Do you tip the carhops at Sonic?

[Sun Baked]

Only on the days I'm sitting in the car and forget to wear my pants.

 

[mscriv]

As a former carhop (not at a Sonic), I disagree wholeheartedly. We are waitresses - we go to your car, we take your order, we place your order, and bring your food to you on a window tray with napkins and any other condiments you ask for. During your meal, we check in to see if you need anything else and if you're satisfied with your food. If you honk, we come over to see what you need. When you're done, we pick up your tray from your window with the mugs and trash left over. We collect your money and make change if needed. This is exactly the same process a waitress goes through if you were to go to a sit-down restaurant, albeit a lower-end one where wine isn't served and such.

Just because you stay in your car doesn't mean you're not getting service. When I was a carhop, we were paid under minimum wage, which was legal at the time. Most of our earnings came from tips. Of course, if you get bad service, tip little or nothing. If you get good service, give a commensurate tip.

It sounds like your place was full service. Most Sonics today don't work this way. You order through a speaker box in a parking place, so no one personally takes your order. If you pay with plastic the machine is right there with the speaker box and you pay just like a self service gas station. The Sonic carhop brings your food and that's it. There is no tray attached to your window or anything similar and they don't come back to check on you. Some people sit in their car and eat, but a lot simply drive off like going to a drive through. As someone mentioned there are some Sonics with a walk up window and picnic tables and I think there are some rare ones with actual seating like any other fast food restaurant.

Historically I believe Sonic was like the place you worked, but as they have become a national chain they have modernized. Today they are basically a fast food joint with the image/style of the 50's drive up soda shop and burger joint with carhops on roller-skates. In fact, I haven't seen a carhop on skates in years, probably an insurance thing.

I ate there recently and they missed something on my order. I buzzed using the speaker box to tell them and when the carhop came she had lots of attitude as if I was putting her out by making her come back to my car a second time. Of course this could have been an isolated incident, but overall Sonic is not at all like the full service carhop place where you worked. Any waiter doing the amount of work you mentioned should be considered for gratuity.

 

[themoonisdown09]

As a former carhop (not at a Sonic), I disagree wholeheartedly. We are waitresses - we go to your car, we take your order, we place your order, and bring your food to you on a window tray with napkins and any other condiments you ask for. During your meal, we check in to see if you need anything else and if you're satisfied with your food. If you honk, we come over to see what you need. When you're done, we pick up your tray from your window with the mugs and trash left over. We collect your money and make change if needed. This is exactly the same process a waitress goes through if you were to go to a sit-down restaurant, albeit a lower-end one where wine isn't served and such.

Just because you stay in your car doesn't mean you're not getting service. When I was a carhop, we were paid under minimum wage, which was legal at the time. Most of our earnings came from tips. Of course, if you get bad service, tip little or nothing. If you get good service, give a commensurate tip.

It was a good job during high school in the summers and really made me appreciate how difficult it can be to wait on people and provided additional motivation to go to college. Fortunately, tipping was the norm - I'd maybe get one person a week who didn't tip at all.

The carhops at Sonic only bring your food out to you... that's it. You take you're order the same way you would through a drive-thru; press a button on the menu and someone comes on through a speaker and you tell them what you want.

Granted, I've only done the whole carhop thing at Sonic a couple times, but they've always just brought me my food and I never saw them again. I did give them $1 to be nice, but nothing more.

 

[Randman]

I did well for good service at a bar or restaurant. Somewhere where people work for tips. I don't tip for services like Sonic as they are paid for that. If I order Starbucks and somehow they bring the coffee to my seat, I don't tip them for that.

Too many people expect tips for doing their jobs these days.

 

[DAM-Photography]

I don't because they won't share the tips with other employee's whom actually work rather then walk less then 100 yards to deliver food.

 

[MacDawg]

Never eat there, but I think some of the commercials are funny

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[r6girl]

It sounds like your place was full service. Most Sonics today don't work this way. You order through a speaker box in a parking place, so no one personally takes your order. If you pay with plastic the machine is right there with the speaker box and you pay just like a self service gas station. The Sonic carhop brings your food and that's it. There is no tray attached to your window or anything similar and they don't come back to check on you. Some people sit in their car and eat, but a lot simply drive off like going to a drive through. As someone mentioned there are some Sonics with a walk up window and picnic tables and I think there are some rare ones with actual seating like any other fast food restaurant.

Historically I believe Sonic was like the place you worked, but as they have become a national chain they have modernized. Today they are basically a fast food joint with the image/style of the 50's drive up soda shop and burger joint with carhops on roller-skates. In fact, I haven't seen a carhop on skates in years, probably an insurance thing.

I ate there recently and they missed something on my order. I buzzed using the speaker box to tell them and when the carhop came she had lots of attitude as if I was putting her out by making her come back to my car a second time. Of course this could have been an isolated incident, but overall Sonic is not at all like the full service carhop place where you worked. Any waiter doing the amount of work you mentioned should be considered for gratuity.

The carhops at Sonic only bring your food out to you... that's it. You take you're order the same way you would through a drive-thru; press a button on the menu and someone comes on through a speaker and you tell them what you want.

Granted, I've only done the whole carhop thing at Sonic a couple times, but they've always just brought me my food and I never saw them again. I did give them $1 to be nice, but nothing more.

Well, damn. I didn't expect technology to make such a difference in a carhop job. From what you both have described, they don't do much at all and I'm thinking tipping is definitely optional and not at all required at Sonic.

However, if you go to a drive-in restaurant where the carhop provides more service, please tip! Carrying trays with glass mugs while wearing roller skates is no joke.

 

[Sun Baked]

Working at a fast food register, and coming up shot during the day, while being on video seen pocketing cash would look really bad.

When I worked at one, I got in the habit of not taking any cash to work.

 

[besler3035]

I love how there's a TON of commercials in my area about Sonic, but there's actually no Sonic near here.

But yeah, never been to one. And is it really a drive in? Like I could've sworn in the commercials they were at the drive-through like in certain McDonalds/Burger King, where you drive through, pick up your meal, and then keep on driving.

Same way til last month up my way. And yes, it's really a drive-in. But it's a drive-through too. And you can walk up to the window. Basically the best fast food restaurant on the planet.

 

[eleven2brett]

When I worked at Chick-fil-A i got a few tips. Once time $20! It was mainly when I would help set up birthday parties, or load party trays in a trunk. But once or twice it was from people who just thought I was doing a good job. It really is a huge moral booster to even get a dollar extra from a customer.

 

[AlecG.]

Nope, usually pay with debit and hardly ever carry cash.

 

[CJS7070]

I usually just go through the drive-thru (and don't tip, of course).

 

[MacNut]

if this is how it works, than a tip seems warranted.
i had never heard of the place, nor the term carhop, before this thread

I thought carhops were huge back in the 50-60's, surprised you have never heard of it.

 

[dsnort]

Always tip them. And if she's on skates and goes bust ass in front of me, the tips get larger. "Wow, dinner and a show!"

 

[maestro55]

If I am paying with cash and she is cute than I usually say keep the change. Usually I am paying with a card and so I don't tip. As others have pointed out, this is fast food and this isn't table service. Not sure what they make an hour, it is likely more than waitresses make thought.