Wow, I too have never thought of tipping for pick up food. Never have and I don't think I ever will.

Yet, I do tip the guy that cleans up the tables at buffet places where there are no waitresses, just busboys.

The delivery boy - yes. The people behind the counter - no.

I tip a few dollars when I pick up to go orders at places I frequent regularly.

Waiters - Yes
Counter Personnel - No

My wife, an Australian, feels we Ameicans are suckers for tipping as much as we do. But as someone who earned most of his college income from tips, I disagree. Waiters/waitresses are paid next to nothing because their employers know that they'll get tips. Doesn't make it right, but that's the way it is!

However, I've come to like the American system. TIPS is an acronym for To Insure Prompt Service. And I tip accordingly: 15% for average service, 20%+ for above average or exceptional service, and <15% for substandard service.

And guess what! It seems to work, at least based on the service here vs. Australia. Waiters/waitresses there are covered by a very generous minimum wage, and since most Aussies don't tip (or only tip change), the waiters don't expect a tip, and therefore don't work for it. So, all too often, you get very lackidaisical service.

The American waiter works for his/her tips. But a counter person? Do you tip the check-out chick at Ralphs or Jewel or the clerk at K-Mart? I'm glad to tip a waiter who spends significant time waiting on me, but I think tipping for bagging my purchase and ringing up my charge is a bit much!

An afterthough....here in Southern California there is an ugly practice with "doggie bags." Everyplace else I've found that when I want to take home what is left, the waiter takes my food away and returns it packaged to take home. To me, that's the way it should be.

But here in Southern California, they have a habit of coming back to the table and plunking a styrofoam container in front of you, expecting you to scoop up your leftovers yourself.

That I find really disgusting! I didn't pay to go to a restaurant to do kitchen work! I came to be WAITED on! That's what WAITers are supposed to do! Whenever that happens I deduct 2% from the tip; so a normal 20% tip becomes 18%, and a 15% tip becomes 13%.

I once (in Charlston, SC) received a bill (I was with my husband in which the waiter who possessed of all the charm of a drink blender had written

"15% service charge NOT included".

Livid my husband wrote

"15% service NOT provided" and left 1c extra on the credit card form. Equally unknown he rang back and told the "manager" the same night.

The following night we went back to the restauant that we had eaten at so far and told the personnel there. They asked if they could have it for a moment. The next thing some man shot out of the bar and disappeared. They came back grinning

"That was the owner!" They said.

He might have come and spoken to us first! Still this incident was totally at odds to the charm and courtesy of that lovely town that I will return to. The restaurant that we liked was named after a flower. Magnolia comes to mind.

Your husband is named Livid?

If you order take-out from Waffle House, they will add a 10% gratuity to your bill (sort of like the European "service charge"). Obviously they will accept additional tip if you wish, but the 10% is added because the waiter/waitress takes your order over the phone, fills the drinks, etc.

No service is provided beyond delivery of the product, so you should have no further obligation.

Unless you simply feel like doing so....

Delivery of the product is part of the sit-down restaurant experience, no? Granted, it's not everything, but should be worth more than zero (hence the 10% gratuity at Waffle House). It may seem like you soak up a lot of the waiter's time when dining in, but unless you're a pest, most of the time you are sitting there by yourself and the waiter is doing something else.

One time I worked at a pizza place that had sit-down, take-out and delivery service. Most pizzas went out by take-out or delivery. I never got tips for answering the phone and filling out the order slip at $2.09/hour. I also rarely got tips on buffet night even though I seated people, took their drink order, delivered the drinks, and cleaned up after them. Most of the time my paycheck was bumped up to standard minimum wage, so I quit, figuring that if I'm going to make minimum wage I may as well do something easier such as McDonald's.

It just makes no sense to me why people tip at Starbucks or a hotel, where the employees make standard minimum wage, but don't tip for take-out where the wait staff makes practically nothing.

It's the other services the waiter provides that I tip for. If the waiter were to deliver the food and then disappear for the rest of the meal, I wouldn't tip.


if I don't use optional services at those places, I don't see an obligation to tip there either.

I usually do, although I generally tip less than with dine-in -- on the order of "a couple of bucks" rather than my usual 15-20%.

Actually, at some of the cheapest places I go, it ends up being around the same -- I'll usually tip a minimum of $1 for myself, or $2 for my wife and I, even if it's a $10-ish take-out order.`

I think tipping has evolved from "a little extra" for exceptional service to a living wage in some industries, especially restaurants. It's gone a bit too far in the U.S.... waiters/waitresses shouldn't have to depend on the whims of customers to determine if they can pay the bills - they should be paid decently. At the same time, a customer eating in a restaurant should enjoy a decent level of service, regardless of tipping.

While on the subject of tipping, getting room service at a hotel is outrageous. Besides the item cost, you are often charged delivery and an 18% tip, plus there is usually a line for "additional" tips on top of that....

And to answer the original poster's question, I tip waiters generously (knowing the above, I sort of have to), but don't tip counter folks or leave money in tip jars. How else am I to get the food besides them handing it to me?

Take out no


Has everyone noticed tip jars at places they should not be

it is getting out of hand.

Tip for service, IF you want to, not for a jar out or a hand out.

Even a so-called "service charge" is ridiculous, IMHO. Just put the pre-tax price on the darn menu!

I like the idea of the service charge. The take-out service charge at Waffle House eliminates the decision of whether to tip. In Europe, the service charge can be removed from the bill if the service is awful.