Do you leave a tip for picking up food at "real" restaurants?

A Take-Out place in my neighborhood is family-owned. I leave a tip in the jar for the non-family guys in back who prepare all the food.

Right now, if you can, intentionally over tip.

If they’re working for tips, they need the money. When you pay a tip, you know it’s going into that person’s hands, not into a corporation’s maw.

Tipping culture sucks and it should be done away with and people should be paid a living wage. But, until that happens, and especially during this crisis, intentionally over tip whenever you can.

You don’t have to tip for take out.

Tip like the continued existence of the restaurant depends on it if you can during this time.

I agree with R2.

R3 is a cheap motherfucker.

I’ve been giving more generous tips because anyone who has to deal with the public or even coworkers right now is exposing themselves to risk and likely needs the money. I’m fortunate in that I’ve still got a job and have been doing it remotely since last March. I really appreciate them still being there.

*laughs in European*

[quote] I don't tip at McDonald's

Continue going there and you'll tip eventually.

Usually. It's less about feeling obligated (I am a good tipper for in-person dining) than just being aware that people are struggling and throwing a few extra bucks to the workers. Yes, I know I can't be certain if any specific staff member or restaurant is struggling, but just as general principal.

Yes, but that's mainly because I'm making good money right now and restaurant staff are struggling.

I tip for table service, and I tip for delivery. I don’t tip someone for ringing up my food I’ve come in to pick up any more than I tip the cashier at the supermarket.

They should discount MY bill as an incentive to get my business. Without their customers, they would be homeless bums.

Yes, especially during the pandemic. People still have to cook, package the food, take the order spend time working a shift with or without customers.

For takeout it isn't to be based on % of the bill. I always give 4$-5$ no matter the total.

I don't make a lot of money, but I have been over tipping whenever I go out for drinks or food. Yes I tip a few dollars at least when I pick up food. Which really is not often.

We just opened up at 50% capacity here a few days ago.

i always tip at least 5 bucks when getting take out at real restaurants, places like panera, no.

Yes.

No. Here it's not customary or expected.

Tips here are for table service or delivery. A tip of €2-4, or 10% if greater, is considered generous and is always well received. It's not expected as waiters receive a salary that isn't based on expectation of additional income. A waiter will rush out to thank you, the delivery person might mention that the other guys said you were a favorite customer.

It would seem odd and awkward to tip restaurant staff who prepared and packaged and handed you your food in a bag or box: and tipping jars are unknown. Tipping is for good, attentive table/delivery service, for a good suggestion in ordering, for something a little extra or special.

OMG who are these people answering in the 5 -10% range. I’m so embarrassed for you folks.

I always tip for takeout. Way back when I did restaurant work, working the to go counter was THE WORST! It could be just as tricky as serving (taking on order over the phone was a nightmare), you still only got that shitty hourly pay, but no tips. I get why others don't leave the full amount, but I leave 20 percent. For most others, I think leaving 10% is fine.

Surprised how people have been generously overtipping during COVID Glad to report from my tanktown in the southwest

I give whoever brings me my food $5, that's usually well over 10%, and deserved because pretty much everyone is bringing food out to cars these days.

I would usually leave some tip for take-out. Since COVID I leave very generous tip every time to help workers who are obviously making less due to less customer and less tips.

I tipped $5 on $15 the other day. I ate in the restaurant, too. I realized I haven't missed the sound of children when I am out in public, nor the smell of too many perfumes, colognes, and other such products.

And the food sucked. I had a cheeseburger at one of my city's premier lesbian brunch restaurants, which moved into the space formerly inhabited by one of our first "good burger" places. The comparison was deadly. The old place nearly always got "medium rare" right, and it was a good, thick slab of meat. The new place's burger wasn't really thick enough for medium rare to have been an operative concept, and it was a couple of dollars more expensive. The fries were excellent, though, and so was the service.

No. They're basically just doing their job for the amount agreed upon with their employer. People are under no obligation to subsidize their pay. Besides, the minimum wage in NYC is $15. It is unskilled labor so that is sufficient.

I don't know what you people consider a real restaurant.

I’d consider it a place where the employees actually prepare the food as opposed to just heating foods prepared elsewhere.

[quote] I always give 4$-5$ no matter the total.

Oh, dear!

Have you EVER seen money written that way in anything other than Facebook?

Yes, 20 percent on take out during the pandemic. They have no indoor service in NYC and as others have pointed our, people are struggling so if you have enough to order food you should have enough to tip extra right now. And R24, restaurant workers in New York are supposed to be guaranteed 15 an hour but part of that is made from tips.

[quote] I had a cheeseburger at one of my city's premier lesbian brunch restaurants, The old place nearly always got "medium rare" right, and it was a good, thick slab of meat.

