Do You Tip on Pick-Up Food Orders?

Your Two Cents: Do You Tip on To-Go Orders?

April 1, 2009

When your card is swiped for a to-go order, the receipt you're signing most likely has a line to add gratuity if you choose. And if you're paying cash, it's rare that the counter is free of a tip jar. If you've called in an order and are picking it up to enjoy from the comfort of your home or if you stop in to grab-and-go, do you leave a tip for the effort it took to assemble your order?

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49 Comments

danakscully64 1 year 48 weeks

I came across this old post on accident, but I thought I'd put my 2 cents in. I worked as a hostess, I got more and more into debt every week I was there making $7.25 an hour. You know what that extra $2-3 dollar gives a hostess? Lunch or Dinner. When I was that hostess, I REALLY appreciated it. All of the servers in the restaurant were making 4-8 times MORE than me. If you can afford that $10 sandwich, why not just give the person who took care of your order a dollar or two? One day sticks out in my head from when I was a hostess at the last restaurant I worked out. It took me 30 minutes to put a very large order together. I took the 5-10 minutes to take the order on the phone, read it back, labeled everything, went over the order, made the shakes and drinks, the order completely covered the entire bar.... and they left me nothing. They could afford a couple hundred dollars worth of food, but not $5-10 as a "thank you." It makes you feel unappreciated. Don't be cheap, you don't need to tip 15-20%, a few dollars is fine.

danakscully64 1 year 48 weeks

"I worked in the food service for years, and the places that I worked had a separate position for to-go people. They were paid an actual wage (not the 2.13 servers make), so I don't tip when I pick up my food. " Old post, but I've worked in a few restaurants and all hostesses who did to-go orders made considerably less than the servers.

2 years 30 weeks

For sure those people make as much as servers 2.13 an hour or a little more. If you don't tip they don't make a living.

2 years 42 weeks

I do not generally tip for take out if it's a straight forward order, but if it is more complicated than normal I will maybe put in a few bucks. For a sit-down meal at a full service restaurant I will tip 15-20% for adequate service, but will usually tip 25% for above average service. I worked in the hotel customer service industry for over 5 years and as a result tip very generously, perhaps to a fault, but for better or for worse that's my tipping style.

2 years 50 weeks

You should tip for to-go. I currently work at two restaurants, one where to-go's are handled bye the server but so is everything else and the other where the hostess handles the to-go orders. now think about this when you call in to place your to-go order i have anywhere from 3-14 tables waiting on me to get their food take their order get their drinks. and you who is calling wants me to read you the menu item by item and you have to ask 10 of your co-workers what they want. so while i'm stuck on the phone with you i'm losing out on tips that i could be making from paying attention to my tables where as you're going to leave nothing. also your big order slows the kitchen down which also pisses my tables off! so tip! i took the time to talk to you now you take the time to write in a dollar or two for my time and patience. p.s. i also have to bag your crap and knowing how finicky you are you're going to ask for every side sauce and condiment i've got in the kitchen. and as for the the other restaurant. that hostess is taking reservations and dealing with people coming in the door and seating them, then she has to make sure your order comes out right which means going to the kitchen which isn't located near her stand so she abandons the stand to get the to go food and then the customer comes and and gets pissed because there's no host to greet them. so people are generally unhappy individuals, and servers and hostesses get to deal with you between work at your not so happiest and you usually don't even say thank you because you're too hungry! so tip what a dollar or two to you? you'll make their day because they won't expect it! i'm always suprised when i get a tip for to-go. oh and last but not least if you call to-go in 10mins before close tip because you never get there when you say you're going to be there!

2 years 50 weeks

If you are ordering to go from a place like Ruby Tuesday or TGIF or a similar chain, chances are the person compiling your to go order is still making the same wages as a regular waitress, without the tips. That's something to consider when you order to go. Most importantly, to all the people whining, Seriously, what is an extra dollar to you, who can obviously afford to be eating out, when that dollar or 10 15 or 20 % can really make an impact on someone's night/chance to make rent. Don't be a dbag.

3 years 13 weeks

Wow, I'm going to use some of the suggestions posted here. Let me send you a couple of bucks for your thoughts.

3 years 36 weeks

tip during pick-up? u gotta be kiddin! y stop there then? what about the cashier at the grocery store, the mechanic, a teacher, a doctor.... these are all service oriented jobs. this getting ridiculous. just do ur job and stop BEGGING for money.

4 years 2 weeks

No, I don't tip "to go" because there was not really any service provided other than bagging stuff up and taking your money. I don't think you should pay someone for making sure what you ordered is in the bag. On the other hand I tip generously for good service in a sit down restaurant. I have a question too, do you tip for valet service when you give them your car, when it's delivered or both.

