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Curbside Takeaway Tipping Ettiquette

M

mashinhead

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 7, 2003
3,017
1,049
So i just picked up a curbside meal from a restaurant that i often get curbside from. The guy was really nice and after i signed everything i didn't leave a tip. He left in a hurry saying 'thanks for your generosity.'

I didn't tip him, not because i was trying to be a d****e but because to be honest i didn't think you tip for something like that. It's not like he gave me full table service, or drove it out to me, i don't even tip that great for delivery. He stopped me from parking that car.

I'm usually pretty sensitive to tipping, having spent sometime as a waiter at a myself. Although i never worked at a place that offered curbside takeway, i can't say that i would exepect too much from the tipping dept. there. And had he just stopped and talked to me maturely instead of giving me that comment and litterally running off so fast i couldn't correct anything i would probably have tipped him. i just didn't realize that you tip for that. And how much would you tip. Like a dollar? If i park the car and walkin i don't have to tip anything, do you guys tip for that?
 
Any time I have to get off of my lazy rump to get my food, nobody is getting a tip out of me. I once had a pizza guy call me to tell me to come out to the curb to get my pizza. It's not like I lived in an apartment complex or something, all he had to do was hop out of his car and knock on my front door. I asked him what the total was again, and came out with exact change down to the penny.

"What, no tip?" he said.

"What, no delivery?" I said.
 
I think you did the right tipping procedure, IMO. If he had to physically come out to the car, maybe a buck or so, but as you said, he's not really doing anything earning a tip. Walking six feet to your car isn't quite waiting on you at a table...
I also wonder about tipping at places that are a cafeteria-style place. There's this one chinese place I hit all the time, and it's cafeteria-ish. I ask for the entree, noodles, etc, she takes them out of the steam table thing, and then I pay. There's a tip jar and a tip field on the credit card slip. I leave one some times, but I don't know what proper procedure is for this situation. *shrug*

Alls I know is when I get a tip at the bakery I work at, it's only the change left over. We don't have a tip jar and every night before closing I take all the non-pennies out of the take a penny, leave a penny jar. While I'd like a tip jar, I dunno if it'd work too well. :p
 
I ALWAYS tip generously... but i am sick and tired of EVERYONE expecting a tip these days...

most of the clubs and restaurants i frequent all have bathroom attendants that do nothing but sit on a stool and watch me relieve myself. (which usually gives me stagefright anyway) then i wash my appendages and as im leaving they always have a huge sign... TIP PLEASE...

Tip? for what? watching me pee? occasionally the attendant will hand me a paper towell.... hmmm yeaa..... thats worth a few bucks....

i guess i usually leave curbside people 2 or 3 dollars but never over that... they dont have to repeatedly check on you... walk out and hand you a bag of food... game over
 
Electro Funk said:
I ALWAYS tip generously... but i am sick and tired of EVERYONE expecting a tip these days...
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Ditto! I tip pretty regularly, and if it's the middle of winter (not sure where the OP is located) and they've gotta run out in the cold to my car... yeah that's worth at least something.

But on those days where I don't tip I don't expect a snarky remark in return. So for the OP I guess it depends on a few things, the size of the order (ie: how much he's carrying) and what the weather is like. If it's an order of french fries and he's walking out on a beautiful sunny day, yeah no tip needed. If it's enough food for 2-4 people and it's -30 outside? Stop being so cheap and flip the guy a buck or two. You have a car, you can afford it.
 
Electro Funk said:
most of the clubs and restaurants i frequent all have bathroom attendants that do nothing but sit on a stool and watch me relieve myself. (which usually gives me stagefright anyway) then i wash my appendages and as im leaving they always have a huge sign... TIP PLEASE...

Tip? for what? watching me pee? occasionally the attendant will hand me a paper towell.... hmmm yeaa..... thats worth a few bucks....
Click to expand...

I HATE bathroom attendants. They're just as bad as squeegy kids.


i guess i usually leave curbside people 2 or 3 dollars but never over that... they dont have to repeatedly check on you... walk out and hand you a bag of food... game over
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You're more generous than I'd be in the same situation.
 
