Jean in Newcastle Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I'm thinking a place like the teriyaki restaurant that is a small step up from fast food but you pay at the counter, you get your own drink, you grab your own flatware, bus your own table etc. Sometimes you even have to get your own food from the counter, though they will often bring it out to you. There is always a place for a tip on the credit card receipt. I never use it. Should I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindergretta Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I don't. <bag over head> If I have to tip because they rang up my order, don't I also have to tip the grocery store cashier? Or the McDonalds' cashier? What about JCPenney, when they help me find what I am looking for, unlock a dressing room, and then ring me up? Should I tip them, too? I am horrible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah C. Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I never tip at places like that. I might occasionally put money in the tip jar that, say, a coffee shop or Starbucks has out, but I would never put a tip on the receipt in a self-serve restaurant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I don't tip at all, I live in a society that doesn't have compulsory tipping. Tipping is only given if the service is exemplary. I have never tipped anyone in my life. p.s. I have only eaten in a restaurant a handful of times in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I ate at a place like that yesterday. When you order, you get a number to put on your table and they bring the food out. They might stop by and ask how everything is. The people that work there are so incredibly nice, I always feel like I need to tip. I don't tip as much as I would at a full service restaurant, but I still give more than I want to. I feel like I probably shouldn't tip more than a couple of dollars, but I just can't do it without feeling guilty. Yesterday, I tipped $5 on a $35 order. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 It depends. We go to Culver's (butterburgers and frozen custard :D) with my parents, where they bring your food out, but you bus your own table. I never tip. I've never even thought of tipping. It's basically Burger King, except that they carry the food to your table if it isn't ready yet. :001_smile: We go to a local place, and they bring your food out and they also bus your table. The men who bus the table are generally mentally challenged, and they are lovely and kind. I always leave them a dollar or two. It's not what I'd leave a waitress, though. When we visit my mom at her office, we go next door to the Chinese buffet (:ack2: but the kiddos love it.) They don't bring your food, but they do refill your drinks and clear your plates (and tell you how darling your children are :D.) My mother always leaves a few dollars, though she says most of her her co-workers do not when they go for lunch together. We tend to the over-tipping side, though. We tip the girls at the ice cream stand, the boy who helps you out with the groceries (even though they don't accept tips ;),) the man who brings us propane, etc. I think it comes from both having worked in restaurants and stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I will sometimes leave a small tip for the person cleaning up the table--not a full size tip. (like maybe a dollar or two) It actually annoys me when places like an ice cream shop have a tip jar for employees. They are already paying them minimum wage, and they have done only what they are being paid for. It cheapens the need for tipping in establishments where employees are not paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I do not tip in the situation like the OP described. I do tip at buffets where they bring drinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 If I have to do everything myself, I don't see giving a tip. Dd18 works at an Asian cafe that has a tip jar by the cash register. They take orders first, the customer gets his own drink from the fountain and then finds a seat. The wait staff brings out food and silverware. Plus, they walk around in case anyone needs something, including drink refills. They bus the tables too. I think this type of wait staff is doing enough that they warrant a tip, but I don't think they get them as much as they should. They usually get loose change. Like if someone pays with a $10.00 bill and they get coins back, the customer will toss the coins into the tip jar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) I don't tip in places like that. Why should I? I do all the work, so if I were to tip, I would be tipping myself. I also ignore tip jars in take-out restaurants. At buffet restaurants, which I go to every 2 decades or so, I will leave a small tip if a worker brings the drinks and clears the table. At full service restaurants, I tip 10% for C-service, 15% for B-service, and 20% for A-service. For D and F service, I speak to the manager promptly. I've worked in restaurants, both full service and fast food, and I know it is not difficult to do an excellent job. That teriyaki place is a fast food restaurant. Restaurants in that category run the gamut from ice-cream parlors, hamburger joints, and cafes, to diners like Shoney's, Denny's, and Friendly's. The key word seems to be fast, in terms of how quickly the customer gets the food. Edited February 4, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallorie Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I don't tip at a place where I have to do everything myself. We haven't eaten anyplace like that in years. If I'm going out to eat, I want full service. I wait on people all day every day, to some degree or another. I'd like to sit down and be