Funny. I wouldn’t think lesbians would know how good a thick slab of meat is.

Actually, r11, I do tip at my supermarket, at least most of the time. At mine in the West Village, the cashiers are young, friendly, and are either students or helping to support a family and probably making minimum wage. I tipped more during the early days of the pandemic when their risk factor was very high, but still do it more often than not. I don't miss the extra $5, and they seem very grateful.

[quote] and probably making minimum wage.

Which is currently $15/hr in NYC!

[quote]Actually...,I do tip at my supermarket, at least most of the time.

Tip jars in grocery stores? What next?

R2 a friend gave me a $50 card for a chain restaurant for xmas...Red Lobster of all places. The young waiter was excellent and the food was better than a high end seafood place I ate at the week before. The bill came to $29 so I told him to keep the balance of the card. He was stunned to say the least.

I left having a more than decent meal with a server who knew how to serve...he deserved the tip

[quote] Which is currently $15/hr in NYC!

$15/ hour in NYC isn’t enough for a single person to survive on unless they live a couple hours outside of the city and sneak on the train every day. Stop quoting that figure to justify being a cheapskate.

$15 x 37.5 hours per week x 50 weeks = $28,125. That is not much to live on in NYC.

R30 here. This store did have tip jars for a while this summer, but removed them. Not sure why. Maybe some customers were offended. Or maybe some were customers were pilfering from the pot.

[quote] $15/ hour in NYC isn’t enough for a single person to survive on

So because they took a job where their employer doesn’t pay them enough, I should supplement the company’s payroll? Fuck that!

These jobs aren’t supposed to be full time jobs supporting a family. They’re supposed to be for people starting out in the workforce and those looking to have a part-time job.

If I’m in a restaurant, I tip my server generously. S/He is earning it, but I’ll be damned if I’ll tip someone when I called in the order, drove down and picked it up. They handed me a bag.

Depends on my order. If it's one container, no special requests, then no tip. If I'm ordering / picking up food for multiple people with different requests (2% latte, blah blah blah), then I would tip.

Also, sometimes you just run across a rude worker. In that case, no tip. (I won't "call them out," but I won't tip.)

I don't order take out from dine-in restaurants, so by default no OP. Unfortunately those places are cesspools for COVID. All I can think of is all the anti-maskers that have been dining at these places for months now, spreading the bug, and infecting the employees. On that same note, I won't even order from them via Uber Eats and such.

I've actually never ordered take out from a traditional dining establishment. But I would tip just as though I were eating there if I did. I'm not even sure how that even works with regards to servers. Do they have dedicated servers specifically for takeout? I can't imagine a server waiting on several tables *and* running shit out, along with cocktails, out to some Karen's SUV.

I tip as much as I do at McDonald’s... FUCK ALL

I don’t think there’s been any correlation between take out food and covid spread. If there was NYC would be much worse.

And FU R37. Plenty of people spend their lives working the service industry. It’s the backbone of our economy dimwit.

I am intelligent enough to understand how fortunate I am. I always tip people who make my life easier especially when they do it on a regular basis. Since Covid, I have tipped 20% or more for takeout at 'real' restaurants as I am able to do it despite not really getting any 'real' service. I can assure it is appreciated.

If you can afford to help others who need it and you don't- you're an ass.

If you don't leave some kind of tip when you pick up or have deliveries during COVID you're a fucking asshole.

Every Sunday I get take out for my mom - we used to take her out but with covid, we can't - I will tip over 20% every time because these people are risking their lives for us to eat Chicken parm or whatever. I try to support local restaurants first but Mom loved Macaroni Grill so we go there a lot.

No, but on the rare occasions I order restaurant takeout, I give $5 to the homeless person I pass on the way home (or give him a sandwich or large cup of soup bought specifically for him). I do so regularly, too, when I go out for groceries every few days.

I cook at home, having little faith that mask-wearing is enforced in restaurant kitchens.

You give money to a homeless person but not to someone working in a restaurant, R45, and you pat yourself on the back for that?

I'm black, so I always over-tip in every situation because of the stereotype, but it annoys me when I read about you under-tippers who continue to do so and never have to deal with the consequences of it.

r47 I had never actually heard that sterotype until we were taking one day at work. My cube buddy, who is black, was shocked when I said I tip 20% no matter what. She said Don't you know us black folks don't tip lol

I've been tipping extra. Don't be a cheap bastard. If you can afford to pick up food at a "real" restaurant, then do the right thing and tip 20+ percent.

R46. Yes. Our homeless neighbors have to eat, too.

Are you so lacking in reading comprehension that you misconstrued my entire message? The restaurant person I encounter during my RARE transaction merely hands me my bag, and these days it is usually management staff working the counter.

