until my wife explained it all to me from her years in working at a place that did take out.
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We just hand the chef money as he is exiting the table. Usually it spawns a few others to do so too.
 
Martsy said:
I usually throw $10 into the tip jar at my sushi place, on top of any service tip.

I regularly tip the curbside person at Outback $5. Now not to offend, and I waited tables for 8 years of my life, but no way no how should the standard 15-20% tip be applied to a curbside check. Yes, there is effort put into putting the order together and getting it to you, but honestly, do you tip when you go through the McDonald's drive thru? How much more different is it really, outside of someone bringing the bag to you instead of through a window? Yes, there's a bit more effort involved, hence the $5, but assuming someone is taking probably 10-15 curbside orders/hour, and half the people tip $5 (assuming the other half don't at all), that's still $25-37.50/hr, and well within a fair service threshold for the role in my opinion. Waiting a table is much more time consuming and involving, and not comparable.
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No offense taken, but I don't think it's fair to compare a person who handles your curbside to-go order with someone at McDonalds. The drive thru person doesn't bag your food, they are often handed the bag and they add the sauces and pour your drink.

A to-go person is doing a lot more than just handing you your food. Not only are they working to get your food to you, but they are working/before after to have all those extras prepared. When I was in highschool and worked to-go, I was paid less during those shifts because it was understood I would get tips. The first part of my shift was filling 100 containers with butter, 100 with sour cream, 100 with cheese, 100 with green onions, etc. I had to make the bread that would go in the to-go box for my customers, along with many other tasks. I worked at Tony Roma's for those wondering, so I had to make the to-go BBQ sauces too. It was a lot more than just saying "Here's your food, have a nice day."
 
GolferGal said:
No offense taken, but I don't think it's fair to compare a person who handles your curbside to-go order with someone at McDonalds. The drive thru person doesn't bag your food, they are often handed the bag and they add the sauces and pour your drink.

A to-go person is doing a lot more than just handing you your food. Not only are they working to get your food to you, but they are working/before after to have all those extras prepared. When I was in highschool and worked to-go, I was paid less during those shifts because it was understood I would get tips. The first part of my shift was filling 100 containers with butter, 100 with sour cream, 100 with cheese, 100 with green onions, etc. I had to make the bread that would go in the to-go box for my customers, along with many other tasks. I worked at Tony Roma's for those wondering, so I had to make the to-go BBQ sauces too. It was a lot more than just saying "Here's your food, have a nice day."
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oh i know there is, believe me. But can I assume you waited tables too at some point? There's just as much prep work involved there, whether it's rolling silverware, prepping tables, and equal prep work in the kitchen area too depending on the restaurant (i remember having to portion salad dressings and shrimp cocktail off the top of my head). I don't think there's much of a difference in the prep work involved, though ultimately it does probably hinge on the specific restaurants.

The key to tips in the service industry is turn over, and someone managing curbside is maybe interacting with the customer directly maybe 2-3 minutes? It's hardly the equivalent of serving a table for 45-90 minutes, and I don't think the equivalent thought process should be used for tipping. JB mentioned alcohol...and yes, that may be a perk to drive a check up occasionally if someone orders a bottle of wine...but I waited table through high school at Friendly's, and like Friendly's, there are alot of places that don't serve alcohol. We did have curbside to go ordering though that i occasionally worked, and the level of effort was not even remotely comparable.

When I waited tables at a much nicer seafood restaurant during my college years, yes, getting paid $20 on a $100 bottle of wine was awesome...but i also had maybe 4 tables at any one time and they could sometime be 2 hours+ before they left. So the overall return works out. Higher checks...slower turnover.
 
Friendly's has very fast turnover and still has soft drinks at $2.49 a piece. Its still an extra $10 added to the check at the end of the day meaning another $2 generally speaking.

FWIW, its hard to compare friendly's to something like this as they have a to go window, rather than "curbside service".
 
Howzat said:
This is the perfect thread for the Sonic conversation. Another place that I never know how much to give.
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Sonic? I don't tip the people at other Fast Food joints so why here?
 
JB said:
Friendly's has very fast turnover and still has soft drinks at $2.49 a piece. Its still an extra $10 added to the check at the end of the day meaning another $2 generally speaking.

FWIW, its hard to compare friendly's to something like this as they have a to go window, rather than "curbside service".
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other than an additional 30 second walk, what exactly would you equate as the difference? I think this might be fundamentally my problem with the concept. In either scenario, your interaction with the customer is about the same.

and you're right about the turnover...i would make more on a busy Friday night waiting on 8 tables, than i generally ever did at that seafood restaurant where i'd sometimes see $50-$100 tips from tables, but have to spend half the night with them. It was also much harder work, maybe the hardest work i've ever done lol


edit: and also, while i might clean house for every busy Friday and Saturday night I worked...you had to "pay" for those night with a dead Wednesday morning where the average bill is $5, and old ladies just ask for hot water and bring their own tea bags (yes, this happened to me alot lol...they were sweet, and always left me "two bits"...but did not help with the car payment)
 
fupresti said:
Sonic? I don't tip the people at other Fast Food joints so why here?
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Sonic employees make garbage and are expected to get tips to help. At least last time I talked to an employee about it. He made like $2/hr.
 
