Takeout Tipping Policy
It's a Friday night and you feel pooped out from a busy week and all you want to do is order takeout and get home into your pj's. Be it pizza or Chinese takeout you'll probably pay with credit card and the server/cashier will hand you a regular receipt slip for your signature and the optional tip amount... What do you do?
Should I leave tip? and if so, how much? I don't want to seem like a stingy customer but really, how much work is involved in putting food in a container? I think the deciding factor is whether I pay cash or plastic. If the total is $8.79 and I pay with a $10 bill I'll let them know I don't need change back. Perhaps the rule of thumb is that your tip should reflect the level of service you received. Still, I don't tip on takeout orders.
When I waited (at Mo Rae's
When I waited (at Mo Rae's Cafe) I would get tips once in a while for take out but I wouldn't do special things for them. I would be quicker but in most cases I would even forget to give them stuff because of the rush.
I don't tip on take out
I don't tip on take out either. Delivery is one thing, but they are basically acting as a cashier instead of a server. It sucks for the server that they are still only getting paid 4.75 an hour. Though I think its unfair for the consumer to pay for a service they didn't use because a restaurant underpays its employees.
You bring up a good point about cash though. I don't like spare change so I just let them keep it if it's not too much. If I have to make a special request, I try to tip too. It's never much though. At most a dollar or so is reasonable to me pending on the the quality of service.