The New Orleans Menu

Tipping For Take-Outs

Guy asks:
What is your recommendation for tipping for a take-out order?

Tom sez:
My kneejerk wise-guy response comes first, of course. Whay are you ruining good food by getting it to go? Dining in takes no more time and not significantly more money, and the food will be incomparably better. I don't think you should be like me, but hear this: I never get take-out. As in not ever. If I eat at home, I cook. If I get restaurant food, I eat it as it comes out of the kitchen, right there. If I don't have time to do either, I skip the meal. (It's part of my diet plan.)

But to answer what you asked me: It depends. But generally speaking a tip is not necessary. Let's look at the exceptions. If a waiter -- particularly a waiter who takes care of you all the time, whether you dine in or out--takes special pains to get your order together, then I'd tip him fifteen percent. If it's just an order at the front, and the only employee you deal with is the one who runs your credit card, there is no service delivered, and no service need be paid for. If it's anywhere in between, use your judgement, thinking about how complicated the process was for the person who assembled the order.

If the restaurant charges you for containers, then I'd really not tip.

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