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Sonic - do you tip?

Do you tip at Sonic?

  • Always - [10,15,25% or some other specific amount]

    Votes: 9 32.1%
  • Kinda - I go to the nearest dollar amount and let them keep the change.

    Votes: 4 14.3%
  • Never

    Votes: 9 32.1%
  • What is a Sonic?

    Votes: 6 21.4%

  • Total voters
    28
But many do, many do not tip, per this poll.
And the "fast" places are replacing the "slow".
In the 60's I worked at Sears and Roebuck tires and batteries...half my pay may have been in tips, and I earned them...young, foolish, and healthy back then...
But its a changing world.

This poll is referencing fast food where it is not common to tip.
 
If all they do is sit behind a counter, push buttons, and then call out a number making me come forward, get my food and bring it back to my seat, they don't get a tip.
"Car Hops" - you order your fast greasy food from the push button radio and they walk or skate it out to you.

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I've never had anything like that personally happen to me at Sonic, but I did witness a shooting/attempted theft of one once.
Wow, that would be crazy.
 
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Thanks for sharing that, I had not known that previously. I didn't think any company could justify paying $3 an hour simply because the server didn't get tips that hour (or had no customers).

They can't justify it. Due to minimum wage laws. The worker HAS to make at least minimum wage. Some employers use the tactic of paying the workers less and letting tips make up for it in order to give the employee incentive to please customers. But they HAVE to come home with at least mimimum wage due to wage laws. Otherwise, what would be the point of minimum wage laws?
 
I tipped the first time I had Sonic, in Panama City, FL during my beach week. There were over a dozen of us and we sat at their outside tables and received stellar service with the burgers I was quite impressed with. I tipped because of the service and our numbers, but had I been alone I would not have. I just don't think to tip for fast food; Although I was unaware they made less minimum wage and relied on tips.

Since then I've had Sonic twice, each time its been worse... and once the fries were cold and my order was wrong. I do not tip for bad service, cold meals, or botched orders (unless they make an effort to remedy the situation.) However I don't frequent places with bad service, so I almost always tip wherever I eat and its usually ~20%. It takes a really lazy waiter/waitress for me to refuse a tip. I can only think of two instances where I haven't tipped, a stuck up bartender who made it clear I wasn't a priority and a pizza place that had a $3 "delivery fee." If you FORCE me to pay a little, like automatic gratuity, then thats all you're going to get. (With exception to restaurants that have the rule for parties > 5 or bills > $100.) But even then it bothers me...

EDIT: Also, I tend to tip less for stellar service when I'm told that the tip doesn't go to my service provider, but is divided up among the staff. To me that is collectivist tripe that rewards bad waiters who would get nothing and creates disincentives for the go-getters.
 
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They can't justify it. Due to minimum wage laws. The worker HAS to make at least minimum wage. Some employers use the tactic of paying the workers less and letting tips make up for it in order to give the employee incentive to please customers. But they HAVE to come home with at least mimimum wage due to wage laws. Otherwise, what would be the point of minimum wage laws?

Exactly. This said though I still would probably leave a tip. I had a manager who told customers not to tip me because I was being paid "enough" already. There went $20 that some senior couple wanted to give me... It's good to know that they will make minimum wage or higher regardless.
 
c'mon people
if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal
if you serve yourself then there is no one to tip
if the server is crappy, then that may be justification to stiff the waiter/waitress
otherwise, it's just being cheap
 
c'mon people
if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal
if you serve yourself then there is no one to tip
if the server is crappy, then that may be justification to stiff the waiter/waitress
otherwise, it's just being cheap


Exactly. People who are "offended" by tipping should either stay home or limit themselves to over the counter restaurants. When you go to a full service restaurant, tipping is a standard practice and in most every instance is required. You are getting a service....why would you expect to get it for free?
 
if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal
I was in a gas station once - here in Dallas (Spring Valley & 75) that had a jar that said "Tips".
It had money in it!

Were you in that situation, would you tip?

Do you tip for gas service? I think I read that some states up north still have full service by law.
 
Wow, that would be crazy.
It was. Everyone ran/drove away as fast as they could. However nothing was stolen and the only one injured was one of the gangsters who was shooting. The manager had a gun and shot one of the gangsters and they ran away. Had the manager not owned a gun things would have been much uglier.
 
Exactly. People who are "offended" by tipping should either stay home or limit themselves to over the counter restaurants. When you go to a full service restaurant, tipping is a standard practice and in most every instance is required. You are getting a service....why would you expect to get it for free?
That is kind of the point in the OP. Sonic is not a full service place. It is fast food. The only thing they do is bring it to you.
That is there model and design of store - is that a "service" or part of their regular job?
 
I was in a gas station once - here in Dallas (Spring Valley & 75) that had a jar that said "Tips".
It had money in it!