No, I do not tip them. I am actually saving the establishment money by calling directly and picking up my order; do you think grub hub (or whatever that and similar delivery services are called) doesn't take a hefty percentage of the cost of the food order?

GMAFB!

R50, your excuses just make you sound like a bigger dick. In a pandemic where retaurants are suffering severely, yes, you should be tipping the restaurant person, because everyone working in that restaurant is seeing their revenue depleted. Giving to a homeless person is fine. It's not fine to stiff working stiffs.

[quote]Do you leave a tip for picking up food at "real" restaurants?

I tip only at the "fake" restaurants

[quote]Do you leave a tip for picking up food at "real" restaurants?

Yes but with Monopoly money

Gee, I thought it was possible to tip when getting take-out AND handing a homeless person a bill or two. Didn't realize it was either/or. Those people who are "simply" handing you bag are helping to keep those struggling restaurants afloat so you can fill your stomach with something other than home-cooked food.

I tip everyone...the people at Starbucks, the ones that set up my car at the car wash, anyone who does a service for me

For you non-tippers: If fate had decreed that you had to work at a low-level job during an economic collapse, wouldn't you be grateful for a few extra bucks in your pocket? Put yourselves in their shoes for a second.

R50 is a restaurant worker's worst nightmare. Good to see him and others of his ilk dragged here.

It's only gay men and liberal middle-aged women who think they have to have the world through overtipping everyone - to appease their guilt about an unfair world, and for bragging rights. I know this because they are always telling me how superior they are for having done.

Who said anything about overtipping, R58? We're talking tipping--period. You're full of shit.

Overtip 20%+ if you can OP. You’re home safe and sound while cooks, servers, and drivers (if you get delivery) are risking COVID amd dealing with intermittent shutdowns/work loss to get your favorite meal to you.

R50, if you "rarely" order out, all the more reason to throw the restaurant person a couple bucks, you cheap dick.

[quote] I'm black, so I always over-tip in every situation because of the stereotype,

Sad that you're made to feel this way. No need at all to over-tip because you're black, but I admit I've never heard of the stereotype to which you're referring.

Please assume your dignity and tip normally.

I worked as a server many years ago. When ever I had to wrap up a to-go meal it was lots of work and very time consuming even though many out there may not believe so. I would much rather serve sitting customers in a restaurant setting than ready to-go orders. When I pick up my order these days I make certain to tip whomever wrapped it up.

Of course, R63. Because you're not a dick.

To go meals should always be tipped. Someone has to pack the food, put in all the condiments, napkins, plastic ware. As many have mentioned, in these days, tip a little more for these people.

Who are all these low-information, illiterate freaks running amok through the forum today? Return of the trolls, I say.

R66 is a non-tipping cheap dick who pretends everyone else (especially everyone who tips) is the problem. You might think you're Donald Trump's worst nightmare, but you sure act like him, because he doesn't tip, either. You're only the worst nightmare to restaurant workers--another dick who doesn't tip. Dick.

I’ve never understood the “no tip for takeout” idea. You tip 20% when you eat in. What are you tipping for? The waiter’s effort in carrying the food to your table? His brilliance in being able to take your order? Half the time, the waiter you ordered from isn’t even the person who brings the food.

Every other step in the process is the same whether you’re taking out or eating in. Someone has to take your order, convey it to the kitchen, cook it, plate or package it, and get it you. Why would you tip a waiter 20% and all the people who do all that – some of whom are probably waiters in normal times – nothing?

This was an interesting discussion. Thanks all.

I'll bump up from 10% and change to 15%.

I am glad to know I'm not the only person who tips for take out and isn't "crazy".

I think everyone (including myself) tips for delivery, but I'm just not a fan of Grubhub or Uber Eats. I have a credit card that actually gives credits for them, but I've just found it to be very spotty. Things have been missing (is that the driver's fault for not checking or the restaurant's?). The food was ready at 6:00, but wasn't picked up until 6:45. I live in a snowy area, and my neighborhood does not get plough service (I saw a poor Dominos woman had to get her car towed not too long ago because she was stuck next door).

I'd just rather get it myself and bypass the markup on the apps.

"I am glad to know I'm not the only person who tips for take out and isn't "crazy".

Of course you're not crazy, R69. You're respectful of other working people.

I tip for carry out because times are BAD for these workers.

All these reasons are why R66 is a dick.

[quote] Are you so lacking in reading comprehension that you misconstrued my entire message? The restaurant person I encounter during my RARE transaction merely hands me my bag, and these days it is usually management staff working the counter.

No, you prick. You made none of that clear. If i were you, i would spread those visits out. Because somewhere there is a lugie waiting on you.

R18, for picking up food to go?