<p>I agree and don’t tip on counter service/walk up or phone ahead orders. Heck, my family loves Sonic but the servers there drive me crazy because do you tip/not tip because they delivered to your car (but walking up to the counter isn’t an option).</p>
<p>I base my tips on water when eating out. I drink a ton of water and do not want an empty glass in front of me - so if I have finished my glass and a server hasn’t noticed in a reasonable time or I have asked for another glass and it is forgotten or held up the tip will decrease and this is directly dependent on the server in most situations. Then again how they handle drinks is often indicitive of how they have handled serving in general so it tends to work out :)</p>
<p>Question - when eating out do people tip on total amount, pre-tax amount or just food/drinks (but not alcohol) amounts? I’ve heard all scenarios and usually end up somewhere in the middle but am curious how others do it.</p>