Comments about ‘The tipping point: Rise of 'fast casual' restaurants leave many in a quandary’

a desperately needed reminder and for heaven's sake, this also applies to you if you have your pizza delivered. TIP TIP TIP

If your server/deliverer is over 30, chances are, they're working a second job and are not doing it for the less-than-minimum wages but are doing it for the tips.

Tipping is out-dated and foolish. Most of the world doesn't have this system. I see it as a way to get more money out of people and pay your employees less. I tip when I go to out to these places but only because I feel bad for them making 2 bucks an hour. Abolish tipping, pay the waiters/waitresses normal wages and raise your food prices if you have to.

Alterego, I would always give good tips to the pizza delivery guy. 5 or 6 bucks.
Now, with a 5 dollar delivery charge, I figure that the pizza place should pay his tip, since I am paying them to have him come to me. If they don't give him my delievery charge, not my problem.

Tipping is a two edge sword
Too many servers want to get tipped, but do not want to do anything for it.
I do not know how many times a server has lost their tip by not refilling my water, or taking 20 minutes to give me a check.
Too many people want great service, but do not want to pay for it.
No server wants to wait on a 50+ year old woman especially when they come in a pack.
I say the servers start doing their job, and the customer starts paying for it.

I'll tip when I feel like I have received good service. I will not tip if I am treated poorly, rudely, forgot about or any other thing that rubs me the wrong way. As far as I am concerned, they have to earn it. It is not an automatic thing. I have been to several places where I have been forgotten and it made my dining out a bad experience. I have also had excellent service and I have tipped very well.

Interesting. There are some places where it gets confusing such as fast casual and those stores that have tip jars. In the past, I never tipped at places where I didn't feel like I was being served very much. I didn't know they made less than minimum wage at buffet places. I guess if we feel the service is good and the people treat us respectfully, it doesn't hurt to err on the side of tipping a little more. Many people need the tips more than we probably need to hold onto that money. After all, if you really can't afford to tip, why are you going out in the first place?

What's the opinion on take out? I usually go give about 5-10% or a couple bucks and change. Ah what the heck they're kids usually. Share the wealth a little I say, it's good karma or whatever.

If I have to pay a "delivery fee" the delivery man had better be getting it, as i am not going to tip him on top of that. As for restaurants, as someone who travels and sees how the rest of the world does it, we are pathetic here in the states asking people to beg for a living as a server, while the owner gets rich paying a pittance. Abolish tipping (don't do it in Europe or they may throw it at you) and pay people not minimum, but a living wage!

I work in the food service industry and I know how important tips are to the people who serve the public. I always tip my server no matter what kind of restaurant it is, and the only time that I don't is when the service that I receive is absolutely awful. I tip at least 15% of the total bill and if the service is outstanding it goes up to 20%. The servers that work hard definately deserve to be tipped appropriately.

Tip to the degree you have been served. I don't tip at places that have a tip jar at the register. If you want a tip, you need to come to my table, take my order, serve me my food, keep checking periodically to see if I need anything else, and clean up my table when I leave. No tips for scooping ice cream into a cup.

The best tippers are people who have worked for tips.
If you're not adding 15% gratuity, don't come. You'll be more at home at McDonalds.

$2.13 an hour is a travesty under any scenario. This is state enforced highway robbery. Too many unanswered questions. Too much wiggle room for patrons. Workers have to pay taxes on possible shortfalls. Craziest system I've ever heard of. I love to tip, but I don't like to be forced to do it in order see that my servers get a break. It's unconscionable that restaurant owners put up with this kind of "benevolent" legislation. It benefits their society in no imaginable way.

Unbelievable. Restaurants are raking in the dough, and paying the servers a pittance. Every employee should be paid minimum wage and then get to take home whatever they earn in tips too. Good grief...it is hard work and if they didn't need to, they wouldn't be working in a restaurant in the first place.

Brian said: "$2.13 an hour is a travesty under any scenario."

Amen!!

Paying anyone $2.13 for any job is shameful.

The tipping system needs to be abolished and people need to be paid fair wages for honest work.

Most restaurants go out of business because the owners are NOT raking in the dough. Get a life people...cool it with the envy and entitlements. Servers choose their jobs and the good ones can do well enough. It is a job, not slavery.

Are you kidding me?!?! No I'm not tipping these people, all they did was their job!

At a sit down restaurant I don't tip just because society says I should, I tip if the service is better than average. If you go above and beyond I will tip you 20+ % of the bill, I have gone as high as 50% for exceptional service. If the server has attitude and I have to get up and ask someone else for a water refill, some silverware or perhaps where my food is then I WILL TIP NOTHING.

I don't get tipped for going above and beyond for my customers so why should someone else? Because they made the choice to work in an industry that doesn't pay well? How is that my fault? If you do a good job, you will get a tip. If you don't, you won't. Same goes for cab drivers, valets, the people that cut my hair etc.

In this type of establishment it should be customary to leave some sort of tip– particularly if you have small children with you, who leave a mess. The staff is cleaning up after you, which in most cases is no small chore.

Above posts on takeout and pizza delivery tips should read the related content about 'weighing in on tipping.' Now that I know, I will give my piza delivery a bit more $$$s. But i still disgree with tipping on takeout. Restaurants should have regular wage employees fill takeout orders, not waitresses who work off of tips.
Also I agree that tipping is out of control. Why do bus boys and bar tenders get part of the waiter's tips? Aren't they paid at least a minimum wage? It seems everyone has their hand out.
CHuck-a-Rama has such fresh, inexpensive food that I don't mind leaving a generous tip to the wait staff. Otherwise they would have to raise the food prices. At least with a tip you have some control, and it's an incentive for better service. What i find annoying the large tip at more expensive restaurants. A $10 tip for a $50 meal is a lot, and the person usually doesn't work any harder for it than someone working at Denny's.

And I have heard that the only state that DOES pay servers minimum wage is Calif. SO it's not just Utah being chintzy. As we know, Calif's economy is collapsing.

I agree with Holden Caulfield. I work in an establishment like this, and despite the fact that customers order at the front, I still serve their food on china dishes, am available if they need anything extra(drinks, dessert, another entree, etc.), and then clean up their mess afterwards. I'm extremely lucky if I make $3.00 in tips on an 8 hour shift. I don't think I should be tipped the same amount as those waiters and waitresses that work in real sit down restaurant, but if someone has a party of 8 and 10 kids I would like to receive even 5-10%. Luckily, I am one of those privileged few who get minimum wage, but I know some who don't.