Question about tipping.

[southtj]

So I was really bored :wink: and was checking out Mingez' website bulletin board. There was a post about Pet Peeves and they mentioned people that don't tip.
(http://wjassociation.proboards31.com/index.cgi?board=Talk&num=1094105098&action=display&start=0)

My question, for those of you that go to Sonic, is do you tip the person that walks the food to your car? I usually don't but have on occasion if there is a little change left over. Now, I'm not a cheap guy. I always tip waiters and waitresses at least 20% for good service and more for great service. But, I don't tip the people at Burger King or any other fast food restaurant so why should I tip at Sonic just because they had to walk a few more feet? I had a girl recently not even offer me my change, she just walked off. So that really got me wondering if I'm the only one out there that is not tipping the Sonic girls (or guys).

Oh yeah, I also don't like tipping the car wash dudes. Too many times I've tipped them and then get in the car and drive off and start seeing places that they've missed.


edit: For those that don't have them in your area, Sonic is a Drive-in type restaurant where you pull up and place your order and they bring the food out to your car. Many years ago they used to do this on rollerskates.

 

[bchcky]

Halloween ideas

i'm a valet, and all i can say, is make sure you tip valets, and not a measly dollar or two, give us five bucks, in the long run, what is five bucks in a night where you go to a nice resturant? (based on the fact that crappy resturaunts usually dont have valet)

 

[bchcky]

but i can say i will tip well at a sit down resturaunt, but not at BK or wendy's or something like that. we dont have sonic's in boston, so i couldnt tell you what to do in that situation.

 

[southtj]

i'm a valet, and all i can say, is make sure you tip valets, and not a measly dollar or two, give us five bucks, in the long run, what is five bucks in a night where you go to a nice resturant? (based on the fact that crappy resturaunts usually dont have valet)

I've only used a valet a couple of times. Are you supposed to tip when dropping off the car or picking up? It's not always the same person doing both. The times I did, I just tipped when picking up the car. Is that right though?

 

[Who_Cares]

One of my Favorite Movie conversations:

Reservoir Dogs

NICE GUY EDDIE
Okay, everybody cough up green for
the little lady.

Everybody whips out a buck, and throws it on the table.
Everybody, that is, except Mr. PINK.

NICE GUY EDDIE
C'mon, throw in a buck.

MR. PINK
Uh-uh. I don't tip.

NICE GUY EDDIE
Whaddaya mean you don't tip?

MR. PINK
I don't believe in it.

NICE GUY EDDIE
You don't believe in tipping?

MR. WHITE
(laughing)
I love this kid, he's a madman,
this guy.

MR. BLONDE
Do you have any idea what these
ladies make? They make ####.

MR. PINK
Don't give me that. She don't
make enough money, she can quit.

Everybody laughs.

NICE GUY EDDIE
I don't even know a ### who'd have
the ##### to say that. So let's
get this straight. You never ever
tip?

MR. PINK
I don't tip because society says I
gotta. I tip when somebody
deserves a tip. When somebody
really puts forth an effort, they
deserve a little something extra.
But this tipping automatically,
that ####'s for the birds. As far
as I'm concerned, they're just
doin their job.

MR. BLUE
Our girl was nice.

MR. PINK
Our girl was okay. She didn't do
anything special.

MR. BLONDE
What's something special, take ya
in the kitchen and (BLAH?)

They all laugh.

NICE GUY EDDIE
I'd go over twelve percent for
that.

MR. PINK
Look, I ordered coffee. Now we've
been here a long ###### time, and
she's only filled my cup three
times. When I order coffee, I
want it filled six times.

MR. BLONDE
What if she's too busy?

MR. PINK
The words "too busy" shouldn't be
in a waitress's vocabulary.

NICE GUY EDDIE
Excuse me, Mr. Pink, but the last
thing you need is another cup of
coffee.

They all laugh.

MR. PINK
These ladies aren't starvin to
death. They make minimum wage.
When I worked for minimum wage, I
wasn't lucky enough to have a job
that society deemed tipworthy.

NICE GUY EDDIE
Ahh, now we're getting down to it.
It's not just that he's a cheap
bastard--

MR. ORANGE
--It is that too--

NICE GUY EDDIE
--It is that too. But it's also
he couldn't get a waiter job. You
talk like a pissed off dishwasher:
"BLAH those BLAHs and their
BLAHing tips."

