Do you tip at Sonic?

[java]

For the previous poster who said they tipped because the food was brought to them, do you also do the same thing at Hardee's/Carl's Jr.?

We don't go to Hardee's or Carl's Jr. - if they bring it out to my car I would tip. But I did get Applebee's to go and tipped there.

 

[sk!mom]

I'm a northern girl and have never been to a Sonic. How does it work? Do you order via a machine or does the carhop take your order? Are there tables to sit at or must you eat in the car?

Sonics around me have one or two picnic tables but you would be eating surrounded by cars and exhaust so I have never used them and have only ever seen kids who walked to Sonic use them.

You order via an intercom and the Car Hop brings out the order. You can pay the Car Hop or you can pay using a car reader at each station.

I've never had a Car Hop come back around but we rarely get food from there. It's normally just a drink during Happy Hour and drive away. On the rare ocassion that we get food, we take it and leave.

 

[LaDonna]

I worked at Sonic for years, now this is coming from a very cheap person(I myself am not a big tipper, meaning I don't tip everyone and their brother) but I never expected tips from anyone. I'd say about half the people did tip, and it was usually around 5-10%. I was happy with that. I DO however think they deserve a tip if the weather is disgusting, hot, etc. It is absolutely MISERABLE working in some weather conditions, and yes I've worked at McDonalds and such too, and Sonic is MUCH harder! I never skated, but even the walking in and out all day long was very tiring after even a 3 hour shift! I would have never worked there if they paid less than minimum wage, it just wouldn't have been worth it, not enough tips to make up for it. I hate hearing they are doing that now.
To answer the original ? I sometimes tip, if I have any extra change/cash on me.

 

[PrincessBelle09]

For car service, I absolutely tip. Not 15-20%, but I think 5-10% is reasonable.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I've never tipped at Sonic. We sometimes go through the drive-thru, sometimes order at the drive-in stall (and drive away - we never sit there and eat in the car), sometimes go up to the picnic tables and order there. I almost always run my debit card and rarely carry cash. It's never occurred to me to tip them. It's just fast food.

 

[kimsuenew]

If they bring it to my car, I tip. That includes Sonic and any other restaurant that does curbside pickup.

We always tip at Sonic but we always tip at buffets too

ITA!

Now as for Sonic... if we simply use the drive-thru than we do not tip of course but when we "park" and they bring our food and/or drinks to us we tip! I must say that it never occured to us not to.

 

[PrincessBelle09]

Oh, as for other curbside takeaway services, please always tip. Most restaurants pay the takeaway folks the same amount as the servers and they do nearly the same amount of work per customer as a server. A lot of people do not seem to realize that a 10% or tip is customary for takeaway service.

 

[Taja]

Except not all Sonic's have a drive thru window.

But the thing I dislike even more at the one near us is: even if you go inside, you don't have the option of walking up to a counter, ordering, and taking your food home or to your table yourself sans tip. You have to call on a phone to order, then one of the hops brings your food out to you.

I do tip at Sonic, but I admit that I do so rather begrudgingly because I dislike the heavy handed pressure to tip in a fast food setting. And I also probably go there less often than I would otherwise.

Most of the Sonic's here are set up so the car hops bring your food out to you--even at the drive-thru window! The window usually is very high up and does not open. So I tip about 10% of the total before tax.

There is one in Tempe that does (or did two years ago!) have a regular drive-thru window, and I did not tip there.

I tend to agree with cats mom--I tip grudgingly, because there should be no reason for the drive-thru to require that someone bring your food unless there extenuating circumstances. Sonic does apply pressure to encourage tipping.

And I rarely go there for that reason. Have to really crave something before I'll stop there! *LOL*

 

[deerhart]

in our state, waiters/waitresses must be paid minimum wage for every hour worked. So if they don't get tipped, the place of employment must make up the difference.

With that said, I have never seen anyone tip at Sonic, I always pay by debit card (I rarely if ever have cash) and there is no place to tip. But around here, you will make more then minimum wage at quite a few fast food restaurants.

 

[kaytieeldr]

"The" Sonic here - the only one in New England, just a few miles from where I live, thank you, Sonic planners has a regular-height drive-through. I was in a long, slow line one day, to the point where workers were bringing orders out to the cars waiting in line. At least, someone brought out my lonely Diet Dr Pepper - thank you, Sonic food buyers . Although I normally don't tip at the drive-through, I did in this case. Somebody brought my food to me.

