Should I tip when I get food at a food truck?
August 16, 2013 10:39 AM Subscribe
I live in the U.S. What's the etiquette in that situation? I'm not trying to avoid paying a tip. I just don't know if it is usual or expected. Should a tip be paid as a matter of course or be reserved for special situations? All of the food trucks seem to have tip jars and many (though not all) have a way to add a tip when you pay with a credit card.
(Note: I've heard people say the decision as to whether to tip should be based on whether the employee in question makes less than the minimum wage due to an expectation that tips will be paid. I, however, live in a state where minimum wage does not vary based on whether someone gets tips. The minimum wage has no bearing on my decision as to whether to tip. I'm used to tipping people who make at least the minimum wage.)
(Note: I've heard people say the decision as to whether to tip should be based on whether the employee in question makes less than the minimum wage due to an expectation that tips will be paid. I, however, live in a state where minimum wage does not vary based on whether someone gets tips. The minimum wage has no bearing on my decision as to whether to tip. I'm used to tipping people who make at least the minimum wage.)
If there is a tip jar, tipping is optional.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:47 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:47 AM on August 16, 2013
I tip in situations where the tipped worker has control over how quickly and how well I am served. This mainly means waiters, bartenders, and hair stylists. I don't tip at food trucks.
posted by grouse at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by grouse at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
Here's an extended discussion on tipping at food trucks, related to the tip-shaming tweet that got a food truck employee fired.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by filthy light thief at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2013
Throwing some change or a dollar in the jar is a nice thing to do. It's not the same as tipping a waitress -- workers do make a wage although I'd wager it's not massive. Sorry, I see you address this above, but, still, tip.
Also consider the complexity of your order when deciding what to tip. If you order sandwiches for your entire office then yes, by god, tip, and tip 20% (or whatever you'd do for a waitress.) That sort of thing is an unholy pain in the ass for food assemblers.
posted by supercoollady at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
Also consider the complexity of your order when deciding what to tip. If you order sandwiches for your entire office then yes, by god, tip, and tip 20% (or whatever you'd do for a waitress.) That sort of thing is an unholy pain in the ass for food assemblers.
posted by supercoollady at 10:48 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
If there's a tip jar, I toss a buck in. I decided to stop worrying about whether or not to tip if there's a tip jar and just throw in the dollar (more if it's a large/complicated/weird order, but those instances are vanishingly rare for me) because it was less than what I was "paying" in worrying about it.
And if I don't have a dollar or any change, I don't worry about it.
posted by rtha at 10:53 AM on August 16, 2013 [6 favorites]
And if I don't have a dollar or any change, I don't worry about it.
posted by rtha at 10:53 AM on August 16, 2013 [6 favorites]
Tip a token amount if it's convenient; if it isn't convenient, don't freak out.
posted by downing street memo at 10:59 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by downing street memo at 10:59 AM on August 16, 2013
If you're going out the food truck to place an order for a bunch of coworkers at the office, particularly with very different and/or complex orders, you should tip. Otherwise, it's no different than any retail counter.
posted by deanc at 11:00 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by deanc at 11:00 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
If it's a small order I throw coin change into the tip jar.
If it's a complex order I'd tip a more standard 15%ish amount, although there's a sort of fuzzy multiplier based on how much of a pain in the ass I think I'm being compared to the average.
I generally try to put about the same amount on a credit card slip as I'd tip in cash, plus perhaps a bit more because small merchants get totally screwed by the credit card processors. More often I just try to use cash instead.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2013
If it's a complex order I'd tip a more standard 15%ish amount, although there's a sort of fuzzy multiplier based on how much of a pain in the ass I think I'm being compared to the average.
I generally try to put about the same amount on a credit card slip as I'd tip in cash, plus perhaps a bit more because small merchants get totally screwed by the credit card processors. More often I just try to use cash instead.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2013
I tip at food trucks and counter-service places, because I've worked at a counter-service restaurant and I remember how good it made me feel when someone tipped me, even though I was getting paid over minimum wage and didn't expect tips. If I can make someone else feel that way: score!
posted by telophase at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by telophase at 11:05 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
I used to own/operate a food truck and while I didn't get any of the tip money my employees were super-thrilled to get the extra money. Food truck workers (at least in my area) do receive a regular wage but it's generally minimum wage and the work tends to be pretty difficult. In our situation this included prep, working an un-airconditioned truck in the South, and clean-up afterward (the clean-up was the worst).
