Incessant Fee’s, tip pandering, and Shrinkflation

[Kev Williams]

I'm all for tipping the servers at restaurants, bars, night clubs, casinos, etc. etc...
--but tip jars next to the cash registers at McD's and DelTaco --?

Anyone remember Sizzler Steak House's in the '70's, when they were pretty much self-service? YOU walked by the menu on the wall on the way to the girl at the register, YOU told her what steak and sides you wanted, YOU paid for it, sat down, and YOU picked it up from the cook's counter when they called your number. In addition to the cashier there were employees to prep and cook the food, bus the tables, and top off water and soft drinks. Everyone was paid the same, and at the time, paid quite well for restaurant employees. Customers weren't expected to tip, and mostly didn't. I was a Sizzler cook for awhile back then. I was one of the only people there who ever GOT a tip. I was working the broiler one lunch shift, and a cashier came to me: "this guy in line, he comes in quite often, and he always wants a raw steak! He always gets mad when I tell him we can't serve raw meat!" I told her to let me know when he got to the register and ordered. She did- He wanted a "Sizzler", raw... So I grabbed one with my tongs, and held it up, the guy nodded... I aimed it for the char-broiler, and he starts grimacing... I shook my head no, and not taking my eyes off him, I placed his steak on the top-right corner of the broiler, the hottest corner- PzzzzOneThousandOne- and turned it over, PzzzOneThousandTwo and then put it on a plate. A 3 second steak. I don't know if it was legal or not, but there WAS evidence, black broiler lines, that it HAD at least, been on the broiler!

He nodded, smiled and did a double thumbs-up, and paid the cashier --And his lunch was ready by then! He came to the window to pick up his plate, and insisted on giving me a $5 bill, which was like 3 hours wages back then. And he thanked me again just before he left. And every time he came in again when I was working, his lunch was ready before he paid for it!
Tips are appropriate in many/most personal-service oriented situations. But, just because you showed up for work that day... banghead.gif

[Stan Calow]

Good one Kev.

[Edward Weber]

Well here we go, now DoorDash will make you wait longer if you don't tip

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/31/...no-tip-warning

[Doug Garson]

Well here we go, now DoorDash will make you wait longer if you don't tip

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/31/...no-tip-warning

Your comment isn't actually true, they are just warning you that the system they use, (which I think is similar for all the delivery services), broadcasts your order details including the size of the tip to all available drivers and the drivers can choose whether they want to deliver your order. I think the driver's main compensation is the tip so an order with a small or no tip may not be worth the driver's attention. So it is not DoorDash that is making you wait longer, it is your small or no tip that is making you wait.

[Edward Weber]

Your comment isn't actually true, they are just warning you that the system they use, (which I think is similar for all the delivery services), broadcasts your order details including the size of the tip to all available drivers and the drivers can choose whether they want to deliver your order. I think the driver's main compensation is the tip so an order with a small or no tip may not be worth the driver's attention. So it is not DoorDash that is making you wait longer, it is your small or no tip that is making you wait.

Yes, "the drivers can choose whether they want to deliver your order"

I wonder if they'll opt for the order with the tip included or without?
give me a break

[Doug Garson]

I wonder if they'll opt for the order with the tip included or without?
give me a break

The delivery services are in business to make a profit. The business model is the delivery service charges the restaurant, not the client. The drivers are also in the business to make a profit. The client pays the driver directly for delivery thru the tip. The alternative would be the delivery service charges the client. There is no free delivery just like there is no free lunch as the saying goes.

[John Lifer]

We order pizza from the only company (dominos) that will deliver out to our house. They now charge $4.95 base delivery and then I've got to tip the pizza guy. So a 'free' pizza is $10. I hate to not tip him $5 whenever they deliver the normal $20 pizza order plus fee plus tip ends up $30. But that is us being lazy. I won't use any other delivery service for food. And I hate tipping. Yeah, tip at a bar. You can't do LESS than pour my beer in a glass and put it on the counter in front of me. You don't deserve a tip. Sorry, most waiters/waitresses don't either. Half the restaurants have the cook bring out the food. And half won't even check on the food after I get it. And I WON'T tip when I have to pay up front for the food and then go up and get it. Sorry, if you don't like it, go to work elsewhere. LAZY workers are the bane.

[Doug Garson]

We order pizza from the only company (dominos) that will deliver out to our house. They now charge $4.95 base delivery and then I've got to tip the pizza guy. So a 'free' pizza is $10. I hate to not tip him $5 whenever they deliver the normal $20 pizza order plus fee plus tip ends up $30. But that is us being lazy. I won't use any other delivery service for food. And I hate tipping. Yeah, tip at a bar. You can't do LESS than pour my beer in a glass and put it on the counter in front of me. You don't deserve a tip. Sorry, most waiters/waitresses don't either. Half the restaurants have the cook bring out the food. And half won't even check on the food after I get it. And I WON'T tip when I have to pay up front for the food and then go up and get it. Sorry, if you don't like it, go to work elsewhere. LAZY workers are the bane.