MR. BLONDE
So you don't care that they're
counting on your tip to live?

Mr. Pink rubs two of his fingers together.

MR. PINK
Do you know what this is? It's
the world's smallest violin,
playing just for the waitresses.

MR. BLONDE
You don't have any idea what
you're talking about. These
people bust their butts. This
is a hard job.

MR. PINK
So's working at McDonald's, but
you don't feel the need to tip
them. They're servin ya food, you
should tip em. But no, society
says tip these guys over here, but
not those guys over there. That's
bull.

MR. ORANGE
They work harder than the kids at
McDonald's.

MR. PINK
Oh yeah, I don't see them cleaning
fryers.

MR. BROWN
These people are taxed on the tips
they make. When you stiff 'em,
you cost them money.

MR. BLONDE
Waitressing is the number one
occupation for female non-college
graduates in this country. It's
the one job basically any woman
can get, and make a living on.
The reason is because of tips.

MR. PINK
BLAH all that.

They all laugh.

MR. PINK
Hey, I'm very sorry that the
government taxes their tips.
That's messed up. But that ain't
my fault. it would appear that
waitresses are just one of the
many groups the government screws
on a regular basis.
You show me a paper says the
government shouldn't do that, I'll
sign it. Put it to a vote, I'll
vote for it. But what I won't do
is play ball. And this non-
college BS you're telling
me, I got two words for that:
"Learn to BLAH type." Cause if
you're expecting me to help out
with the rent, you're in for a big
surprise.

MR. ORANGE
He's convinced me. Give me my
dollar back.

Everybody laughs. Joe's comes back to the table.

 

[graewulf]

I agree with that sentiment... TIP: To Insure Promptness - that is where it started, now you feel obligated to tip because the cheap restaurant owners pay their wait staff 2.13 an hour to wait tables (the legal minimum wage for tipped staff). I'd rather see them pay the staff 5.15/hour and raise the price of a meal $2.00 and have a tip be what it is supposed to be - an incentive for good service. Most places the service isn't great, its mediocre, so that's how I tip. If they want a decent tip, they will give me decent service - its only fair.

$5 for a valet, huh? for 5 minutes work.. that works out to $60 an hour plus your wage. Lets see.. $5 tip per car parked - that's what? about $20 an hour on a slow night realistically, plus your wage. You make more than most people if that is the case.

 

[88Wrangles]

My senior year, I valeted a couple of times for different events at my high school. Some of the people would pay around $100, and much more sometimes. Plus, you would get to drive brand new Lamborguini's (i know it's probably spelled wrong), Ferrari's, and prettty much any really expensive car you could imagine.

But no, I would usually not tip at Sonics, or any other place like that. I might leave them the change, but that's about it.

 

[bchcky]

$5 for a valet, huh? for 5 minutes work.. that works out to $60 an hour plus your wage. Lets see.. $5 tip per car parked - that's what? about $20 an hour on a slow night realistically, plus your wage. You make more than most people if that is the case.

depends on where the resturaunt is and how far away the garage is where we park the car. sometimes takes 10-15 minutes to get the car. we get a base of $4 an hour, below minimum wage, because of the tips. i'm in college, i survive on the tips, my checks for $60 a week dont do me much good.

$60 an hour huh? lets see you park 12 cars in an hour at some of the places i work. if you'd rather walk in the cold of the winter or the heat of the summer 5 minutes away to get your own car, be my guest, but if you come valet it, and expect me to run my ass for your car you had better f'in tip me or park it yourself.

and south, to answer your question, tip whenever you'd like, we dont really care as long as we get taken care of. if you want to tip after based on the service, do so. we greatly appreciate it as our base pay is not very high. just know, if you drive up in a nice car, more money up front and a request, might get you a front spot, meaning your car will stay right up in front of the resturaunt and not be driven at all. just food for thought, but if you dont really care, pay the regular valet charge, and tip when you feel appropriate.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