We really wanted to pay our employees what they deserved but the margins are really slim (my partner and I didn't usually pay ourselves).
Of course this kind of applies to a lot of food counter work but I really think food truck employees probably have it worse than most food workers.
That said, tipping is considered pretty optional but like putting in a dollar for one or two people is good. Two or tree bucks if it's a larger party.
posted by bfootdav at 11:07 AM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
We really wanted to pay our employees what they deserved but the margins are really slim (my partner and I didn't usually pay ourselves).
Of course this kind of applies to a lot of food counter work but I really think food truck employees probably have it worse than most food workers.
That said, tipping is considered pretty optional but like putting in a dollar for one or two people is good. Two or tree bucks if it's a larger party.
posted by bfootdav at 11:07 AM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Food trucks make me happy. I always tip a $1. Because it's food! On a truck!
posted by mochapickle at 11:12 AM on August 16, 2013 [8 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 11:12 AM on August 16, 2013 [8 favorites]
If you are asking for substitutions or additions beyond the norm, yes, please tip.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 11:17 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 11:17 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I tip if it's a weird or complex order, or if it's a truck or employee I especially like. Otherwise I don't.
posted by miskatonic at 11:24 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by miskatonic at 11:24 AM on August 16, 2013
In these "tip if you want to" situations, I find myself tipping more than not, because I can afford it, and it shows my appreciation to someone who is making me something I appreciate, and often, I value the item more than they are asking for. You could treat the tip as a way to rectify that gap between the cost and the value you perceive.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:27 AM on August 16, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by filthy light thief at 11:27 AM on August 16, 2013 [3 favorites]
Most of the food trucks I see are usually owner operated. Historically, you don't tip the owner of a business, but I think that's changed lately. An awful lot of micro-business owners are barely scraping by, and I always, always tip. An extra dollar or two is nothing to me - I mean, if I was *that* broke, I'd be eating at home instead of off a truck- and at the end of the day, those tips can add up and really help the food truck people out.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:29 AM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:29 AM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
If there's a jar, I put stuff in it. Sometimes more than a buck, sometimes change, but always something if I've got it. Exception: when I pay with a card at Starbucks and there's nothing to sign.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 11:31 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by masquesoporfavor at 11:31 AM on August 16, 2013
Why wouldn't you, unless the food is terrible and the person was mean to you, in which case why eat there?
posted by Ideefixe at 11:44 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 11:44 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
It is intriguing how many people above make their decision to tip based on whether or not there is a tip jar present. Based on that small survey, people in all walks of life would do well to put out a tip jar! Heck, try it at your work place you never know.
posted by jcworth at 11:47 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by jcworth at 11:47 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
If there is a tip jar, you should put a tip in it if possible.
posted by oceanjesse at 11:48 AM on August 16, 2013
posted by oceanjesse at 11:48 AM on August 16, 2013
I wouldn't, but then I'm opposed to tipping counter service as well.
posted by phearlez at 11:51 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by phearlez at 11:51 AM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I tip 10% for a food truck, take-out, or counter service, half of what I would tip for sit-down service (20%). Food service is not well paid. It's good to treat the people who feed you well!
posted by medusa at 12:02 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by medusa at 12:02 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I don't tip at food trucks or for take out. If I have to go pick up my food, I don't tip. Call me cynical but I think tip jars have proliferated solely to take advantage of well-meaning customers.
posted by Rob Rockets at 12:06 PM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by Rob Rockets at 12:06 PM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
Most trucks you have to wait around, standing, usually in the sun. I don't feel obligated to tip in those situations. If its a truck that provides a seat and table and shade to wait for your order, then I tip.
posted by hellameangirl at 12:13 PM on August 16, 2013
posted by hellameangirl at 12:13 PM on August 16, 2013
Sometimes I go to a food truck that has interior seating, I tip as I would at a restaurant if I am eating inside.
posted by yohko at 12:15 PM on August 16, 2013
posted by yohko at 12:15 PM on August 16, 2013
I live in the US. Since a minimum wage isn't a living wage, I always tip.
posted by aniola at 12:26 PM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by aniola at 12:26 PM on August 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
I figure if I have the money to eat at a food truck, I have the money to tip, whether it feels like I do or not.
posted by aniola at 12:27 PM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by aniola at 12:27 PM on August 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Should a tip be paid as a matter of course or be reserved for special situations?