waited on. At a buffet I tip less than a full-serve restaurant, and base the tip on whether my drink was kept filled and the dirty plates were cleared away frequently. Being nice to my kids helps earn you a good tip, too! The only time I tipped at an ice cream parlor was when I had a special, not on the menu, milkshake made for me because I really wanted a Shamrock shake and the McDonald's in our city didn't carry them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I leave a dollar or 2 if they clear the table, if I am bringing it to my seat, and clearing the table, nope. Like Panera, I have only tipped there one time. I go in there when it is quiet with two kids, and they don't do anything to help. So no tip, one day it was really busy, but the employee brought my drink and my food out to me as she saw I had kids. Her, I tipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I wouldn't. I only tip at places where the person is actually doing something other than taking my order. If they fill my drink or clear away plates, then I'll leave a little something, but if it's not full on fast food (mcdonalds or the like) then we generally eat at full service places. My dh is not fond of buffets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I tend to try to find out whether the waitstaff is paid waitressing wages-which are much less than minimum wage, with an assumption that tips will make up for it, or minimum wage. McDonalds and the like pay minimum wage, with no assumption of tips. Denny's pays waitress wages, so if you withhold a tip, you're hurting the server. I will always err on the side of tipping where it's not expected as opposed to the alternative. I don't want to force anyone to live on $2/hr! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Given what I know about the US system of compensation for wait staff, I am a huge tip-advocate. However, I don't tip in the circumstance you describe. I tip approximately $1 per person for buffet related service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Not in that circumstance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I wouldn't in that circumstance. I did however leave a generous tip at a similar establishment the other day. It is a newer, wonderful restaurant that is really struggling this winter. The owners are wonderful to my kids and ever so patient. Because of that I left a tip, but normally, I don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) Nope, I use a prepay rule.....If I pay for my food before or when it is served, I do not tip. If I pay after I eat, I almost always tip. I can think of a few exceptions to this, but they are rare. ETA: I live in a state that doesn't allow restaurants to pay below min wage. So, I am never in a postition to worry about if the person is earning $2hr or a $8. Here is a list that shows each states breakdown on tips/wages/min wage Edited February 4, 2011 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 We sometimes go to a little place in our village with amazing breads, delicious sandwiches, fresh salads, and soups. I always put a couple of dollars in the jar at the register. It's just so personal and yummy. There is also a burrito place in the nearby city which has a similar personal set-up. They make everything themselves and always add a touch of something wonderful to everything they make . When I see fresh cilantro being cut by hand and added to my salsa, I want to dance. Instead, I just add some change to the jar. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 If I have to do everything myself, I don't see giving a tip. Dd18 works at an Asian cafe that has a tip jar by the cash register. They take orders first, the customer gets his own drink from the fountain and then finds a seat. The wait staff brings out food and silverware. Plus, they walk around in case anyone needs something, including drink refills. They bus the tables too. I think this type of wait staff is doing enough that they warrant a tip, but I don't think they get them as much as they should. They usually get loose change. Like if someone pays with a $10.00 bill and they get coins back, the customer will toss the coins into the tip jar. What is their wage? (I'm just wondering because I go to restaurants like this and knowing what the typical wage is for a place like this helps me to decide about tipping) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I tip at the following restaurants- full tip- sit down, get served by waitress; sit down, served by waitress and teppan chef; partial tip- SUnday or holiday buffet service at a restaurant or club- staff removes plates, brings drinks repeatedly; any other similar service where staff brings drinks repeatedly or keeps things orderly by removing plates. THat chart was informative= it shows me that in my current state, all the money they get is from tips unless the owner wants to do something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I do not tip in the situation like the OP described. I do tip at buffets where they bring drinks. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thank you. I've always wondered every time we go to one of these places. . .:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I do not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Do you tip at restaurants where you are your own server? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindergretta Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thank you for the chart. That was very informative! My state doesn't allow for tip credit. Everyone makes *at least* minimum wage, which is kind of decent. :tongue_smilie: (It was the highest listed on that chart.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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