 

[cats mom]

I'm a northern girl and have never been to a Sonic. How does it work? Do you order via a machine or does the carhop take your order? Are there tables to sit at or must you eat in the car?

Think an old fashioned drive up where you pull into a parking spot, order via intercom, and a car hop brings your order to your car.

There are almost always a few outdoor tables, but you still order via intercom, and your order is brought to your table.

Most Sonic locations don't have indoor seating, but we used to live by one that did. It resembled any other fast food joint inside, except there was a glass wall between the customer tables and the counter/kitchen area; you had to pick up a phone, call in your order, and then someone would bring it to you. So even if you were getting food to go, and you chose to get out of your car and go inside to order, the way it was set up made you feel like you should still tip (at least it did me).

I've only been to a Sonic drive thru once since we've never lived near a location that had one, but IIRC it was like Taja described. So even using the drive thru, we had to pull forward and wait for a car hop to bring our order to us.

I just think Sonic has gone out of their way to set themselves up as a place where tips are expected, even though they could easily make most things more like a typical fast food place, thus not pressuring people to tip.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

I have never tipped at Sonic and never plan to. Like other posters said, it is fast food. I also don't tip at ice cream shops, hardees or car washes. I don't tip the person bagging my groceries either, although usually I am the one bagging. I personally think tipping has gotten out of hand. Everyone these days has a tip jar. Really? Are we going to start tipping the post man, he does bring us the mail? How about UPS, they actually bring it right to the door, not just the mailbox. How about pizza places? If you order a pizza and they expect you to come get it from the counter, are you gonna tip too?

If we go somewhere to eat and order from a menu, and someone waits on us and refills our drinks then I will tip, and I will tip 20% unless the water didn't do their job then I will tip a little less.

 

[JB2K]

I see this is going to turn into another "cultural" tipping thread...

Seriously, let's break it down:

• A lot of us typically pay at Sonic by swiping a credit/debit card in the reader on the menu board -- unlike full-service restaurants, this method of pay doesn't allow for tips, otherwise, Sonic corporate would have probably done something, by now.
  
• It is a fast food restaurant, meaning once the carhop brings you the sack of food, they're finished with you. Period. That, IMO, is not worth an additional 50 cents.

 

[JB2K]

Really? Are we going to start tipping the post man, he does bring us the mail? How about UPS, they actually bring it right to the door, not just the mailbox. How about pizza places? If you order a pizza and they expect you to come get it from the counter, are you gonna tip too?

You obviously haven't been here around the holidays -- there is a legion of folks, right here on the BB who tip their letter carriers, very well...

 

[mrsklamc]

once the carhop brings you the sack of food, they're finished with you. Period. That, IMO, is not worth an additional 50 cents.
[/LIST]

Again, that's not been my experience at Sonic.

 

[mrsklamc]

You obviously haven't been here around the holidays -- there is a legion of folks, right here on the BB who tip their letter carriers, very well...

I had that same thought earlier and didn't have the chance to post.

 

[cats mom]

I just caught one of those cutesy little snippets on the news. The subject? Return of the car hop.

They were reporting from a Ruby's in Anaheim, but they said mom and pop joints across the country are bringing them back as well.

They mentioned a return to simpler times as one reason, but they also threw out the potential to make great tips.

See, I predicted more places going the tips route earlier in this thread... I just didn't know it would be confirmed the very next day.



Short article on Ruby's Anaheim w/car hops:
http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/31/rubys-diner-opening-carhop-eatery-in-anaheim/31999/

 

[JB2K]

We don't go to Hardee's or Carl's Jr. - if they bring it out to my car I would tip.

Obviously, you must be from "somewhere up north"...

Hardee's and Carl's Jr. (which are related), do not have carhop service -- they are fast food restaurants where the tray of food is brought to your table.

Plus, neither brand is located in New Jersey and points north of there...

 

[Planogirl]

I don't see the big deal in giving someone a little change or a dollar. I tip anyone who serves me, simple as that.

 

[Jenny18199]

We always tip if we have the car hop come to ur car whether we are eating there or taking it home - it never occurred to me not to. That being said, whenever we go through the drive thru, we don't tip. I'll usually round up the amount to the next dollar.