For table service, I tip 20 percent as a matter of course, less if something went significantly wrong, more if something went exceptionally well. But for counter service, I reserve tips for special situations.
If it matters, I'm in Boston. I am also a serious foodie and have worked counter-service jobs myself.
posted by cribcage at 1:04 PM on August 16, 2013
For table service, I tip 20 percent as a matter of course, less if something went significantly wrong, more if something went exceptionally well. But for counter service, I reserve tips for special situations.
If it matters, I'm in Boston. I am also a serious foodie and have worked counter-service jobs myself.
posted by cribcage at 1:04 PM on August 16, 2013
Why wouldn't you, unless the food is terrible and the person was mean to you, in which case why eat there?
My problem is, where does this end? If the theory is that you give money whenever people seek it unless you're a jerk, you can get pretty quickly to "If you tip a dollar, why not tip two?" Tipping for counter service is, to me, something I do if the service is particular good. It is not something I do simply on the basis that if they stick a bucket on the counter, you're a jerk if you don't put money in it. They don't stick a bucket on the counter at Target just because they ring up an order; if they started, would you suddenly have to tip?
I absolutely tip for table service, absolutely -- generally 20 percent. But I'm not persuaded that someone who spends 15 seconds pulling a brewed coffee for me at Starbucks needs a tip just because they put out a jar.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 1:25 PM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
My problem is, where does this end? If the theory is that you give money whenever people seek it unless you're a jerk, you can get pretty quickly to "If you tip a dollar, why not tip two?" Tipping for counter service is, to me, something I do if the service is particular good. It is not something I do simply on the basis that if they stick a bucket on the counter, you're a jerk if you don't put money in it. They don't stick a bucket on the counter at Target just because they ring up an order; if they started, would you suddenly have to tip?
I absolutely tip for table service, absolutely -- generally 20 percent. But I'm not persuaded that someone who spends 15 seconds pulling a brewed coffee for me at Starbucks needs a tip just because they put out a jar.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 1:25 PM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
Neither am I.
If there is a tip jar, you should put a tip in it
This is not true. Nice if you have the change to spare, but it's certainly NOT mandatory.
posted by Rash at 1:58 PM on August 16, 2013
If there is a tip jar, you should put a tip in it
This is not true. Nice if you have the change to spare, but it's certainly NOT mandatory.
posted by Rash at 1:58 PM on August 16, 2013
If I am just picking up food from a place, and they have a tip line, I always add 2 bucks.
posted by waitangi at 5:37 PM on August 16, 2013
posted by waitangi at 5:37 PM on August 16, 2013
I live in the US. Since a minimum wage isn't a living wage, I always tip.
This is a good point. I am a barista and I make more than the minimum wage and I still don't really make a living wage. $1-2/hr added to my paycheck in tips at the end of the week makes a big difference.
posted by stoneandstar at 10:07 PM on August 16, 2013
This is a good point. I am a barista and I make more than the minimum wage and I still don't really make a living wage. $1-2/hr added to my paycheck in tips at the end of the week makes a big difference.
posted by stoneandstar at 10:07 PM on August 16, 2013
The countertop tip jar needs to stop. Build a decent wage into your prices.
They devalue tip jars for people who really depend on them and offer their services solely on the basis of tips, like musicians.
posted by Camofrog at 11:42 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
They devalue tip jars for people who really depend on them and offer their services solely on the basis of tips, like musicians.
posted by Camofrog at 11:42 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
I asked a friend of mine who owns a food truck and she said a dollar or two is average.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:02 PM on August 17, 2013
posted by Room 641-A at 1:02 PM on August 17, 2013
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posted by filthy light thief at 10:44 AM on August 16, 2013 [4 favorites]