I used to work for Applebee's right when they started their curbside service, and occasionally had a "To go" shift scheduled. I earned minimum wage (real minimum, not servers minimum) or a little bit more, plus whatever money I got in tips. I never expected more than a dollar or so to gather all the condiments, plasticware, bag everything and bring it out to the car. Unless it was a particularly large order, I never really "expected" anything, but was happy with anything given. I can't recall, but I think that, on the busy nights, the regular servers even tipped the "to go" guy out a dollar or two each for preparing the food for their tables.

The "perk" (if any) of those shifts is that they are short and often don't require much work. So, I wouldn't worry too much about not tipping, unless it's a larger order, and then certainly not even 15%.
 
Here's a little UK comparison:

I work for a well known chain of restaurants, and took around £450 ($874 according to the widget) this evening. My total tips today were £17 ($33) which is a really good day for me (I don't know how this would compare to the US or Canada).

I had a £91 bill on a table of seven, and considering we don't charge a compulsory tip on tables over 6 like other places do, I at least expected a *little* tip. But nothing :(

I have no idea what my point is, but basically I would be very grateful if you dropped me a quid or two for taking out your meal, but then again I work in a climate where people don't always feel they need to tip. I'd like to think that the curbside guy doesn't feel hard done by for not being given gratuity for running food. To be honest, a genuine "Thank you" would be enough for me.
 
I'm so glad we're not into the whole tipping thing here. Sure, if I go out for dinner I usually leave any coinage, or if the service was really good anything up to 10% of the bill. Otherwise no tips - especially not for something like a takeaway service.
 
If the people are really nice or fun, or if I get very fast service, Ill tip a dollar and perhaps the change, but thats about it. A 'to go' order doesn't require a whole lot of effort on the individuals part.

Some sub shops here even have a place to tip. But tipping for fast food is not going to happen IMO unless I don't want to carry around the change.
 
tobefirst said:
The "perk" (if any) of those shifts is that they are short and often don't require much work. So, I wouldn't worry too much about not tipping, unless it's a larger order, and then certainly not even 15%.
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"Not even" 15%? I would never tip someone who just took the food to my car 15%.....not even 10%. If I order $40 worth of food, I'm not tipping $4-6 tip because you walked food to my car. I wouldn't tip unless the weather was really bad or I made a very large order that required more than one trip. If you're a waiter who has to come to my table 4-5 times, then tipping makes sense.

Lunja said:
Here's a little UK comparison:

I work for a well known chain of restaurants, and took around £450 ($874 according to the widget) this evening. My total tips today were £17 ($33) which is a really good day for me (I don't know how this would compare to the US or Canada).
Click to expand...

In Canada, I tip the waiter the same amount of money that I pay in tax (which is 15%, or was until recently), and that's only when the service was average, or better. This means I tip is less than 15% of the final bill (after taxes are included), so I guess I tip 12-13% of the final bill.

If the service was bad, then I tip him/her less. If the service was very bad, then I tip what is essentially nothing (whatever coins I happen to have), and my friends do the same. Some people have told me that this isn't very nice, and that I should tip 15% of the final bill, but why should I pay a tip for service if it sucked?

Sometimes I'd rather see waiters get a decent wage and never be required to tip. The tipping system works well in theory, but since people EXPECT(!) tips now from every customer, and a substantial one at that, it stops working in favour of the customer.

I have no idea what my point is, but basically I would be very grateful if you dropped me a quid or two for taking out your meal, but then again I work in a climate where people don't always feel they need to tip.
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Yeah, the UK is better that way, though. It's how the tipping system is supposed to work. You get paid money, and you might get a tip if you do a great job. You're not supposed to expect a 15% tip from every table.

max_altitude said:
I'm so glad we're not into the whole tipping thing here. Sure, if I go out for dinner I usually leave any coinage, or if the service was really good anything up to 10% of the bill. Otherwise no tips - especially not for something like a takeaway service.
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Exactly. It's one thing I love about Australia a lot --- the price on the menu is the price you pay.
 
dornoforpyros said:
Ditto! I tip pretty regularly, and if it's the middle of winter (not sure where the OP is located) and they've gotta run out in the cold to my car... yeah that's worth at least something.