Tips are earned not given as far as I can see it. Just because you make $2.13 per hour and tips does not earn you my tip! I am for the most part going to give 15% and up to 25% as long as you do your job and do like you feel it your job to do a good job. If you are lacking in service you will get as little as nada! Valet $5.00 to park my car, That is nice but I am not going to let you park my car to start with just cause I am the way I am. As for Sonic yea I do tip and it is just about a half a buck more or less. Usually what ever the change is coming back from a buck. At the last resturant I was Chef at we had 4 to 6 waite staff and averaged more in tips than I did on salary as the cook. Go figure! tug

 

[Junkpile]

I have a different way of tipping now than I used to. My wife makes me leave a minimum of 15% now, but I used to give insulting tips if the service was bad. I think finding 3 pennies proudly displayed on the table makes the wait staff more angry than finding no tip at all :lol: Me and two buddies had a waiter follow us out of the restaurant and throw our dime at us......the manager stopped us from beating him into the ground, and simply fired him. You get what you earn if I'm paying you.....it's not my fault you have a crappy arrangement with your employer. On the other hand, I'll give a $10 tip on a $40 meal if my drinking glass stays full, you have a smile on your face, and I'm in a good mood.
I tip at Sonic.... :roll: .....about 10%.

 

[LadyJeepFreak]

I'm a passive agressive tipper. I let the person with me choose the tip. I could care less, sorry ya'll. I never walk out without leaving a tip but I hate math and really don't have time to deal with worrying about tipping someone all the time.

I agree though that it isn't given just "because". It should be "deserved".

<edit> Taking out the remainder of my post so I don't inflame all the waitstaff's on the site.

Lady

 

[Inspector-Gadget]

South442,

The “tipping question” is difficult to answer with any specificity because tipping customs tend to vary across the US.

It has been my experience that the tipping customs common to large northeastern US cities (Boston; for example) would be seen as extortion in smaller mid-western and far-western US cities.

As a generic guide: when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Regards,

Gadget

 

[mingez]

BOSTON IN THE HOUSE!

My thoughts on the subject....

I tip quite a bit...having waited tables for a while.

Now, at a sit-down restaurant: I round up because I too hate math. I'm not going to wip out my calculator to find out what the percentage was...OH MY GOD. All of my ex girlfriend's and current girlfriend do that, and it makes me insane. I should add that to the pet peeves list.

The amount is dependant on service quality. If I get grated, then I always take that as an insult and tip EXACTLY the gratuity. If they don't I always beat 20 percent by a lot for good service.

As for Sonic, here in New Mexico, there is a drive thru and a drive up. If I sit at the drive up, then I do give a small tip. Maybe a dollar a meal.

At a coffee shop, I hate the jar because half of the time the coffee barista doesn't see you put the money in the jar....I WANT CREDIT for my tip.

Another note: If the meal or drinks comes to a small amount, for example 6 dollars. I won't use percentage, cause I will never leave change and no paper. Atleast 2 bucks a meal cause it's the same amount of work (assuming service is good).

Also, tip size depends on market. San Francisco, New York, Chicago etc. your percentages get higher...especially for Valet. Parking is finite in those cities, and a good valet is going to save you money in the long run. You don't want to walk in the winter, or get mugged, yada yada.

 

[Special_K]

No Fear!!!

I usually tip but my tip ranges widely depending on service. I've left nothing or a few cents for bad service and I've tipped well in excess of 50% (possibly closer to 100%) for absolutely over-and-above service.

On average, I hang around 15-20% for satisfactory/good service then ratchet it up or down from there.

Valets have always been an issue for me. I typically do $2 to $5 (once as high as $10) depending on the service provided, the demonination of bills I have, my mood, the alignment of the moon and stars, etc.

But I have been confused as well by the fact that the person parking it is not the same person picking it up. I just tip the person that brings it back to me and figure the person parking it realiizes that.

 

[Saurian]

Now, at a sit-down restaurant: I round up because I too hate math. I'm not going to wip out my calculator to find out what the percentage was...OH MY GOD. All of my ex girlfriend's and current girlfriend do that, and it makes me insane. I should add that to the pet peeves list.

My grandma is notorious for that, she'll whip out this little card that tells you the conversion for 10, 15, and 20 percent based on meal price, and leave it to the penny... If I was serving, that would tell me that she is leaving a tip because she is supposed to, not because she was pleased with anything. She's one of those: This is too tough, this is too salty, this doesn't taste right, this isn't how it should be...