Were you in that situation, would you tip?

Do you tip for gas service? I think I read that some states up north still have full service by law.

nope. i use self service. just like i would not tip the order taker at burger king, because i was getting my own order

but before the first oil embargo i worked at a full service station on an interstate. northerners were usually the ones who attempted to tip me for checking their oil, tire pressure, and cleaning their windshield ... my assumption was that was not the type of unsolicited service they got back home

maybe they could afford the tip. gas was about 27 cents per gallon
 
That is kind of the point in the OP. Sonic is not a full service place. It is fast food. The only thing they do is bring it to you.
That is there model and design of store - is that a "service" or part of their regular job?

I generally follow "Miss manners" guidelines. Fast food....no....Full service yes.
Seriously, once in Hawaii, there was a tip jar at the cashier of a small grocery store. THAT is beyond ridiculous.

The Sonics I have been to are sorta in between. If it is a fast food walk up counter ---- no. But if it is a bell-hop serve you food at the car and then pick up the tray etc.....I would tip 10-15%....sorta like a Sizzler. You order at the counter, but there is some service involved, just not to the level of a full service restaurant.

However...again....as a waiter, I would NEVER presume to get a tip and verbalizing the expectation is wrong.
 
c'mon people
if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal
if you serve yourself then there is no one to tip
if the server is crappy, then that may be justification to stiff the waiter/waitress
otherwise, it's just being cheap

I don't think anyone here has stated that they could not afford to tip, or go into a restaurant where it would be expected with the intention of not tipping.

When you go to a full service restaurant, tipping is a standard practice and in most every instance is required. You are getting a service....why would you expect to get it for free?

I wouldn't say its "required," expected is far more accurate. The tip is not the payment for the service, its OPTIONAL and was originally intended as a reward for good work. No one expects to get a meal for free, but an unpleasant, incompetant and/or lazy person shouldn't be rewarded for their failures.

I almost always tip, and a waiter has to work pretty hard to not get one, but its certainly possible. I think the presumption that its required is as bad as verbalizing the expectation, "delivery fees" or mandatory gratuity on small bills.

EDIT: IMO a tip should be expected for full service, if its "required" then it isn't a "tip." That being said:
 
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The tip is not the payment for the service, its OPTIONAL and was originally intended as a reward for good work. No one expects to pay for a meal for free, but an unpleasant, incompetant and/or lazy person shouldn't be rewarded for their failures.


Absolutely, the tip is the payment for service. It is also Absolutely optional, however, our system is based on the "good manners" expectation that people will tip if they receive good service, so in that sense, although "optional", miss manners would say it is sort of a requirement if you patronize a full service restaurant.

I do agree that laziness and incompetence should not be rewarded. I don't know of many waiters who expect to be rewarded for poor service. Having worked in a dozen restaurants over a couple decades of my life, it is my experience that most food servers really do try to give you good service. There were times when I got "slammed" and couldn't give good service...THAT is going to happen to anyone who works in the food service industry, but I can tell you on those occassions, I didn't "expect" to get a good tip and often felt shamed when people gave me a good tip when I knew the service I provided them was sub-par (maybe they sensed my stress level or saw that I was trying, albeit failing, to give them good service).

I don't think we are completely different in our views. I don't think it rewards anyone to pay for or expect a tip for bad service. However, when you fail to tip "out of principal" or you tip little because you are cheap, you are essentially doing the same thing by not rewarding good service.
 
However, when you fail to tip "out of principal" or you tip little because you are cheap, you are essentially doing the same thing by not rewarding good service.

I couldn't imagine any "principle" one could use to justify not tipping for good service, except for Steve Buschemi above who opposes the entire notion... which is just... hilarious.
 
I couldn't imagine any "principle" one could use to justify not tipping for good service, except for Steve Buschemi above who opposes the entire notion... which is just... hilarious.

I have seen it come up a couple of ways. I have had people tell me that they were sorry that they were not leaving a tip, it was not a reflection on my service, which they felt was very good, but because they don't "believe in tipping". They told me to tell my manager to pay me a better wage, that it was not "their job" to pay my wages for their service.

The second way I saw it come up was with a "religious" bent. People would either tell me that they only give 10% to their church/god, so they won't tip hire to a lesser person. Or...I worked in a very "Christian" area and would often get a little printed pamphet that said "Your tip"....and had a paragraph indicating that the best tip a person can get is to find the word of god which is worth more money that a 15% tip on a bill could ever provide. I was under the impression that they either bought these from their church or were given them by the church, my guess is that they probably paid about 10 cents a piece and then "justified" their failure to tip on the belief that they were providing a higher service.
 