But on those days where I don't tip I don't expect a snarky remark in return. So for the OP I guess it depends on a few things, the size of the order (ie: how much he's carrying) and what the weather is like. If it's an order of french fries and he's walking out on a beautiful sunny day, yeah no tip needed. If it's enough food for 2-4 people and it's -30 outside? Stop being so cheap and flip the guy a buck or two. You have a car, you can afford it.
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It was one plate of pasta, in Los angeles (its 80 deg here), and it wasn't even during their busy time (in between lunch and dinner).
 
Am I the only one who bases tips on how attractive the server is?

Pleasant women get an extra 5-10% for just being themselves :)
 
For the curbside service, I'd tip a dollar or two. If I didn't I wouldn't expect lip from the wait staff.

Am I the only one who bases tips on how attractive the server is?

Pleasant women get an extra 5-10% for just being themselves
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No, you're not alone. (he said shamefully)
 
I've never gotten curbside, but I dont think it deserves a tip, its not like they did that much work.

For sit-down restaraunts, I start at the usual 15%. if service was good, I go higher. If service sucked, I go down, or if it's bad enough, don't leave a thing.

I tip a dollar or two for pizza, if they arrive in a timely manner. Once, Papa Johns took more than an hour to deliver a pizza a mile and a half up the street. Needless to say, I didn't give the driver any tip.
 
I remember visiting the US about 10 years ago and having to figure out the tipping system (eg. how much is considered acceptable). We're like Australia here in that nobody expects to be tipped.
 
yg17 said:
Once, Papa Johns took more than an hour to deliver a pizza a mile and a half up the street. Needless to say, I didn't give the driver any tip.
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That happened to my friends and I once, also with Papa John's. Luckily, my cousin had worked as a driver for Papa Gino's for a while, and called up to find out what happened to our pizza, and maybe see if we could at least get the price knocked down a bit, seeing as we wanted the pizza in time for South Park. No dice on that, but it had just left the store.
When the driver came, my cousin went out and told him what was up. "Sorry about no tip, but we ordered this over an hour ago. We know it's not your fault, so bitch at your boss for the tip."
 
Abstract said:
"Not even" 15%? I would never tip someone who just took the food to my car 15%.....not even 10%. If I order $40 worth of food, I'm not tipping $4-6 tip because you walked food to my car. I wouldn't tip unless the weather was really bad or I made a very large order that required more than one trip. If you're a waiter who has to come to my table 4-5 times, then tipping makes sense.
Click to expand...

No...I very much agree with you. I guess I didn't make that point well. :)
 
Abstract said:
In Canada, I tip the waiter the same amount of money that I pay in tax (which is 15%, or was until recently), and that's only when the service was average, or better. This means I tip is less than 15% of the final bill (after taxes are included), so I guess I tip 12-13% of the final bill.

<snip>

Sometimes I'd rather see waiters get a decent wage and never be required to tip. The tipping system works well in theory, but since people EXPECT(!) tips now from every customer, and a substantial one at that, it stops working in favour of the customer.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I worked in Vancouver last summer as a busser and the tip system was very odd. As a busser I would earn 1% of the takings from each server in my section. For me this is great because I am guaranteed a tip-out regardless of how well the server does in gratuity. But say the server has a bad day and earns no tip, I would still get my tip out from their wages! Why should they have to pay me from their own earnings?! The restaurant employed me, not them, so why should they effectively take home less than minimum wage because they were paying me?!

All quite bizarre...
 
Lunja said:
The restaurant employed me, not them, so why should they effectively take home less than minimum wage because they were paying me?!
Click to expand...
Most likely because the service they gave sucked. It sounds like it encourages the waiting staff to be good.

All I know is that if you give me terrible service I'll tip you a penny as an insult just to let you know I didn't forget.

I've never had curbside service but I never tip if I go in to pick it up (take out).
 
Curbside is $1 + change left from bill.

If I am at a sit-down restaurant, then I leave 10% of the bill no matter what the service. From there if the service was good it increases. I also take into consideration the time of day and if its a holiday I tip really good.(I avoid most holidays though, but I meet with friends on New Years Day).
 
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