Do most people tip when picking up to-go orders at restaurants?

[hookedonears]

Many times I do, however I was in a hurry the other day and called in an order to-go at one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants. I paid for our food and was hurring out of the door when I noticed that the bar tender whom I received the food from started yelling loudly to his fellow employees about not receiving a tip. I thought wow, I obviously made a mistake here. If and when you do tip, do you tip a full 15, 18, 20%? I would appreciate hearing what other people do.

[catycatcat4]

I don't eat at many restaurants i have had to go orders i don't think they where tipped i don't see why you would have to if you are not sitting in the restaurant with any one waiting on you.

[safetymom]

Yes I tip if I call in an order and they have to put it together.

[exwdwcm]

but for example, i picked up some chili's the other day, we do a lot of take out having a toddler that doesn't sit well in restaurants! lol- it was like $17, i tipped $2. at chili's, they have a dedicated person that places, bags and handles all the to go orders. she was pretty busy when i went in. Same for like black eye pea- the bartender is always busy when i go in there and he has to run to the kitchen, bag up the order, place the order, handle the bill etc. I think they deserve a couple of bucks for htat depending on how big your order is.

now, i think that was really over the top rude of him to be making an obvious plea or complaint about not getting a tip. if he's going to be a jerk, that is another story. :rotfl:

[DisneyKevin]

I order take out from Outback frequently. (Mom likes it)

The person takes my order, packages it and runs it to the car....so yes, I tip. I usually deal with the same young woman and I've told her.....make sure the order is 100% right and your tip will be bigger.....and it is.

If it's a place where I walk in and get my "to go" order (ex. the Chinese take out place), I dont usually tip unless I have asked for something out of the ordinary.

[klam_chowder]

Yes, usually I just round up e.g., $17-$18 for our pizza order, I just round up to $20. Same at Cheesecake Factory if we're just getting 2 slices to go. We rarely get complex orders or full meals to go at restaurants.

Also if it's a small place, I ask the counterperson who gets the tip. We pay pretty much everything by credit card. I found out a while ago at some of the small places, if the tip is on the bill and paid by credit card, the owner just keeps the tip! :sad2: If counterperson says the owner, then I'll just hand them a buck or two directly. ;)

The fella who made the obvious complaint is a jerk and I'd prolly not tip him next time just cuz he was a jerk - prolly why DH handles most of this tip stuff :rotfl2:

cheers,
:flower3:

[hookedonears]

i think his entire obligation was to write the order down, walk over to the kitchen door, give it to the kitchen staff, walk back over to the kitchen door when the order is ready and submit my credit card for payment. Yes I do normally tip. But this time I just forgot. I guess one of my biggest questions is, if you tip, do people normally tip 15-20%, as if you're eating in the restaurat?

[SamSam]

I normally tip 20% for regular sit down dining; for to-go orders I just usually tip a couple of dollars.

[GSLand]

yes - a couple of dollars. However it must be rare around here because the server usually looks surprised.

[natale1980]

really? I thought it was weird the other day when I saw someone tip when they picked up their pizza at pizza hut.
I can see a chili's when they have the curb side pick up.... but not a pizza place. Humm... guess I've always been doing it wrong.

-nat

[doconeill]

Truthfully, I've actually never considered or even heard of tipping take-out. And I really wouldn't consider anything close to a typical tip where I've had someone taking care of me through my dining...

[MelissaFromRI]

I order take out from Outback frequently. (Mom likes it)

The person takes my order, packages it and runs it to the car....so yes, I tip. I usually deal with the same young woman and I've told her.....make sure the order is 100% right and your tip will be bigger.....and it is.

If it's a place where I walk in and get my "to go" order (ex. the Chinese take out place), I dont usually tip unless I have asked for something out of the ordinary.

I agree with Kevin , if it's a place that does car service , I'll tip. If I have to walk in and get it , I don't tip.

[*NikkiBell*]

I have honestly never heard of this before. We usually don't do take out from restaurants, but when we have, we don't tip unless it was delivered. Is it customary? I know I am not a good tipper, but wow.

[WaltD4Me]

Yes, I tip when picking up take out, but not 15%. It depends on what was ordered. If it's just me, I leave a dollar or two, if it's like 4 dinners I might leave $5. Depends on the place and the order. I usually don't tip if I'm just picking up a pizza or something small like a piece of pie.

[Ginamarie]

I tip a couple of dollars in that situation. I don't think you need to tip a full 20% because it's not like they're serving you at the restaurant!