Miller Time said:
When it comes to ToGo pickups like that, I normally don't tip. If I do it's like a dollar and change to round up to the nearest dollar. That line on the bill that says 'Tip' makes me feel obligated sometimes.
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This is basically me, although I usually round up to some degree. I've never been sure what to do, but it sounds like according to some in here, I should start applying a little more. I agree with others that takeout doesn't warrant the 20-25% I typically give a waiter, but I am thinking that 5-10% is quite fair.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
 
rtparty said:
Sonic employees make garbage and are expected to get tips to help. At least last time I talked to an employee about it. He made like $2/hr.
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I knew a guy who worked at Sonic as a teenager. He was almost violently opposed to tipping there, because the car hops are not paid as tipped employees. He said you would basically sweat your butt off in the kitchen, and the teenage girls working car hop, making at least minimum wage, would chat and screw off the whole time, only to walk away with an extra $20 or so per shift from all the people who told them to keep the spare change. It was not split with anyone, and they were not taxed on it, as they were not classified as tipped employees.

I suspect there is less tipping at Sonic these days with more people using debit cards, etc.
 
GolferGal said:
When I worked in restaurants and did take out I did not get paid a full minimum wage rate because I was considered an employee who received tips, so if you can tip on take out you should.

Those people do more than just hand you your bag. They check the order, box up the food, prepare all your extras often make your salads, and spend the first and/or last part of their shift putting together those to-go extras like butter, sour cream, sauces, etc.
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This actually REALLY annoys me. Not you directly, but that people who work the register at an Applebee's, a Red Robin, or even a Buffalo Wild Wings SHOULD get paid full minimum wage. Sometimes I just want a meal and don't really want to pay extra -- And that includes tipping and 2 x $3.25 soft drinks. I think the way these places and their prices are structured, they are already outside the threshold of fast(er) food costs. Adding in tip for takeout by not paying these people a fair wage, IMO, is stupid.
 
For what it's worth, I worked as a waiter through college and made stupid money doing it. I put on the smile, laughed at terrible jokes, refilled like a mad man, and walked out after four hours of work with most times more than 100 dollars -- It was a place that served pizza, but also italian food etc, and we saw a fair amount of activity in a 40-50 table dining room.

I do think servers are overpaid for the time they work, IF they work at a busy restaurant with the right attitude. I did that job because I could get more in four hours than i ever could working two 8 hour days making minimum wage anywhere else. It was crazy money, and I got to eat two meals while there -- Perfect for a college kid.

With that in mind, I consistently tip in restaurants based on how hard they work. If they are frowny and slow, I tip horribly. If they are over the top and fake, I tip okay, and if they are genuinely interested in getting us a good meal experience, I tip overly well. Eating at a restaurant, to me, is about dinner and a show -- to be catered to -- and I think the tip should reflect that.

It's with that in mind that I don't tip very well for takeout. Maybe a dollar in the jar or whatever it may be, and this was a conversation we had all the time with the takeout/cashiers/greeters where i worked in college. I think it's a damn shame they aren't paid fairly by the establishment where that's applicable.
 
I have a little phrase I made up for myself...

'To be treated like a king, I tip like a Soprano'
 
Canadan said:
For what it's worth, I worked as a waiter through college and made stupid money doing it. I put on the smile, laughed at terrible jokes, refilled like a mad man, and walked out after four hours of work with most times more than 100 dollars -- It was a place that served pizza, but also italian food etc, and we saw a fair amount of activity in a 40-50 table dining room.

I do think servers are overpaid for the time they work, IF they work at a busy restaurant with the right attitude. I did that job because I could get more in four hours than i ever could working two 8 hour days making minimum wage anywhere else. It was crazy money, and I got to eat two meals while there -- Perfect for a college kid.

With that in mind, I consistently tip in restaurants based on how hard they work. If they are frowny and slow, I tip horribly. If they are over the top and fake, I tip okay, and if they are genuinely interested in getting us a good meal experience, I tip overly well. Eating at a restaurant, to me, is about dinner and a show -- to be catered to -- and I think the tip should reflect that.

It's with that in mind that I don't tip very well for takeout. Maybe a dollar in the jar or whatever it may be, and this was a conversation we had all the time with the takeout/cashiers/greeters where i worked in college. I think it's a damn shame they aren't paid fairly by the establishment where that's applicable.
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I agree... My brother worked as a waiter as he was working on the shooting and post production of his independent film. I know he worked hard and I know how much every dollar meant to him. After that, I try to take care of every server - if they are putting forth the effort to do a good job. I never know if one of them is in the same situation my brother was.
 
#1 I wouldn't have thought of tipping the chef but I don't tend to go to those restaurants anyway... if I do in the future, I'll tip $10 to the chef... on top of tipping the server.

#2 It's my understanding that the servers working the to-go windows at restaurants aren't able to work tables in their normal sections of the restaurant so aren't making anything above minimum server pay... plus they're running around tending to your order, checking it, bagging it, and being pleasant to you as they run it out to your car. If they work in a restaurant that makes them pool tips, they could quite conceivably have to come out of their own pocket to ensure that the other servers, bussers, bartenders, bar backs, and sometimes host/hostess get their "fair" share of tips. Knowing what I know now, I'll tip the server at the to-go window.

Personally, I'm tired of tips being almost expected... I say almost expected. Pay the servers a proper wage so I can stop tipping...
 
I feel that the whole tipping system needs to change. Why if I order the $10 grilled chicken and someone else orders the $20 steak figuring on the same service is he expected to pay twice as much of a tip as I am?
 
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