4 years 6 weeks

I work at a restaurant doing take-out and I ALWAYS tip. It's a lot more work than just answering the phone and writing things out. You can be doing more work than a server at anyone time. The difference is that we have to split the tips and not that many people understand how much work goes into this department.

4 years 6 weeks

LoveSarah, the point is that servers at restaurants don't make minimum wage, so you should tip. Sometimes they're making $2.13 an hour, so you really should. You're not obligated, that's why it's called a tip. But you're choosing to eat someplace where someone is serving you, the server has to tip the cook out based on the cost of your meal... have you no sense of kindness? Seriously? I'm with chatondeneige, people like that are the dregs of society.

LoveSarah 4 years 6 weeks

If I get a huge order to pick up, then sure I'll leave a $2 tip. But if I just order a sandwich, then usually no. Sometimes I'll round it up to the nearest dollar if I pay with my debit card, but I know the person who rings me up most likely did nothing but ring me up and maybe box my food, and they get paid minimum wage, so I don't really feel like I'm obligated to tip them.

expresso14 4 years 6 weeks

I'll tip $1-2 if I walk in to place my order and wait, especially if I'm offered water while waiting. There's a couple places I frequent regularly and I seem to get faster service and 'extras.'

dcfashionista 4 years 6 weeks

When I get curbside service for my order I tip, when I purchase take out from California Pizza kitchen I also tip.

refinedharmony 4 years 6 weeks

@chatondeneige I've worked in the service industry, a total of about 3 years, and generally I do not tip to-go orders. I tip very well when I actually go out to eat, but generally the places that I get to-go from there is a cashier or host that does it, NOT the servers. I don't like feeling obligated to tip when I don't feel I've received any more service than I've gotten at a fast-food restaurant. It's not my fault as a customer that those orders do not ring up differently in the system. If you are tipping out table-bussers for to-go orders, that's the management's fault, not the customer.

tysontysonxv 4 years 6 weeks

I typically tip about 10% for To-Go orders, especially if they've taken the time to check the order in front of me.

chatondeneige 4 years 6 weeks

Wow, some of you really disgust me as people. Clearly, you've never been in a service industry of any sort.

seryscarlett 4 years 6 weeks

On to-go orders, you should tip 10%- especially to those of you placing large office lunch orders! In most restaurants, the bartender handles to-go orders- including packing everything together. He\she then has to declare a percentage of your order to his\her sales while making $2-$5 (unless you are lucky to work in Oregon) per hour. I'm not directing this at anyone in particular, just informing.

colormesticky 4 years 6 weeks

Always. A part of that tip goes to the cooks.

weffie 4 years 6 weeks

you're totally right, i apologize for the low-blows... i'm sick and being way too bitchy, my bad :fogey:

popgoestheworld 4 years 6 weeks

So what I'm hearing is, some restaurants have a special to-go person, others just have the servers do it and they have to tip out on it. As an average consumer, this isn't my problem. A tip is money you give in appreciation of service. It's not a mandatory fee for ordering food from a restaurant. And I resent the "cheap" comment. I tip very well when I'm in a restaurant (yes, even at a buffet) and I tip delivery people even better. I tip the person who shampoos my hair at the salon (a lot). This is simply something that doesn't warrant tipping, imo. It's not my responsibility to pay the cook's salary.

weffie 4 years 6 weeks

and sorry to dive into that but it's a soft spot :)

weffie 4 years 6 weeks

ilanac13, i invite you to spend five minutes working in a buffet and still think that way. the servers there clean your table, bring your drinks, remove the abominable amount of dishes that the typical buffet customer plows thru in a matter of seconds, restock the buffet tables, and clean it all up at the end of the night.... trust me, it's disgusting! and the whole time they get covered in red sauce, yelled at by grotesque idiots that someone fished all the wontons out of the soup again, run around like headless chickens for minimum wage, and when they get home there is rice in their ears. but the MOST they ever get tipped is like $2... most people share your view and give them absolutely nothing. if you don't want to tip, eat at home and clean up your own mess.

MrsRachel 4 years 6 weeks

I worked in the food service for years, and the places that I worked had a separate position for to-go people. They were paid an actual wage (not the 2.13 servers make), so I don't tip when I pick up my food. I would like to note though, that I I would make an exception if the order was extremely complicated, very large, or if I had special instructions that would take THEM--not the cooks--extra time.

weffie 4 years 6 weeks

tip everyone!! gawd! it's only a few bucks! at my restaurant if i ring in a takeaway order it still gets registered in my sales, so i still have to tip out a percent of that sale to the kitchen, a percent to the bar, and a percent to the hostess. when people don't tip it costs me money to have the pleasure of serving them (whether or not i actually, like, serve them or just pack up their order). if you're too cheap to tip, please ask your server if she has to pay based on sales... a decent person would at least cover what it's costing her, imo

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