It’s murky because there are two classes of workers in the restaurant: those who must be paid at least minimum wage, and those who can be paid less than minimum wage because they get tips. If there was only takeout, there would be no employees getting less than minimum wage. This is why you don’t tip at the corner deli, or the bakery, etc. But if the workers who rely on tips are involved in putting the takeout order together, I agree they should be tipped. The murkiness is increased because you may not know who is doing that work–I suppose you could ask.</p>
<p>" These days I would rather put my money in a tip jar than give to some established charities. It bothers me to even say that… because it does sound really patronizing and I really hate living in this sort of society"</p>
<p>At least in a tip jar, or leaving a tip on the table or with the driver…you know they are getting the full amount of the tip. With many charities, it’s hard to know who even gets it. Is it going to marketing, CEO’s, for something other than what you wanted it to? I know if I give that money to a driver, it goes into his pocket, for his family. Wait staff, a little more convoluted, but at least it all goes to the workers.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to know where the tip money goes in different situations. If you hand a couple of bucks to the person who brings you the takeout order, who gets it? Who shares it?</p>
<p>Busdriver: Exactly my thought. The horrifying thing to me is I feel service workers are sort of dependent on our charity, in the form of tips, for their income. I don’t want to be some sort of Lady Bountiful. I want a more professional relationship with waitstaff, drivers, etc.</p>
<p>“Put me in the “yes” category. The amount depends somewhat on the size of the order. Somewhere between 10 and 20 percent.”</p>
<p>Why would you possibly tip 20 percent for a takeout order? If you get a couple of orders from a thai restaurant that total $50, you would tip $10 for takeout? As a former waitress for many years, I’d think you were either too rich to care about your money, or not so bright. You are tipping for service you are not receiving. I’ve always left some money when I pick up takeout, but it is ridiculous to leave the same tip that you would on the table.</p>
<p>"The horrifying thing to me is I feel service workers are sort of dependent on our charity, in the form of tips, for their income. I don’t want to be some sort of Lady Bountiful. I want a more professional relationship with waitstaff, drivers, etc. "</p>
<p>I don’t think people in the service industry feel like that. If you give them a decent tip for their service, they feel appreciated. People get used to getting tipped for service, they don’t feel like they’re relying on charity.</p>
<p>The difference with restaurant workers vs regular retail work is that I haven’t heard of a place the sends people home mid-shift if it’s “slow”. My point was that restaurant workers can’t even depend on the hours they’re scheduled on any given week, so even if they make minimum wage, sometimes it works out to even less. D has a friend in AZ-she was making just over $2/ hr-obviously nearly ALL her income came from tips-and it wasn’t a high-end place either. But hey, keep on not tipping.</p>
<p>At D’s restaurant, there’s a complicated formula involving tips-any charged to a CC are split between ALL front house people, but not equally. Bussers get less, waitstaff more, but it’s not much per tip since there are 10 or more people on shift at a time. Cash tips go through another formula and pickup order tips have yet another formula. The cooks get a higher wage and their tipping structure if different still. When she worked in a small deli everyone did all the jobs and split everything equally. I believe they all made slightly above minimum wage.</p>
<p>That “Full” tip jar you see get split between half a dozen people at a small place, many more for a larger establishment. Lets say it has twenty dollars in coins by the end of the day. That’s an extra couple of dollars in a smaller restaurant or just a few cents in the larger one. It seem petty to me to think that you’re overly rewarding them with an extra few cents an hour. </p>
<p>No, I don’t tip everywhere. Retail isn’t considered “Service” work. Most jobs have set hours, and they aren’t paid based on the assumption people will tip. But you BET I tip for any service I get. If someone is involved with food I’m eating, or cutting my hair or whatever, I want them happy to do a good job. </p>
<p>I’m left cold by the “let them eat cake” attitude here, like it’s service workers’ fault for choosing a low-paying industry.</p>
<p>I emphatically agree with OF. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that it is legal to pay waiters $2-3/hour and put their salary burden on the customer in that way. However, I recognize that this the reality that we currently live in and that’s why I tip. </p>
<p>I’ve personally never worked in a tip-based industry. Both of my parents did and tipping well and often has just been ingrained into me.</p>
<p>We have service workers in low-paying industries whose expected income depends on tips from patrons who tip (or don’t) at their own discretion for any variety of reasons. This is really not a great system imho.</p>
<p>I still can’t believe that companies can get by with only paying $2-$3 per hour for workers who get tipped. That’s what I got paid 30 years ago as a waitress. But that is not legal everywhere. In Washington state, tipped workers still get paid the minimum wage, $9.19/hour (I believe that is the highest wage state that doesn’t allow tips to be considered part of minimum wage). So if I paid a $10 tip on my $50 takeout order, I obviously have more money than I know what to do with!</p>
<p>GMTplus7: Most years I spend two months or so in Europe, usually in the same place for most of that time. Usually, I find it much easier in Europe.</p>
But surely you don’t tip in the grocery store, or in something like a bakery? I think this is what is giving some of us pause about takeout–when we eat in a restaurant, we (hopefully) get quite a bit of personalized service. When we get takeout, we get only a small portion of that service. So it would seem strange to tip at anywhere near the rate of seated service.</p>
<p>I tip at takeout because they’ve put the food in containers and presented it to me. If the people doing that are workers, then they’re not otherwise being tipped for that time so they’re likely only earning a pittance. If the people are the owners, like at a mom & pop ethnic restaurant, then takeout costs them money in the packaging, etc. which they usually can’t charge more for. But I don’t order $300 takeout so I’ve never dealt with a $30 tip on takeout.</p>
<p>I know people who don’t tip pizza delivery people. That’s just wrong.</p>
<h1>75 But if we don’t sit down to eat, getting less service and thus tipping at a lower rate - it takes money out of someone’s pocket… unless it is a situation like a pizza place so busy that lines are around the block and every table is always full. Still, tipping for that take-out is helping the workers, right?</h1>
<p>We don’t tip at the grocery or bakery or other establishments where it is assumed employees are already paid an appropriate wage. They may not be, but tips are never an expectation.</p>
<p>“But if you pay a $10 tip, and there are 10 workers on shift-each person got 1 extra dollar. Yay.”</p>
<p>I am completely supportive of giving good tips for service. I also tip well, unless service is poor, but I’m not really rich enough to give large tips (and I’d consider $10 on $50 a very large tip), for a takeout order. If I felt that I must do that, I would not get takeout anymore. If everyone felt that was required, many people would not get takeout, as they get it instead of cooking, but not as a dining experience. Why not tip the workers at Whole Foods when you pick up prepaid carryout items? And no, I doubt that tips are shared equally between all workers at a restaurant.</p>
<p>In all honesty, sseasmom, do you actually add a $10 tip when you pick up carryout for a $50 order?</p>
I don’t really agree with this analysis. When we get takeout, we are using a different “product” offered by the restaurant. You are not taking money out of anybody’s pocket just because you are not buying the alternative product–seated service. Seated service costs more because you get more. (Indeed, the food itself should be cheaper for takeout, since you also aren’t getting the d</p>