Food delivery tipping

Wow - thanks everyone! I think this is the longest thread I've ever started :rotfl2:

To answer some questions (just because), the restaurant is mostly delivery/carry out. they have a few tables, but you still order at the counter and get the food the same way. There's no one you would tip if you ate there or if you did carry out - not even a tip jar next to the cash register.

Yes, it's winter where I live.

To be more specific on the food, it's 32 pounds of deli meat and a bunch of quarts of accompanying sides and accompanying breads. They are also including paper plates and plastic wear. They'll be handing the stuff off to me at the main door of our business. It is being ordered in advance. Actually ordered it today for next Wednesday, which is what prompted the post. The place does have a specific catering menu, and we ordered off that menu.
 
And it's going to take a lot of hands to get that amount of food cooked, packaged, loaded, and delivered so that it still arrives with any semblance of freshness.

That's true, but that's their job. It takes a lot of hands to keep the shelves of Kroger stocked, the check out lines moving quickly and my groceries bagged, but I don't leave a 20% tip of my total grocery order.
 
Wow - thanks everyone! I think this is the longest thread I've ever started :rotfl2:

To answer some questions (just because), the restaurant is mostly delivery/carry out. they have a few tables, but you still order at the counter and get the food the same way. There's no one you would tip if you ate there or if you did carry out - not even a tip jar next to the cash register.

Yes, it's winter where I live.

To be more specific on the food, it's 32 pounds of deli meat and a bunch of quarts of accompanying sides and accompanying breads. They are also including paper plates and plastic wear. They'll be handing the stuff off to me at the main door of our business. It is being ordered in advance. Actually ordered it today for next Wednesday, which is what prompted the post. The place does have a specific catering menu, and we ordered off that menu.
Hmm ok knowing they are providing paper plates and plastic ware (even though that usually is fairly cheap) and they are bringing in sides and whatnot I would say $40 rather than $20--real nasty weather and I'd be adding some more $$ (I do that myself with just normal delivery like Jimmy Johns cuz there's a reason I didn't want to drive to the place and get it if it's raining outside or snowing/sleeting outside). What they are bringing in is different in my mind now since it's not just pizza boxes that can be stacked and whatnot. It's sides, and utensils, and plates, etc.

Honestly, I bet you some of us (me included) got tripped up over the pizza aspect because now that I re-read your OP you did say "think like pizza" not that it was actually pizza being delivered.
 
Fair enough. Our pizzas here are generally much bigger than what I've seen in other parts of the country, and more expensive. All our local non-chain pizzerias charge about $14 for a large cheese pizza, and the pizza we typically order with toppings runs about $18-$21, so I was thinking more in that range. Either way, $750 worth of pizza is a LOT of pizzas, even if they are $20 each, and it is even more if they are in the $10 range! The guy who can deliver that many pizzas without help is like a Pizza Houdini.
I think it’s supply and demand, we have about 20 pizzerias in town, 3 miles long, and tons in the surrounding towns. Most have coupons and cheaper pizza nights. Only one doesn’t offer free delivery.
 


That's true, but that's their job. It takes a lot of hands to keep the shelves of Kroger stocked, the check out lines moving quickly and my groceries bagged, but I don't leave a 20% tip of my total grocery order.
Let's just hope laws don't change to allow Kroger to start paying its employees $2.13 an hour or they'll start asking for tips, too.
 
To be more specific on the food, it's 32 pounds of deli meat and a bunch of quarts of accompanying sides and accompanying breads. They are also including paper plates and plastic wear. They'll be handing the stuff off to me at the main door of our business. It is being ordered in advance. Actually ordered it today for next Wednesday, which is what prompted the post. The place does have a specific catering menu, and we ordered off that menu.

Okay, well everyone was talking about pizza. LOL, you could’ve saved a lot of comments if you’d given us this info before. :)

The food you ordered will likely be packed in several boxes that will be heavier, but certainly not as many as individual pizza boxes would be. I don’t see it taking a long time to bring it in. I stand by my earlier post that $20 or $30 is fine. If the weather is bad, it’d be nice to give a little more.
 


But that’s their job and some of that $750 covers the pay for those employees. They aren’t selling the food at wholesale
Yep, just making the point that **depending on how that individual restaurant chooses to handle it** the tip given to the driver may have to be divided by many more people than it normally would.
 