Another note: If the meal or drinks comes to a small amount, for example 6 dollars. I won't use percentage, cause I will never leave change and no paper. Atleast 2 bucks a meal cause it's the same amount of work (assuming service is good).

I agree wholeheartedly... This one guy that I worked with, we'd go out to breakfast at 10:00 break... Don't know around the country, but if you go to a little mom & pop place around here, you can get a good sized eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, orange juice meal easily for about $3.00, sometimes less depending. He'd break it down, leave a quarter, or a couple dimes or something...

If I get rotten service, and it has happened before, I will not leave as much, but for the most part I tip pretty well, (which is probably why I am as broke as I am)... Servers are a touchy one with me, I work in a restaurant, have for my last 3 jobs now... There are times that I have seen some of these girls in tears because, after waiting on a party of 10 or so, drinks, apps, food, dessert, the whole 9 yards, they got $5.00 on a $150.00 bill. But at the same time, they're counting up, Oh man, I got $75.00 tonight, and I'm standing there thinking how ruthlessly unfair that is... Oh well...

As for fast food, if I'm at a place where there is an entire kitchen working, I'm not gonna tip the person that takes my money... But when I worked at Subway, me being the one person who greeted, took order, made food, packaged food, and rang you up, getting a tip was always a nice thing, and there were some very nice people that would do so... So if someone is individually busting butt to make my dining experience a happy one, I will tip them

 

[Green97TJ]

I always try to leave a tip, even if the service is just ok, especially if i can tell its busy in the place. Yea, thats no excuse for me to have crappy service, but its not my waitperson's fault that the manager wont work more people. But I have absolutely no problem leaving no tip if the service is crappy.

As far as valets... Ive never even been to that high class of a place before. And maybe Im just a dumb country boy, but I would prefer not go to that kind of place. Way to fancy for me. Probably cant afford it anyway.


Nathan

 

[judge09]

When tipping try to give it directly to the wait person. (Being a former waiter) It is always nice to get an earned tip and usually a little verbal graditude directly from a satisfied customer. Plus the bus boys are evil and will steal tips!!! (I was a bus boy too and have seen it)

That being said, bad serivce = NO TIP. My wife gets pissed at me when I do this but there is no way I am tipping someone for a bad service, bad food or me having a bad day. I dont care whose fault it is. I think about it like any job. If one person on your business team fails which makes the project tank the client doesnt pay everyone else who worked hard on the project. Its the end product that matters to me. And the boo hooing about $2.13 an hour is BS to me. That pay structure is a risk. A risk the wait person took when accepting the job. vent vent vent...now I must get back to work so my project doesnt tank. I need to get PAID :twisted:

 

[TwistedCU]

I tip. Usually 20% but sometimes I tip very well if the service warrants it. I have given a small tip that may had been taken as an insult 'cause the service was completely atrocious, but that has only happened once so far.

Just don't even think for a second that I will put so much as pocket lint in a tip jar!!! What's with them anyway? They seem to be everywhere these days.

I don't have Sonics around here, and I don't eat at nice enough resturaunts to have had the need to tip a Valet (okay, once, but that was on the honeymoon and yes I tipped.)

I have wondered what the deal is with Outback steak house. Sometimes we get the "curbside takeaway" where you call in the order then a gal brings it out to the car for ya. I've always tipped her but feel like I'm being jipped when I do. She gets varying percentages based on how hot she is :lol:

 

[mud4feet]

WoW! Who would've thought that the subject of tipping would've produced such a plethora of responses! This is Mrs. Mud here and I have an opinion on this subject. I waited tables for years- in addition to being a therapist at a nursing home- I think most wait staff have more than one job. I always appreciated a good tip, even though I definately wasn't a very good wiatress- not for lack of trying. I found being a waitress a lot like learning to bowl- way too many things to remember all at once, and way too far reaching consequences when you forget one little thing.
On the subject of valets......I used one once, right after I got my YJ- the car of my dreams. We went to the casino and used the valet parking- I thought I was all that and a bag of chips! I tipped that guy great- anybody driving away in my Jeep is going to have all the incentive I can provide to treat it like the heroic vehicle it is.

 

[mud4feet]

I found being a waitress a lot like learning to bowl- way too many things to remember all at once, and way too far reaching consequences when you forget one little thing.

She used that comparison to bowling only because she's never GOLFED!!!

mud