Coffee Shop Tipping

[3rdAnswer]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

Well, I work at Baskin Robbins. I don't expect tips because we live in a predominantly tight-wad community, but I try to be as cordial as possible with my service either way. Tips are up to them, and they are completely appreciated. Sometimes people dump change, and sometimes people will dump a few bucks if I filled out a big order for them. It really depends. Sometimes I'll have regulars who know me and know how I pride myself with my service, and they show their appreciation and gratitude by tipping.

Not expected, but 100% appreciated.

I used to work at a Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins and my situation was the exact same. Some of the regulars would give tips, but I didn't expect to go home with more than $5-$8, which I spent for gas getting to and from work.

Most of the time it goes like that. Someone buys a medium coffee which cost $1.72. They give me 2 dollars and let me keep the change. If enough customers do that with the occasional $1 tip, I could make $5-$8 on a slow morning. On a Saturday or Sunday though, it was more like $12-$15.

[MassNole]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

Tipping in general is a joke, why should I be paying the wait staff's salary, shouldn't that be the duty of the owner of the establishment?

I despise tipping, but it is a necessary evil. We need a law or something against tipping.

[Shaver]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

The irony of if is that the restaurant business (which my Dad owned 2 of as I grew up) is that they already build so much profit into the price of the food, then expect you to pay the Staff above and beyond that. My Dad owned 2 Pizza Pubs in Clearwater, Florida in the mid 80's. It cost us less than a dollar to make a large pizza (most of which was cheese) and we'd get $11-15 for it. Beer was an even bigger profit margin.

Next to the jewelry business... there are no bigger mark-ups in the society then food at a restaurant.

[MassNole]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

The irony of if is that the restaurant business (which my Dad owned 2 of as I grew up) is that they already build so much profit into the price of the food, then expect you to pay the Staff above and beyond that. My Dad owned 2 Pizza Pubs in Clearwater, Florida in the mid 80's. It cost us less than a dollar to make a large pizza (most of which was cheese) and we'd get $11-15 for it. Beer was an even bigger profit margin.

Next to the jewelry business... there are no bigger mark-ups in the society then food at a restaurant.

Thanks for sharing, I hate when people in the business say if they restaurateurs had to pay a normal salary they'd go out of business. I am sure that is the case sometimes, with the exception of commission based jobs, every other business owners pays a salary, I will never get why restaurateurs are exempt from this in our society.

[MC Fatigue]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

I don't drink coffee, but when I lived in Toronto I did love Iced Cappuccinos from Tim Horton's, but I'd never ever considered tipping. It's not that kind of job to me. The guy turns around and fills a cup with something and mixes it for a few seconds. Or for coffee, they pour some coffee in a cup from a machine.

Certainly not work I'd tip for. Just like I don't tip the person who rings up my groceries. Same thing. They're not doing enough to warrant it.

I notice the ice cream guy said "because people are tight wads". It's got nothing to do with that. It's got to do with the amount of work you had to put in to scooping a scoop of ice cream and putting it on a cone. I'm sorry, but it's not that much work and it takes under 30 seconds to do a cone.

It simply comes down to the amount of work for me. At a restaurant, I tip because they're constantly having to check up on us and keep us satisfied. I tipped the people who moved a new bedroom suite into our bedroom a good $30 because they have to move furniture up stairs. I tip the delivery guy because he's driving all around the city dropping **** off.

I don't tip the grocery guy because he's ringing up items and putting them in bags. I don't tip the guy at the book store, because he's ringing up some books and putting them in a bag. I don't tip a coffee shop person, because most of the time they're filling a cup up and maybe getting a donut or something. I don't tip an ice cream shop person because he's putting ice cream on a cone.

The amount of work is what I base it on when I tip. If someone had to do something that took some time and effort, I tip. If it's something that takes a few seconds to a minute to do, then no. You're already getting paid to do that, too. It's not my job to give you extra money because you think you deserve it. And we're not tight wads because we don't do it.

[Stu]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

Thanks for sharing, I hate when people in the business say if they restaurateurs had to pay a normal salary they'd go out of business. I am sure that is the case sometimes, with the exception of commission based jobs, every other business owners pays a salary, I will never get why restaurateurs are exempt from this in our society.

The only explanation I can think of is that a lot of restaurants are seasonal businesses. While they might make enough to pay their wait staff during the busy season, it probably becomes much harder during the off-seasons.

[MassNole]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

The only explanation I can think of is that a lot of restaurants are seasonal businesses. While they might make enough to pay their wait staff during the busy season, it probably becomes much harder during the off-seasons.

Same argument can be made for the construction business, so as such the restaurants could adapt in a similar way by laying off wait staff in the off season. Probably even more easily given the temporary nature of wait staff in seasonal areas.

[Stu]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

Same argument can be made for the construction business, so as such the restaurants could adapt in a similar way by laying off wait staff in the off season. Probably even more easily given the temporary nature of wait staff in seasonal areas.

The construction business is year round these days. Trust me, they're working outside my window right now.

I agree they lay off most of their staff but some restaurants where I'm originally from in Maine have enough trouble just paying their utility bills over the winter. You're from New England so probably know the type of places I'm talking about.

[MassNole]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

I do and I feel bad for those people, but it is still ridiculous to expect me to pay 15-20% above cost to pay their employees. Life sucks for a small business owner, my patronage should be enough, not my paying of their salaries as well.

I know there are laws in place that allow them to pay below minimum wage, it really seems as if it is time to repeal those laws and treat them the way virtually every other small business owner is treated as well.

I won't even get started when it comes to tipping at franchise restaurants.

[rubisco43]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

The irony of if is that the restaurant business (which my Dad owned 2 of as I grew up) is that they already build so much profit into the price of the food, then expect you to pay the Staff above and beyond that. My Dad owned 2 Pizza Pubs in Clearwater, Florida in the mid 80's. It cost us less than a dollar to make a large pizza (most of which was cheese) and we'd get $11-15 for it. Beer was an even bigger profit margin.

Next to the jewelry business... there are no bigger mark-ups in the society then food at a restaurant.

food @ movie theaters are up there.

[MC Fatigue]

Re: Coffee Shop Tipping

Popcorn is one of the mostly marked up items I can think of. It literally costs them a few cents for the popcorn to fill a large bag.