Is it lazy workers or a system that pays them less than a living wage so they must rely on tips to put food on their own table at home?

[Edward Weber]

The delivery services are in business to make a profit. The business model is the delivery service charges the restaurant, not the client. The drivers are also in the business to make a profit. The client pays the driver directly for delivery thru the tip. The alternative would be the delivery service charges the client. There is no free delivery just like there is no free lunch as the saying goes.

"The client pays the driver directly for delivery thru the tip. "

As the "client", you pay for your food and whatever delivery charge there is associated with it. You do not pay the delivery drivers wages. A delivery driver should be paid by the restaurant or parent company for the service.

A delivery driver, just like a waiter of waitress, should not have to rely on the kindness of the customer to make his/her wages.

Could you imagine if waiters and waitresses knew ahead of time who was going to tip them?

BTW, tips are usually supposed to come after a good service experience, not before. If a driver knows beforehand that he/she is going to get $X as a tip, there's no reason to do anything other than the bare minimum. It becomes just a money grab as to who gets the orders with the biggest tip first.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, "the drivers can choose whether they want to deliver your order"

One of the dog trainers we used with Oliver also drove for DoorDash (and Uber Eats). She indicated they did have some autonomy relative to both accepting a general route as well as individual orders as a way to help control their time and costs.

[Pat Germain]

We order pizza from the only company (dominos) that will deliver out to our house. They now charge $4.95 base delivery and then I've got to tip the pizza guy. So a 'free' pizza is $10. I hate to not tip him $5 whenever they deliver the normal $20 pizza order plus fee plus tip ends up $30. But that is us being lazy. I won't use any other delivery service for food. And I hate tipping. Yeah, tip at a bar. You can't do LESS than pour my beer in a glass and put it on the counter in front of me. You don't deserve a tip. Sorry, most waiters/waitresses don't either. Half the restaurants have the cook bring out the food. And half won't even check on the food after I get it. And I WON'T tip when I have to pay up front for the food and then go up and get it. Sorry, if you don't like it, go to work elsewhere. LAZY workers are the bane.

Years ago I had a lot of family at my house for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we got home late after church and decided to order pizzas. The weather was starting to change and it was snowing harder and harder. I paid for the pizza, but I asked everyone to cough up for the driver's tip since he was delivering on Christmas Eve, in the dark, during a snow storm. I don't remember how much I collected for the tip, but it was a good wad of cash. I thanked the driver, handed him the wad of bills and wished him a Merry Christmas.

About ten minutes later the driver called me: "Hey, I just realized you gave me a super huge tip. Did you intend to do that? I can come back if you did it accidentally."

"Yeah man, you're out in a snow storm at night on Christmas Eve. It's the least we can do", I told him.

The guy literally broke down and started crying. "Thank you so much," he said through tears. "This really means a lot to me!".

For a few bucks each, my family apparently really made some guy's Christmas. That's incalculable.

So, geez, people. If workers are out there showing up for work and doing their job at a tipping position, cough up. It's not a big sacrifice for us and it means a lot to them. If workers in a tipping position are not doing their job, talk to a manager and explain why you are not tipping.

[Jim Becker]

^^ "Like"...

[Doug Garson]

Could you imagine if waiters and waitresses knew ahead of time who was going to tip them?

Actually I can and it was a great experience. We were at a resort for a week and the first day we gave the pool waiter a big tip. We had great service all week and rewarded it with another tip the last day. Win win.

[Sam Force]

Sorry, if you don't like it, go to work elsewhere. LAZY workers are the bane.

You are definitely wrong in your thinking, my granddaughter works hard for every tip she makes. Could you serve numerous tables each with someone whining about something that is out of the waiters control? Could you carry enough dishes for a table of 4 or more customers without dropping it on their heads? I would like to see most of us on this forum try to keep up with her. We would fall on our face in about 5 minutes.

My granddaughter is only 17 years old and has paid her car off, $8k in just a few months. Along with paying her own insurance and has graduated HS 1 year early. It would be an insult for anyone to label her as lazy.
Call me a proud Grumpa!!

[Edward Weber]

Actually I can and it was a great experience. We were at a resort for a week and the first day we gave the pool waiter a big tip. We had great service all week and rewarded it with another tip the last day. Win win.

That's a different situation, I do the same.
In a normal restaurant, I don't think it would work out well.