[mainegal]

I have honestly never heard of this before. We usually don't do take out from restaurants, but when we have, we don't tip unless it was delivered. Is it customary? I know I am not a good tipper, but wow.

My thoughts are the same as Nikki.

Perhaps if some delivered to my car, I would tip. But I haven't done that yet. Do tip when they deliver to my house.

[FireDancer]

If I walk in and pick up the order I don't tip. If I get car side I give a buck or two but I can't remember the last time I got anything that I didn't walk in for.

[lttlmc3]

If I walk in and pick up the order I don't tip. If I get car side I give a buck or two but I can't remember the last time I got anything that I didn't walk in for.

Same here.

[schoen]

I tip at full-service places when I order carry-out. Usually between 2-7 dollars depending on what I am getting.

It is A LOT of work, at least in the restaurant that I used to work at. The kitchen just makes the food, the carry out person has to answer the phone, take the order, bag everything up, get all the condiments etc. This can be a much bigger job than it seems. When I bar tended I appreciated the guests who tipped SO much. In order for me to get their order I was taking time away from my other guests, so I appreciated the tip. We didn't do curbside, the guest came in and picked up the order.

Eventually, at my place they hired a carry out person for a few hours each night because the bartenders just simply couldn't handle all the extra work (and the bartenders are generally the most skilled and trusted employees at a restaurant). I begged the managers to keep them on as long as possible, because there was so much extra work when they would leave :-)

So, I bring a level of bias to the conversation; but that is what I do :-) to each their own. Tips are obviously discretionary.

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

It's expected around here. I don't tip a full 15 - 20% though.

Usually around 5.00 if I'm getting food for several of us.

[MaumeeMom]

I agree with Kevin , if it's a place that does car service , I'll tip. If I have to walk in and get it , I don't tip.

This is what I do too. Honestly, it isn't that much work to get a to-go order together and place it on a counter. This is usually done by a manager or owner so it is not like a waitress who is making less than minimum wage and relies on tips from diners. I certainly would not tip 20%.

I think the size of the tip for the person who brings the order to the car would depend on the weather. If it is raining, snowy and cold, etc. I would give a bigger tip. If I'm having it brought to my car because the weather is too crappy for me to get out of the car I would give a bigger tip.

In my opinion, tipping is getting out of control. More and more workers seem to feel entitled to tips instead of providing great service to earn them. If this had happened to me, a worker complaining about the lack of, or size of a tip, within my hearing, I would probably not go back.

[dawn8179]

I worked at a restaurant where I was responsible for answering the phones to take orders, bag orders, prep all salads for orders, get dressing cups ready for orders, place all extras that guest requested. On top of this I bartended so every second working on take out orders took me away from the guests in the bar. It is customary to tip 10% on takeout and 18-20% for dine-in.

[MaumeeMom]

I worked at a restaurant where I was responsible for answering the phones to take orders, bag orders, prep all salads for orders, get dressing cups ready for orders, place all extras that guest requested. On top of this I bartended so every second working on take out orders took me away from the guests in the bar. It is customary to tip 10% on takeout and 18-20% for dine-in.

I'm guessing that you work at a chain type restaurant (something like an Applebees or Fridays?) so I can see your side of the issue.

Mostly, I order from the smaller mom and pop type restaurants and just get basic dinners, so it is the owner bagging the food and there is no need for dressing cups, plasticware or condiments. In my case, I would not tip the owner. If I were picking up an order from a harried bartender, then maybe I would feel differently.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and insight.

[DisneyKevin]

I worked at a restaurant where I was responsible for answering the phones to take orders, bag orders, prep all salads for orders, get dressing cups ready for orders, place all extras that guest requested. On top of this I bartended so every second working on take out orders took me away from the guests in the bar. It is customary to tip 10% on takeout and 18-20% for dine-in.

This can be said of every service position.

By waiting on you....the worker's attention is diverted from another task.

[Mr. Plutes]

When I do takeout from Chilis I tip $2 everytime. If the order is bigger then the tip will be bigger.

[kaligal]

I tip a few dollars if they're not surly or rude. If they're surly/rude, no tip.

With the car thing, I'll tip more if it's raining, snowing or freezing. But if they're running out in decent weather, it'll still be $2-$5 depending on how pleasant they are.

[BeamsofLight]

I can't think of any time someone's brought food to the car, so I'm not sure if I'd tip for that or not. Walking in to pick up take out I don't/wouldn't.

In the OP's case, though, if someone was 'yelling loudly to his coworkers about not getting tipped', they'd probably not only lose out on future tips from me, but future business, too. That's just rude.