I think you need to reread my comment.

What I was saying is that I'm not tipping 15% of $750 for pizza delivery. That would be $112.50. I don't tip lower than 15% for restaurants. I was meaning I would be looking at how many pizza boxes they are delivering and adjust my tip accordingly. That's why I put $20 or $40.

It's sorta strange that you keep mentioning "in the U.S. the tip is a percentage" etc. I'm in the U.S. I get the tipping culture. But the tipping culture varies for certain things. It just does. You would think I was cheap if you delivered my Jimmy Johns order and gave you $1 but according to your viewpoint that's exactly what I should have done. I have never honestly personally met someone who used a percentage 15%,20%, etc for delivery. They don't think that way when it comes to delivery. Though this is my experience of course.

This is also the same as how I tip the person who cuts my hair. If the hair cut costs $14 I don't tip $2.10 because that equates to 15% of the bill. Instead I usually tip $4-$5 depending on the experience. Again I'm not thinking in terms of percentage.

I don't tip the valet driver just over $0.13 for a $2.00 valet charge as that represents 15% of the valet charge. I tip $2-$3 for a valet charge that low. Again not thinking in percentages.

Traditionally food service tipping is a percentage of the food cost (and yes there are minimums). You said you are not thinking in terms of percentage. That's why I said you are at odds with the industry. There's really nothing else to say about it or for you to try to argue about it. A google search will back up what I wrote.
 
My daughter works part-time at a market that offers precisely the selection of goods OP is talking about, along with a more extensive catering menu. Most people pick up their items and tipping is not part of the equation whatsoever. She's not sure about delivery orders but doesn't seem to think tips are involved on deliveries either.
 
Let's just hope laws don't change to allow Kroger to start paying its employees $2.13 an hour or they'll start asking for tips, too.

At a restaurant, only the servers are making $2.13. The kitchen people are making at least minimum wage. In fact, probably the people making the food are making more per hour that the shelf stockers at Kroger.
 
My daughter works part-time at a market that offers precisely the selection of goods OP is talking about, along with a more extensive catering menu. Most people pick up their items and tipping is not part of the equation whatsoever. She's not sure about delivery orders but doesn't seem to think tips are involved on deliveries either.
My son works part time at a restaurant as a driver delivering large orders like the OP (lots of office buildings), and tips are absolutely involved. He gets paid minimum wage and uses his own vehicle and gas.
 
Traditionally food service tipping is a percentage of the food cost (and yes there are minimums). You said you are not thinking in terms of percentage. That's why I said you are at odds with the industry. There's really nothing else to say about it or for you to try to argue about it. A google search will back up what I wrote.
Uh ok. I'm not at odds with the industry. I'm not trying to argue about it. You're just not attempting to understand what I actually said and instead are going off what you think I was talking about. I said I don't do it in terms of percentage for delivery I do however when I'm at a restaurant eating in--did you completely miss that fact?

You don't typically tip your hair dresser a percentage of the bill, you don't typically tip your valet driver a percentage of the valet charge, I wouldn't be tipping $1 for my Jimmy Johns delivery which would represent 15% of my order instead I would be tipping them more.

I'm really thinking here that you are misunderstanding tipping norms in the U.S. We have a tipping culture in that we tip for services that many countries do not tip on. We also have tipping norms. I've never met a person in my life who says hmmmm my hair cut cost me $14 so I'll tip $2.10 as that's 15%. Or a person who says well the valet charge was $2 per hour and we stayed an hour so I'll tip 15% of that which is just over 13 cents. Who in their right mind would do that!? In those cases people typically have a flat rate dollar amount that they give as a tip which isn't related to the overall charge. When people tip for service the be it all amount is not the percentage of the charge.

And if you look at the other answers here on the thread you'll see that the majority in regards to pizza delivery were actually thinking flat rate dollar charges (most seem to be $20-$30) rather than percentages of the whole amount the OP was buying. Only a few people said they would tip X% of the total amount. When people gave their answers for $20-$30 I doubt they were thinking in their minds "hmm...that represents a tip under 3% (for $20) or that represents a tip of 4%";most were saying that seems a fair dollar amount for delivery or that deliver is usually a $5 tip. Maybe you were relying on google search a bit too much.

