I don't see the difference

Many restaurants add a spot to leave a tip, but that doesn't mean you need to. At both restaurants I'm picking up my own food, refilling my own drink, and clearing my own trash. At what point does my doing the work reflect in their staff needing a tip?
 


I've never tipped at Panera and they've never expected one.
When I go order the food, I pick up the food, and I clean my table, no tip.

Some places that are iffy would be like where you order the food, but they bring it to you and they clean up. I think some sort of tip is in order there. But I don't see anyone doing it. But if I'm in line to order food, I go pick up the food, I get my own drinks, and I clean up, I really don't see a need for a tip unless the food is just so awesome I can't help but tip in a in the midst of overwhelming culinary euphoria. And well Panera probably isn't going to meet that criteria.
 
Some counter service restaurants place a tip jar by the register or include a tip line on the receipt.

I will tip for the restaurants that are hybrid in nature but at a lower rate then a full service restaurant.

There is a local BBQ restaurant that has you order at the register. They make your drink for you before you leave the register and clear your table when you are done.

My local Panera buses the tables and offers to refill drinks. My local 5 Guys brings the food out to you but does not bus the tables or refill your drinks. Panera has a tip jar, 5 Guys does not, neither includes a tip line on the receipt.
 


I have never tipped at Panera. It shouldn't be expected. I consider it a fancier fast food restaurant (and I use the term fast food very loosely because the one closest to my house is incredibly slow). I am more likely to tip (but don't always) at McAlister's or Zoe's kitchen because they bring food out to you and will clear your table.
 
I get what you're asking. At Panera, when you pay--either on the receipt or on the credit card machine (I don't remember) you are prompted to add a tip. And you aren't at 5 Guys.

I don't tip at either place, so I ignore the tip suggestion at Panera.

Of course, I tip about 18-20 percent at sit-down restaurants with a server.
 
I was surprised at a local smoothie place that just opened. I paid with a cc and a screen popped up asking if I wanted to tip and gave amounts to tap on to automatically add the tip. It caught me off guard because I had never seen that before so I declined to tip. I felt bad after and put some change in the tip jar they had out. They do work hard at the smoothie place, as they do at Panera, making your smoothie or sandwich, putting your order together etc., but I am just so programmed to just tip at sit down restaurants. Maybe these add-on tip amounts will become more common.
 
tinkerbellandeeyor said:
I did not think about busing tables problems because I am so anti social I get my food to go unless I am on a date with DH
Click to expand...
Panera doesn't bus tables where I am. I mean, sometimes they will bring you the food, but won't clean. And the cashier isn't the person who gives you your food ... so who gets the tip if you add one to your Panera bill?
 
I go to Panera much less often since they enacted their tipping option when paying by credit card.

If I do tip, I feel taken advantage of because it really is just glorified fast food with no real "service," but if I don't tip, I feel slightly smarmy because...they ask for a tip amount, so it must be "expected" that you do so, right? Or I can pay cash and avoid the whole "which button to press" ordeal, but then I feel cheated because I'm not getting credit card points, plus I like to use credit cards so I can track my spending.

It's incredibly silly, but it slightly taints my experience there, so I just don't go that often anymore.

I also feel a little taken aback when confronted with the tip option when ordering at Burger 21, but at least they bring you your food and clear the table, so I don't feel too bad about tipping there.

I'm glad to hear Five Guys is safe for me, haha! I haven't been there in forever and there's one right down the road from work; I'll have to go give them some business to support their "no tip solicitation" policy!
 
Yeah, I hate the tip line on a lot of these places where it really isn't warranted. The employees are being paid an actual wage, not "tipped position" wage. Sure, tipping for service above and beyond is okay, but how often does that happen, and how can you know at the time since you pay first? I do feel uncomfortable not leaving anything, but I usually make it a lower amount.
 
It just may be built into the credit/ debit card machine functions, and not a reflection of the business themselves. We had it on our machine at our rock quarry until we looked into how to disable the function, as it in no way pertained to our type of business. The business may not have bothered to disable the function. If you encounter it, just hit 0 and move on. Fast food workers aren't paid enough to care about the function on the credit card machine.
 
At Panera I use the self order kiosk, it doesn't ask if you want to tip. The kiosk has my favorites so I can pick that and go, it's so much easier. If they are down and you have to go through the cashier the card reader prompts you to tip. It's very awkward to decline.
 
anniemae said:
I was surprised at a local smoothie place that just opened. I paid with a cc and a screen popped up asking if I wanted to tip and gave amounts to tap on to automatically add the tip. It caught me off guard because I had never seen that before so I declined to tip. I felt bad after and put some change in the tip jar they had out. They do work hard at the smoothie place, as they do at Panera, making your smoothie or sandwich, putting your order together etc., but I am just so programmed to just tip at sit down restaurants. Maybe these add-on tip amounts will become more common.
Click to expand...

I really hope not. Here in the US, servers don't make minimum wage, and tips are expected to bring them up/past minimum. Places like Panera, Culvers, Five Guys, etc. don't have servers making servers wages.

Unless an employee goes way, way out of their way to do something, I'm not going to tip someone for just doing what they were hired to do. Sorry to be Nancy Negative today, but this tipping culture is way out of control.
 
lovesmurfs said:
I really hope not. Here in the US, servers don't make minimum wage, and tips are expected to bring them up/past minimum. Places like Panera, Culvers, Five Guys, etc. don't have servers making servers wages.

Unless an employee goes way, way out of their way to do something, I'm not going to tip someone for just doing what they were hired to do. Sorry to be Nancy Negative today, but this tipping culture is way out of control.
Click to expand...


As an outsider looking in, yes, US tipping culture is way out of control. Some of the threads here asking about tipping are just ridiculous. People stress over tipping their mailman and garbage men. Seriously, they are doing their job and should not be rewarded extra for ‘oh, but he always makes sure the mail goes in the box’ or ‘but he always makes sure he picks up any mess he drops while emptying the bin’.
 
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