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Went to Sonic, didn't tip, let's talk...

placedesjardins

placedesjardins

May 7, 2012
1,433
1,227
#1
Okay, so I go to Sonic. But for the first time, I park in one of the parking spots with an ordering thingy instead of doing drive through. I just order milkshakes and pay with credit card. Anyway, a dude delivers our drinks on a tray and that's that. Then, I'm thinking after the fact, "Was I supposed to tip the delivery person?" He did serve us, but it's almost on par with fast food service. Have you been to Sonic pull-up/park/order and tip the delivery person/waiter-ish person?
 
#4
BawanaRik said:
I went there to get a take out and they wouldn't serve me. They ignore everyone not in a car

No tip for them!
Click to expand...

really...they have those talkey things on the median...i thought they were there for walk-ups...

i mean, on the one hand, it IS fast food and you don't tip at Macdonalds...on the other hand, there is a little more to it than simply ordering, getting your whopper and walking out...so, yeah, i usually tip....something small, like "keep the change" from my buck or something

davesignatureII-1.png
 
#5
placedesjardins said:
Okay, so I go to Sonic. But for the first time, I park in one of the parking spots with an ordering thingy instead of doing drive through. I just order milkshakes and pay with credit card. Anyway, a dude delivers our drinks on a tray and that's that. Then, I'm thinking after the fact, "Was I supposed to tip the delivery person?" He did serve us, but it's almost on par with fast food service. Have you been to Sonic pull-up/park/order and tip the delivery person/waiter-ish person?
Click to expand...

I'm the same way.... I there's also a restaurant in town where you pay before you eat.. But then you have a server... I never carry cash.

Then again I always felt pressured to tip at sonic which I don't think they deserve... I mean they just brought the food out of the place... One of the biggest reasons I don't like going there, very awkward
 
#6
placedesjardins said:
Okay, so I go to Sonic. But for the first time, I park in one of the parking spots with an ordering thingy instead of doing drive through. I just order milkshakes and pay with credit card. Anyway, a dude delivers our drinks on a tray and that's that. Then, I'm thinking after the fact, "Was I supposed to tip the delivery person?" He did serve us, but it's almost on par with fast food service. Have you been to Sonic pull-up/park/order and tip the delivery person/waiter-ish person?
Click to expand...

I don't know if its true for all of the restaurants, but some girls I know who used to work as car-hops said they actually make less than minimum wage to compensate for tips. I think they said it was around 3$/hr or so.
 
#9
I always tip at Sonic. That's how they earn their living. And unlike McDonalds and similar places, they actually come out to your vehicle to deliver your order. Not like just handing it across the counter with a scowl on their faces. ;) I've found that most of these servers are actually pleasant.
 
#10
I still don't know what to make of Sonic. I'll give a tip myself, but they can't add a gratuity if you pay with credit or debit, which leads me to believe they receive a normal hourly wage, like frebassist suggested. I'm from the era when carhops made a significant part of their wage from tips, so I always want to. Does anyone here really know their pay basis ?
I'm going to ask next time I go.
 
#11
Thanks all. I feel a little bit bad. The server was a nice guy. I will never go there again. At least the one where I forgot to tip.
I had just come from a restaurant (local sit-down place) where I tipped 20% because the service was good.
 
#12
I went to a Sonic once, and my total came out to $6.99. I gave the server $7, and waited for her to come back with my penny. I also had a dollar bill for her.

I waited for about 5 minutes, during which there were zero customers beside me. This woman did not bring me my 1¢ change, I was duly upset at her lack of professionalism at not bringing my change, and offended by her theft of my 1¢, so I left, keeping the dollar I was going to give her and letting her keep the penny.
 
#13
Gopherbassist said:
I went to a Sonic once, and my total came out to $6.99. I gave the server $7, and waited for her to come back with my penny. I also had a dollar bill for her.

I waited for about 5 minutes, during which there were zero customers beside me. This woman did not bring me my 1¢ change, I was duly upset at her lack of professionalism at not bringing my change, and offended by her theft of my 1¢, so I left, keeping the dollar I was going to give her and letting her keep the penny.
Click to expand...

.........

Do you REALLY expect someone to think you want your penny back? A penny is nothing, I wouldn't have came back either that's already an insult tip. You expect someone to be your little you know what?

Seriously...... Unless you SPECIFICALLY asked for your .01$ back, do you really expect ANYONE to not think your just a horrible tipper? If you didn't try to go out of your way getting off on control you would have gave them the 8$ upfront letting her keep the 1.01$

I was I server, I know your type..
 
#14
RED J said:
I still don't know what to make of Sonic. I'll give a tip myself, but they can't add a gratuity if you pay with credit or debit, which leads me to believe they receive a normal hourly wage, like frebassist suggested. I'm from the era when carhops made a significant part of their wage from tips, so I always want to. Does anyone here really know their pay basis ?
I'm going to ask next time I go.
Click to expand...

They receive a proper hourly wage.
 
#15
Gopherbassist said:
I went to a Sonic once, and my total came out to $6.99. I gave the server $7, and waited for her to come back with my penny. I also had a dollar bill for her.

I waited for about 5 minutes, during which there were zero customers beside me. This woman did not bring me my 1¢ change, I was duly upset at her lack of professionalism at not bringing my change, and offended by her theft of my 1¢, so I left, keeping the dollar I was going to give her and letting her keep the penny.
Click to expand...

I don't know if you can hold it against a non-professional for not having professionalism. :p
 
#17
I went to a Sonic once with my son. We pulled up and ordered 2 milkshakes and nothing else. The person at the other end of the distortion box gave me my total cost and nobody ever delivered our drinks. They waited on several other customers and after about 25 minutes of trying to get their attention to wait on us, which they ignored me, we left.

On the opposite side of service. I have gone to Steak 'n Shake several times. You have 3 choices for ordering. 1. Counter take out 2. drive up window. 3. sit down at a table or booth and a server comes and takes you order and brings it to you. If you eat in, you also get free soda and tea refills. If you dine in, a tip is in accordance with the type of sit down service. The service is always great, low prices, the steakburgers are really good, and they have the best milkshakes of any place with "real" milk. Plus, every weekday from 2 - 4, all drinks are 1/2 price.

http://www.steaknshake.com/
 
#19
Tony Flow MMMM said:
.........

Do you REALLY expect someone to think you want your penny back? A penny is nothing, I wouldn't have came back either that's already an insult tip. You expect someone to be your little you know what?

Seriously...... Unless you SPECIFICALLY asked for your .01$ back, do you really expect ANYONE to not think your just a horrible tipper? If you didn't try to go out of your way getting off on control you would have gave them the 8$ upfront letting her keep the 1.01$

I was I server, I know your type..
Click to expand...

Dude..... it's the law, first off. Secondly, I'm a cook. I know your type. ;P
 
#20
Tony Flow MMMM said:
.........

Do you REALLY expect someone to think you want your penny back? A penny is nothing,
Click to expand...

Really? a penny is 1% of a dollar.
I will gladly take all of the pennies that you don't want!

Do you know that if just 1% of the people in the US gave me 1% of a dollar,
I'd get over $30,000. Heck yeah!

Just for the sake of conversation.
How much $$$ do you think that the oil companies make a year just by that 9/10ths. of a penny that they add to every gallon of gas they sell?
(checking wikki and doing some quick maths, I calculated that it's just over 12 million dollars a year.)
 

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