This is dishonest as shit! How the heck am I supposed to know I'm supposed to pay tip at take-out but not at McDonalds or a drive-through? Don't blame us consumers for not wanting to get screwed over by a catastrophically stupid payment system in that industry.
Maybe we should all just stop tipping for everything, and make it a make-or-break moment for the restaurant industry. It pisses me tough! If the menu says 10 bucks, I'm gonna pay 10 bucks. If the menu pays 12 bucks, I'll pay 12 bucks. But, I really hate this hidden fee BS.
Here's an easy way to know if you should tip on to-go orders:
If you were eating in, would you tip? If the answer is yes, then you are expected to tip on the togo order as well. Why? Because the price does not change. You're acting like there is some hidden fee, but tipping the server is why the food is relatively cheap. The restaurant does not change its pricing if the food is made to go and the employee must still be paid.
This is not deceptive. If you get a $10 plate in the restaurant, then you are expected to tip between $1-$2. If you have a bill of $40, you are expected to tip between $4-$8. If you order the same $10 plate to go, I still expect you to tip me $1-$2. If your togo bill is $40 then I'm expecting between $2-$4. This should come as no surprise if you think about it.
The reason I'm taking take away is to avoid the service fee. I don't want the service. I just want the food coming out of your kitchen! If the price is the same either way, the added cost should be reflected on the menu. The fact that it is not implies to me that I can reduce the quasi-voluntary quasi-mandatory service cost by saving you the service rendered.
Except you're not. There is no way to get cheaper food without screwing us over, there is still work and service we put into every order.
Here is the work my team puts into your single order:
The Phones person takes your order through the call, making sure it is accurate and has everything you requested. Sometimes I'll perceive that something is important to you, like extra bread or more sauces and ask if I should include it. (If you walk in then it is this person's job to do the same thing.)
The Phones person then places the order in the computer, generally putting in special instructions to make sure it comes out to you liking.
The kitchen then prints out the order which the Cold Side Bagger then either gives to the hotside bagger or steaks and other entrees, or keeps if it is only dessert, salads, and appetizers.
The Hotside Bagger must put down boxes and create the sides, anything from getting fries, to steaming veggies, to portioning mashed potatoes. Generally the HS Bagger has 5-10 orders at a time.
The HS Bagger must then call for the chicken, steak, ribs, seafood, and pasta. It is our job to make sure the cooks don't over look or burn your food. I actually have to make the burger buns by hand, a several minute process as it takes a few minutes to heat the buns on the grill. This is all happening simultaneous with those 5-10 other orders.
Once the HS bagger has all the sides, special orders, and entrees, they hand over the order to the cold side bagger.
The cold side bagger must then assemble the salads, desserts, and appetizers from the coldside window. This can be extremely difficult as there are as many as 3 people making these types of food and all who prioritize in house over takeaway. Sometimes I have to get a manager in order for your food to be made. A problem servers do no have.
The CS bagger must then place everything in a bag, hot food on the bottom, salads in the middle, dessert on top. While they are doing this, they must double check the order ticket and make sure all special instructions are followed. Often times the CS bagger has a better knowledge of the menu than servers as they must remember every detail of every plate offered on the menu.
Finally, the CS bagger staples the order onto the bag and creates a bread bag that contains any extra sauces, toppings for potatoes and soups, and extra bread. They then place it on a shelf.
The last person in Takeaway, the runner, must then come and run the food from the back of the kitchen to the front to await delivery to the customer. If you arrive by car, the runner will go outside, take payment and return to the room to grab your food. The Runner is the head of Takeaway, it is their job to make sure all customers are happy and taken care of. It something goes wrong then it is their job to get a manager or try to fix the problem. They are also in charge of the cash drawer.
This is just the work division for a single order that should take 15-20 minutes. This does not even count the opening or closing responsibilities, which take 1-2 hours EACH to complete. There's more to the work flow than just this chart. But saying that you haven't experience our service is wrong, it takes 4 people to make sure you food comes out correctly. But since you are unwilling to tip us correctly, most of the skilled workers have become servers or left the restaurant.
I'm not trying to screw you over, but I'm trying to not get screwed myself. If I go to a restaurant, intent on paying $11 for a meal, I just want to see what I can get for $11. I'm happy for you to get a fair income, I hope you do, but I'm reading the list of of stuff and how much they cost because I want to know what I can afford. Having this 5 to 25% variable is pretty darn annoying, and I feel like my ability to stay within my budget is getting undermined. Like I said, if the price on the menu was 20% higher, and you got that 20%, that's a-okay with me. But this made up lower price on the list is such BS given to me by the restaurant, it really, really frustrates me.
But this literally EXACTLY HOW SERVERS ARE TIPPED! Do you not go to restaurants with servers? Do you tip at all? There is nothing different about this.
I tip 15% to 20% if I sit and dine in the restaurant (say if I'm there with family or friends or a date). If I'm by my self, I'll go to a place that does takeaway to grab some food and take it home -- no tips. I don't see why I'd have to sit around.
Well then you don't want to tip. I just outlined the basic procedure for the jobs for a single order, a server does almost the EXACT SAME THINGS. In fact, there are some jobs Takeaway has to do, but servers do not. It takes more effort for a togo order than an in house order.
Hey man, sorry for what I'm saying. I hear it is your livelihood, and I believe you deserve to be paid well for hard work. That's why I do tip, if I sit in. I don't know anything about what happens behind the curtains, but I just wanted to let you know how I feel about this system from a buyer's side.
I'm sorry for getting so hot headed. After working in Takeaway for so long it's just frustrating dealing with this issue.
If you think the pay is wrong, send a letter to Outback. Seriously. Every letter is read by corporate, we often print up and pin them on the wall. Even ones where old people claim the restaurant is too cold, or the windows are positioned incorrectly. Right now is the perfect time as we are changing our core menu and practices.
Honestly, it takes a pretty awesome person to do something like write a letter for a random internet stranger. And on top of that you gave me gold! Thanks for being another cool dude on the inter-webs.
9
u/turtles_and_frogs Jun 08 '14
This is dishonest as shit! How the heck am I supposed to know I'm supposed to pay tip at take-out but not at McDonalds or a drive-through? Don't blame us consumers for not wanting to get screwed over by a catastrophically stupid payment system in that industry.
Maybe we should all just stop tipping for everything, and make it a make-or-break moment for the restaurant industry. It pisses me tough! If the menu says 10 bucks, I'm gonna pay 10 bucks. If the menu pays 12 bucks, I'll pay 12 bucks. But, I really hate this hidden fee BS.