Tipping for take out at Urban Plates/Tender Greens

How much do you tip when taking out from one of these eateries?

  • No tip for take out

    Votes: 28 84.8%

  • Throw $1-2 into tip jar

    Votes: 1 3.0%

  • Add $1-2 to credit card receipt

    Votes: 4 12.1%

  • 10%

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 15-20%

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    33
W

Wobert

New member
I always feel awkward when it comes to tipping at places like this. When eating in, I'll generally tip 15%, even though it's not a full service sit-down place. However, I don't know what to do for take out orders. I want to find out what the norm is for Irvine.
 
Wobert said:
I always feel awkward when it comes to tipping at places like this. When eating in, I'll generally tip 15%, even though it's not a full service sit-down place. However, I don't know what to do for take out orders. I want to find out what the norm is for Irvine.
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I usually just tip like $3
 
Wobert said:
I always feel awkward when it comes to tipping at places like this. When eating in, I'll generally tip 15%, even though it's not a full service sit-down place. However, I don't know what to do for take out orders. I want to find out what the norm is for Irvine.
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Urban Plates, Lemonade, et al are basically cafeteria food.  Do you tip the lunch lady at school?  At the IKEA cafe?

Most audacious are the iPads which require you to tap a tip % at checkout.  You should be able to tap "no tip" with impunity, particularly with a looming $15/hour minimum wage.
 
Whenever I get takeout, I always pay cash.  For some reason it makes me feel better about getting the change back rather than having to put a line through the "tip" area of a cc receipt.
 
If it's a mom and pop shop that I know on a face to face basis and I like their food and service, I'll usually just give them the cash change or round up on a credit card charge.
 
Looks like so far the vast majority doesn't tip on take out. So you don't feel paranoid about the staff memorizing your face so they can give you smaller portions or worse next time? I appreciate all the responses.
 
Wobert said:
Looks like so far the vast majority doesn't tip on take out. So you don't feel paranoid about the staff memorizing your face so they can give you smaller portions or worse next time? I appreciate all the responses.
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paranoid much?  LOL...I wouldn't worry about it too much.  As you can see, the majority of customers don't tip, especially on take-out.  You won't stand out in a crowd. 
 
I worked in restaurants through college, including a while doing take out dinners.  Regular non-tippers got "standard treatment" as defined by the boss.  Regular tippers got  extras within the rules and other benefits.  One guy liked extra cheese on his pasta and at first wanted a little extra container of it.  I explained to him that if I gave him a container, I would have to charge him, per the rules.  But there wasn't a rule on throwing more (a LOT more) inside the food container, if that was what he wanted.  Regular tippers more often got perks, which the manager approved, but which I initiated, such as free deserts/drinks for having to wait.  One time I messed up and forgot part of an order.  The next time they came in, months later, I remembered, and they got their dinner for free that night.

I do takeout regularly at a local Chipotle, and I tip, and I get much the same treatment.  Occasional free entrees for this or that, and drinks for waiting.
 
I've never seen a difference when I tip 15% or 25%.  I think as long as you are in the normal range it doesn't matter.  However, I'm sure if I tip 50% I would get noticed and maybe get some perks.  But I could easily just buy whatever "perk" it is they give me and tip only 15%.
 
Half the reason for getting takeout is to avoid having to tip.  If I tip 15% for takeout I may as well be waited on for 40 minutes.
 
woodburyowner said:
I've never seen a difference when I tip 15% or 25%.  I think as long as you are in the normal range it doesn't matter.  However, I'm sure if I tip 50% I would get noticed and maybe get some perks.  But I could easily just buy whatever "perk" it is they give me and tip only 15%.
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To clarify, I don't tip for perks. I tip because I know how crappy a job food service is, and I appreciate what they do.  The perks thing was just an observation; I'm sure I'm not ahead financially from tipping.  And I agree, the % doesn't matter all that much.  If the vast majority of folks don't tip at all, even a buck is likely to be appreciated.  I know I appreciated every tip, even if it jingled lightly.  Although this was years ago, the entrees I sold then were about what a CMG burrito costs now, and I recall thinking that if every customer gave 30 or 40 cents per order, I would have been thrilled.  But the reality was most didn't tip, and I relied on the 10-20% who gave $1-3 per order. 
 
aquabliss said:
Half the reason for getting takeout is to avoid having to tip.  If I tip 15% for takeout I may as well be waited on for 40 minutes.
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I share this sentimentality but I also feel for the person who preps my order. So I usually tip a smaller amount like 5-10%.

I'm sure 1%ers have no issue tipping 20% on takeout (do 1%ers even order takeout?).
 
aquabliss said:
Half the reason for getting takeout is to avoid having to tip.
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Me, too! When I'm broke and I still want their food, I do take out.

There's no rule in this, so I have to rely on the golden rule. If I were in their shoes, would I have a problem? No. Yes, I've worked in restaurant industry.

But if you guys wanna do charity, I won't stop you.
 
Wobert said:
When eating in, I'll generally tip 15%, even though it's not a full service sit-down place.
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I don't tip in either place when eating in.

My general rules for giving tip is if they:
1. Take order at my table
2. Bring me my order
3. Bring me the check
4. Pick up and process my payment
 
It irks me when places ask you to indicate your tip at the time you pay, before they've lifted a finger. (I'm talking about right when you step inside, order & pay at the register before they make anything.) I caught Wahoo's Fish Tacos @ The Spectrum notifying the staff how much I / we / you tip on our order form as it hangs on display from the carousel in the kitchen when they're putting your order together. I only noticed it because on the pre-paid tip line, instead of writing in an amount in the conventional way that they want you to, I decided to write the word: "Cash" while paying for my order with a c.c. I have eagle eyes and spotted the word "Cash" written in big letters on an order form in the kitchen. I knew it had to be mine because I don't think anybody else writes this in the amount line. So tacky. It was confirmed when they then mistakenly(?) put the same form in my to-go bag with the order. It reminded me of when Carnival Cruise was busted in 2009 for displaying lists of passengers who opted out of pre-paid tipping by putting them up in the kitchen for the staff to all be aware of.
 
SoCal said:
It irks me when places ask you to indicate your tip at the time you pay, before they've lifted a finger. (I'm talking about right when you step inside, order & pay at the register before they make anything.) I caught Wahoo's Fish Tacos @ The Spectrum notifying the staff how much I / we / you tip on our order form as it hangs on display from the carousel in the kitchen when they're putting your order together. I only noticed it because on the pre-paid tip line, instead of writing in an amount in the conventional way that they want you to, I decided to write the word: "Cash" while paying for my order with a c.c. I have eagle eyes and spotted the word "Cash" written in big letters on an order form in the kitchen. I knew it had to be mine because I don't think anybody else writes this in the amount line. So tacky. It was confirmed when they then mistakenly(?) put the same form in my to-go bag with the order. It reminded me of when Carnival Cruise was busted in 2009 for displaying lists of passengers who opted out of pre-paid tipping by putting them up in the kitchen for the staff to all be aware of.
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New POS systems with regulations now.  You have to tip while paying now.  It's like Europe now.  Every restaurant that allows you to put in tip afterwards is still out to date.  Eventually VISA won't allow you to dispute any charges/chargebacks if you don't use the new system.  If you've been in a chilli's or red robin's, that's the way of the future, that tiny system
 
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