Anyone ever tip at Sonic?

[nkereina]

Sonic is new in our area and there is an indoor seating area, in addition to the drive up lanes. We just ate in the indoor seating area for the first time last week. There was a young man at the counter who took our order, a young lady who brought the food to our table, a different young man who offered to re-fill our drinks, and yet another young lady who offered to throw away our trash at the end. I did wonder if we should tip since they bring the food to your table, but we had already paid at the register at that point. And then we encountered 4 separate employees who provided a service to us, so it was unclear who should even be tipped at that point.

 

[ronandannette]

I run payroll for some small busineses in MA and I have my system set up to compensate any employee whose tips do not bring him to $10/00, which is the MA minimum wage. You are absolutely right, its the law, employers much make up the difference.

How do you tell? Is it a self-reported thing? I'd presume many if not most tips are paid in cash and go straight into a server's pocket...

 

[BrianL]

I used to tip a moderate bit when you had to pay cash, but since you can swipe a card now to pay I rarely do. I usually never even have cash anymore. I didn't realize they weren't quite paid like other fast food employees. I rarely go to Sonic anyway, but I'll keep it in mind.

 

[Tasha228]

My 1st job was as a carhop at Sonic. That was almost 20 years ago, back before everything could be paid by debit and credit card, so I used to receive tips. Now I think tips are probably harder for them to get since most just swipe their card and don't carry cash.

 

[Nancyg56]

How do you tell? Is it a self-reported thing? I'd presume many if not most tips are paid in cash and go straight into a server's pocket...

I run payroll for small businesses, and we have a few restaurants. My clients look at whatever is recorded on debit and credit cards and report that. They also look at the daily checks as well. The restaurants that are primarily sit down make sure that the servers are reporting as accurately as they can. They don't see all the cash, but they know if their servers are making minimum or not. One lost his liquor license for a bit and the servers tips went way down. He had to make up a lot, but he did pay darn close attention when I sent him a report that indicated that even after the license was reinstated a few were chronically making less than $10.00.

I have another that is mostly take out. He pays straight time. no tips. To be honest, if a business is mostly a cash business, and is not using debit or credit cards as a form of payment, they really need to pay minimum wage. If not, the burden of proof may fall on them if a server says that he did not make minimum.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Hmm, this is interesting. I've never been to a Sonic's, but it's never occurred to me to tip at a fast food-type place. Places like Culvers and Noodles and Co. bring your order to you after you place it at a counter (and employees at Noodles clear your table,) and we've never tipped there. AFAIK, nobody has/does! Now I'm wondering if people are and I've been cheap all these years!

 

[King Schultz]

I live in Oklahoma. Sonic is very popular. Our town is 35,000 and we have 2 Sonics, and another 3 miles north in a tiny town. They are busy. I usually give them $1, plus the change, more if we order a lot. Our carhops hustle, run from store to car. They always introduce themselves and are friendly. Good service, usually.

What town?

I live in Coweta.

 

[Hikergirl]

I've only been to Sonic once and it never occurred to me to tip.

 

[nkereina]

Hmm, this is interesting. I've never been to a Sonic's, but it's never occurred to me to tip at a fast food-type place. Places like Culvers and Noodles and Co. bring your order to you after you place it at a counter (and employees at Noodles clear your table,) and we've never tipped there. AFAIK, nobody has/does! Now I'm wondering if people are and I've been cheap all these years!

I'm not familiar with Culvers or Noodles and Co., but you bring up a good point. Corner Bakery (like Panera) will bring you your food and clear your table at the end and I've never tipped there. We go there for lunch at work often and the people I am with never tip there either. Never occurs to us.

 

[scoutie]

How do you tell? Is it a self-reported thing? I'd presume many if not most tips are paid in cash and go straight into a server's pocket...

Servers are taxed a certain percentage on what they 'sell'. Everytime they type in an order, the amount of the food and drink is reported under their number. At the end of the night, they are required to claim a percentage of the sales, since the assumption is that they are tipped on at least 10% of the bill. When I was a server, sometimes my checks would be $0, because taxes on tips were taken out of my hourly wage. When servers talk about it costing them money to wait on tables who don't tip, this is what they're talking about. So if somebody tips quite a bit over the amount of their bill in cash, that's to the server's benefit, but if somebody stiffs the server, they are still being taxed 10% on that bill (or whatever the state's tax requirements are).

To answer the OP, yes. I tip at Sonic if somebody delivers my food. They're on roller skates in my area! I don't think it's expected, however. The Sonic servers make minimum wage...not server's wage.

 

[Octoberbeauty]

Yes, I tip here in OK (and we tip in AR where I'm from).

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Umm... no. It never occurred to me. Tip where? I don't even think our receipt has an option and there's no bucket. Just give the server cash? People still carry cash?

 

[ronandannette]

Hmm, this is interesting. I've never been to a Sonic's, but it's never occurred to me to tip at a fast food-type place. Places like Culvers and Noodles and Co. bring your order to you after you place it at a counter (and employees at Noodles clear your table,) and we've never tipped there. AFAIK, nobody has/does! Now I'm wondering if people are and I've been cheap all these years!