I should add that after a while I got to recognize the regulars...and while I still provided minimal service to them, I didn't go over the minimum service to them because I knew I would not be compensated for my efforts. The opposite to those who tipped well. I made sure that when I saw my regulars (who tipped well) come in, they got the best possible service that I could provide.
I think most servers are similar. We would give people we don't know the benefit of the doubt and provide the best service we could, however, once we got to know you....good or bad....your service would be adjusted to your attitude.
 
I don't think we are completely different in our views. I don't think it rewards anyone to pay for or expect a tip for bad service. However, when you fail to tip "out of principal" or you tip little because you are cheap, you are essentially doing the same thing by not rewarding good service.
I tip well at full service almost always but not at Vietnamese pho restaurants. Most of the time, the tips go to the house instead of the server. At least here in the Dallas area.
From my point of view, I already paid the house. :)

What if the house gets the tips?
 
Tipping is demeaning, even insulting, and a thing of the past.
These places must be forced to pay a living wage - and this info must be openly posted - either one way or the other.
To add...things change....those who do not are conservatives....

I bet your food gets spit in a lot.
 
I tip well at full service almost always but not at Vietnamese pho restaurants. Most of the time, the tips go to the house instead of the server. At least here in Dallas area.
From my point of view, I already paid the house. :)

What if the house gets the tips?

I'm not really familiar with that concept....I've never worked in a restaurant where the "house" gets the tips. I HAVE worked at restaurants where the waiters "pool" their tips, which often works well because then every server really wants to make sure every customer is taken care of, even if it is not their station.

If a restaurant gives all tips to the house, I'm assuming cooks, managers, busboys, hosts, etc....I would not be a fan of that. Cooks are generally paid 5X what the servers are paid, managers are generally salaried. Bus boys are usually tipped by the waiters. I would still tip 15% but would never be inclined to tip more than that in that type of system.
 
I bet your food gets spit in a lot.
Although I never engaged in that type of thing, I witnessed on several occassions, some of my co-workers do some pretty disgusting things to the food of the regulars who we knew did not tip. That doesn't justify it and on one ocassion it was so bad that I told the manager before the customer could eat the food and the server was fired on the spot....
 
Although I never engaged in that type of thing, I witnessed on several occassions, some of my co-workers do some pretty disgusting things to the food of the regulars who we knew did not tip. That doesn't justify it and on one ocassion it was so bad that I told the manager before the customer could eat the food and the server was fired on the spot....

I worked in a restaurant for a very short period of time when I was in high school, and it happened there as well. That doesn't justify it, as you said, but I've always recognized how hard the good servers work and I always try to tip well. I've even asked to speak with the manager on a couple of occasions to let him know about superb service.

That being siad, people who skimp on the tip, or don't tip at all are just clueless tightwads.
 
The last few times I have gone to the Sonic drive-in, the car hops have attempted to pressure me into tipping. It is unnerving as I do not believe they warrant a tip - it is fast food for crying out loud! Same for Starbucks...it's fastfood.

The following are two different locations and two different times at Sonic.

Scenario 1:
Daughter and I went to Sonic during "happy hour" (2-4pm). She ordered her Cherry-Lime something or other and I ordered a cranberry iced tea. My kiddo let me know that she was taking care of it and I let her. Happy Hour is half price. The girl came and gave us our drinks - my 17 year old handed her a $10. The total was like $2.20 which included tax.
The girl looked at my daugher "Ok - thank you is there anything else?"
Daughter said "Ah yeah...you can give me my change."
"Oh I'm sorry, here yah go", she handed my daughter back a $5 then turned to leave.
Daughter quipped "All of it please!"
"Oh... There." and skates away.

Scenario 2:
I ordered a Breakfast burrito this morning. Thats it. I already had a drink.
The lady came to the car and handed me my meal.
"That will be $3.27 please"
"Here yah go", I handed her a $5.
"Ok thanks!" and started walking away.
I said a bit loud, "Oh, was it $5? I thought it said $3.27"
The lady handed me my change with a nice go to hell look.

Anyone else have similar happen to them?

My rule of thumb is that I ONLY tip waiters. That is, someone who makes repeat trips to your location, refills your beverages, or does anything atypical from simply making your food and giving it to you.

Sonic drive-through, just like carryout, does not qualify. However, there are gray areas like sonic drive-in and curb-side services where I give 10% or a couple of bucks depending on the service rendered.
 
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I bet your food gets spit in a lot.

You are god damn right.

Do NOT **** with the people who make your food... until after you get your food. Then never go back or hope they forget your face. Because we WILL (I used to serve while in college) **** with your food and/or give you terrible service.:mrgreen:
 
If I went to a 'fast food' joint, where I drive up to a window, place my order, then drive to another window to get my order. NO TIP

If I went to a fast food joint and they took my order and then brought the food to me in my car, ok in that instance I would tip.
 
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