___________
Let's move on as I'm not sure we're going to get anywhere at this point.
 
At a restaurant, only the servers are making $2.13. The kitchen people are making at least minimum wage. In fact, probably the people making the food are making more per hour that the shelf stockers at Kroger.
Right, which is why the kitchen staff is not generally part of the tip pool.
 
Right, which is why the kitchen staff is not generally part of the tip pool.
Kitchen staff are definitely part of of the tip pool. DH worked in a variety of restaurants of different scales. Got tips at all of them. Base wage was more than minimum. Now servers make minimum serving wage which here is $10.10 (if they serve alcohol)plus tips. Regular minimum wage is $11.35. As server if the cook staff doesn't like you, forget about you orders coming quickly, which results in lower tips.
 
Uh ok. I'm not at odds with the industry. I'm not trying to argue about it. You're just not attempting to understand what I actually said and instead are going off what you think I was talking about. I said I don't do it in terms of percentage for delivery I do however when I'm at a restaurant eating in--did you completely miss that fact?

You don't typically tip your hair dresser a percentage of the bill, you don't typically tip your valet driver a percentage of the valet charge, I wouldn't be tipping $1 for my Jimmy Johns delivery which would represent 15% of my order instead I would be tipping them more.

I'm really thinking here that you are misunderstanding tipping norms in the U.S. We have a tipping culture in that we tip for services that many countries do not tip on. We also have tipping norms. I've never met a person in my life who says hmmmm my hair cut cost me $14 so I'll tip $2.10 as that's 15%. Or a person who says well the valet charge was $2 per hour and we stayed an hour so I'll tip 15% of that which is just over 13 cents. Who in their right mind would do that!? In those cases people typically have a flat rate dollar amount that they give as a tip which isn't related to the overall charge. When people tip for service the be it all amount is not the percentage of the charge.

And if you look at the other answers here on the thread you'll see that the majority in regards to pizza delivery were actually thinking flat rate dollar charges (most seem to be $20-$30) rather than percentages of the whole amount the OP was buying. Only a few people said they would tip X% of the total amount. When people gave their answers for $20-$30 I doubt they were thinking in their minds "hmm...that represents a tip under 3% (for $20) or that represents a tip of 4%";most were saying that seems a fair dollar amount for delivery or that deliver is usually a $5 tip. Maybe you were relying on google search a bit too much.

___________
Let's move on as I'm not sure we're going to get anywhere at this point.
Wait, of course you tip a percentage at the salon. I mean, DH tips $5 on his $15 haircut, but ds14 tips $3 on his $12 haircut. I tip $40 on $200 cut and highlights. Sure, a few bucks to the valet, $2 per bag for the bellhop, but a pedicure? Massage? Usually 20%
 
Wait, of course you tip a percentage at the salon. I mean, DH tips $5 on his $15 haircut, but ds14 tips $3 on his $12 haircut. I tip $40 on $200 cut and highlights. Sure, a few bucks to the valet, $2 per bag for the bellhop, but a pedicure? Massage? Usually 20%

Exactly this. If you don’t use percentages how do you figure out what to tip?
 
Kitchen staff are definitely part of of the tip pool. DH worked in a variety of restaurants of different scales. Got tips at all of them. Base wage was more than minimum. Now servers make minimum serving wage which here is $10.10 (if they serve alcohol)plus tips. Regular minimum wage is $11.35. As server if the cook staff doesn't like you, forget about you orders coming quickly, which results in lower tips.
Who gets tipped, how much, base salary, all these things are highly variable from one place to the next. I've never worked in a place where the kitchen staff were part of the pool, though I can certainly believe it happens elsewhere. That sure sucks for the servers though -- one more hand in the already crowded pot.

ETA: I'm now realizing you're in Canada. No wonder those minimum wage rates look so foreign to me! :earseek:
 
My son works part time at a restaurant as a driver delivering large orders like the OP (lots of office buildings), and tips are absolutely involved. He gets paid minimum wage and uses his own vehicle and gas.

That's a different situation. At the market all of the employees make at least $10-something an hour -- except for minors who make around $9 I believe. Deliveries are done with company trucks with refrigeration units & I'm sure the people driving them are paid more than the lower staff positions like my daughter. She is just part-time while going to college.
 

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