knapplc
Well-known member
Probably depends on each company and what they declare their administrative overhead to be. But if you donate directly to a charity they get 100% of that donation.
Did you tip for takeout pre-covid? Do you now?
- Thread starter B.B. Hemingway
- Start date
Probably depends on each company and what they declare their administrative overhead to be. But if you donate directly to a charity they get 100% of that donation.
JJ Husker
Donor
Many many years ago we were eating at a fairly high end place in Miami. The service was horrible, inattentive, screwed up our orders, no water fill ups etc. So my dad leaves her a tip of 1 cent. It pissed off our waitress and she said something to my dad as we were leaving. He told her the service wasn't even worth the penny but he didn't want her to think we just forgot to leave a tip. Then we left :lol:
Enhance
Administrator
Fair question, but I get the argument Hoppen and others are trying to shame the rest of us into thinking. With presumably less people going to restaurants, and if people choose to not tip on the takeout, then that means a lot of servers are likely missing out on wages they would've otherwise normally received.
I think each person should make a decision based on what they feel is right in the given situation. Some of the places I get takeout from, I pay the person who owns the restaurant directly because they're often working the register. I'm probably not going to tip in that scenario. I also can't tip a server through DoorDash.
Shame on Hoppen though for treating it like we're all murdering puppies by not tipping on takeout. The things he chooses to get passionately irate about are often comical, and of course, he's never wrong.
JJ Husker
Donor
Yeah, I hate that. Like I'm looking for a charity to donate to while I'm going through the Panda Express drive thru. :facepalm: I snap back with a no so quickly they probably think I'm an a$$ :lol:
knapplc
Well-known member
That's not on me, the consumer. That's on the employer to pay their staff a reasonable wage. Tips should be extras, not factored in to their pay.
This has always bothered me about the restaurant industry.
Enhance
Administrator
It seems to be more and more common for servers to view tips as something they're owed, regardless of performance or circumstance. I love when some of them try to do the whole 'if you can't afford a tip, then you shouldn't be eating out' on social media and then the customer finds it and publicly puts them on blast for being a terrible server lols.
My general rule of thumb is to tip 20%. If it was objectively poor but adequate service, I'll drop it to 15%. Somebody would have to be terrible to get nothing from me and I think that's only ever really happened once or twice.
Enhance
Administrator
I 100% agree, but I also understand the mindset of the current situation not being reflective of this practice. I don't know enough about the restaurant industry, but I imagine most places still pay employees below a minimum wage and expect them to supplement it with tips. That probably won't change any time soon.
But, I'm not going to judge someone if they don't feel they should tip on takeout. I currently don't and honestly have never even thought about it. I think we all have to make a personal choice about what's right in that situation.
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Pretty much where I'm at as well.
Not trying to wade into the "what should they be making" debate, just asking a question for personal knowledge. I know they wage servers actually get is less and count on tips to move it up. But in cases like that does the employer have to make of the difference if that total would work out to be below minimum wage? Seems like I remember that but I could have dreamed that up.
Like I said, I try to tip fairly well. I don't eat at a lot of high-end places because there aren't many of those around here. So the difference between 15% and 20% is usually only a few bucks and I figure that's a small difference to me but could add up to a lot if all their patrons did that.
On a somewhat-related topic, what are some things that some people tip for that most people probably don't? I ran across an article awhile ago that listed what services should be tipped for and how much. I remember hotel cleaning staff was one that you should consider tipping. I'd never even considered that - still never have - but maybe I'm not up-to-date on such things.
Enhance
Administrator
It might be different in other states/municipalities, but my mother-in-law owns a restaurant in Omaha and does NOT have to make up that difference. She pays the servers whatever that low minimum wage is and then they have to supplement the rest through tips.
knapplc
Well-known member
The lowest allowable hourly rate for a tipped employee is $2.13/hour in Nebraska.
They are guaranteed to make minimum wage if their tips do not meet or exceed that rate. So if tips are bad, the employer is required to make up the difference, to bring their wage up to $9/hour (Nebraska's minimum wage).
knapplc
Well-known member
This is not what my understanding of the state law is. She should check that out. If she's challenged, she could have to pay back wages to current & former employees.
Or, I could be wrong. Either way, she should double-check that.
This is the key part of it for me. I do sometimes tip carryout folks, but if I felt like I was being shamed into doing it, hell no I wouldn't.
Maybe I'm just an edgy contrarian?