We'd never been to this type of place until really recently and weren't familiar with the format. Ordering and paying was the "first stop" along the counter and we assumed we'd pick up our order at the other end. No; in fact we were then seated by a hostess and our drinks and meals were served. We had no idea when we paid that a tip was appropriate and didn't have any cash. We felt like we should have tipped and definitely will if we ever go there again.

If a fast food place has a tip jar at the register I'll almost always toss in a buck or two; the big fast food places here (McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.) don't have tip jars.

 

[msjprincess]

I don't eat there often, but when I do I give them a few bucks.

 

[luvsJack]

Servers are taxed a certain percentage on what they 'sell'. Everytime they type in an order, the amount of the food and drink is reported under their number. At the end of the night, they are required to claim a percentage of the sales, since the assumption is that they are tipped on at least 10% of the bill. When I was a server, sometimes my checks would be $0, because taxes on tips were taken out of my hourly wage. When servers talk about it costing them money to wait on tables who don't tip, this is what they're talking about. So if somebody tips quite a bit over the amount of their bill in cash, that's to the server's benefit, but if somebody stiffs the server, they are still being taxed 10% on that bill (or whatever the state's tax requirements are).

To answer the OP, yes. I tip at Sonic if somebody delivers my food. They're on roller skates in my area! I don't think it's expected, however. The Sonic servers make minimum wage...not server's wage.

See thats what I mean. Its "assumed" you made 10%. What if a server got bad tables all night?
Now most places are busy enough that it all evens out in the end but not every place is going to be busy enough every shift to make it even out.
I never worked any where that did it that way and am glad of it. Not all mom and pop places have a pos system even now, so some just make sure that enough is "claimed" to make the server's pay at least minimum wsge.

 

[CarolAnn856]

Sonics came to my area (Southern NJ) about 6 or 7 years ago. About half closed within a few years. There were long lines of cars waiting to get into one when it opened, but it failed after about a year.

One of the two Sonics in my area closed after about two years. The other is open, but there rarely seems to be more than two or three cars there (with space for maybe 25).

I rarely see anybody at KFC ever. I don't know how it stays open.

Another Southern NJ resident here. I know of one Sonic and it never seems busy when I drive by. I tried it once and that was enough. I wasn't impressed at all.

We used to live in Illinois, and we loved Culvers. I wish they would make their way out east.

 

[TanyaS]

I don't tip at Sonic because I don't equate it with waiting tables. At a restaurant they come to your table, take a drink order, deliver drinks, take your food order, deliver food, check to make sure everything is okay, check to refill drinks, clear plates, present a check, cash you out- that's what I equate to tipped waiting position.

At our sonic you order through a speaker, swipe your card at the speaker, and then someone comes out and simply hands you a bag of food, end of interaction.

I would have said the exact same thing. I might have left the change when paying with cash, but I never thought of Sonic as being a "tip your waiter" type place anymore than Chick-fil-a or any other fast food. Perhaps because we normally use the drive-thru.

However, I noticed a sign outside our local Sonic this morning looking to hire employees at $5 per hour!!! What the what? How can they not pay regular wages to someone who hands you a bag of food?

Lots of restaurants seem to have an uncomfortable (tip-wise) blend of restaurants styles - If I wait in line to order at a counter, pay at the counter, get my own drink, but a staff person brings my food to the table, am I expected to tip? I would have thought not; that they were getting paid regular wages, not server wages, but how can you tell.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We'd never been to this type of place until really recently and weren't familiar with the format. Ordering and paying was the "first stop" along the counter and we assumed we'd pick up our order at the other end. No; in fact we were then seated by a hostess and our drinks and meals were served. We had no idea when we paid that a tip was appropriate and didn't have any cash. We felt like we should have tipped and definitely will if we ever go there again.

If a fast food place has a tip jar at the register I'll almost always toss in a buck or two; the big fast food places here (McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.) don't have tip jars.

We have several Culvers near me. You would never tip there. It's not that type of place. Treat it like any other normal fast food place. Sure I understand if they have a tip jar (though I've never seen that there) and you feel like tipping go right ahead and an individual may decided to tip..but I absolutely have never in my life seen anyone tip at Culvers. They aren't paid the lower wage for tipped employees at all.

We also have Noodles & Company and again have never in my life have seen anyone tip there. It's a non-tipped wage they are given (eta: as far as I know).

So don't feel bad (not saying you can't tip at all just saying it's not the norm least where I'm from for those places).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

However, I noticed a sign outside our local Sonic this morning looking to hire employees at $5 per hour!!! What the what? How can they not pay regular wages to someone who hands you a bag of food?

My guess is Sonic was built on the tip your car hop tradition. That isn't what other places were built upon and probably why their business model to some extent allows for employees to be paid lower due to the ability of getting tips.

I highly doubt that many people, though I'm sure some would not that that's a problem, would tip at Sonic if it wasn't the traditional/old way of doing it. Meaning if in the past you didn't tip your car hop you likely wouldn't now-you would probably associate it with other fast food type places.

Just my thoughts.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Only if I happen to have cash on hand (which is very rare). Sonic doesn't offer a way to tip when you pay with card so I have no way to tip them most of the time.