Tipping the Chinese delivery man? (updated)

[smc13]

Originally posted by: MagicConch
Isn't 15% what you are supposed to pay a table server ? If so, then it seems delivery guy should get less % IMO. I am curious -- who tips on carryout?

Carryout isn't delivery. What's your point?

 

[AdamSnow]

He's lucky he got anything...

 

[SuperSix]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
don't ever order from there again. if you do, expect to get cream of sum yung gai.

Hahaha LOL

I thought the same thing.

I sure as hell wouldn't order from there again..

I look at it this way:

If I had to drive to get it, it would cost me time AND money, so i tip well.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: Nightfall

Originally posted by: blazert40
A tip is just that, a tip.

It is not a requirment as much as that sucks for the driver.

Thats very true. However, so is the requirement that you get the food to the customer within a certain time frame. I have seen some people who tip crappy get mediocre service at best. I had a friend who worked at Dominoes that had a hour response time. There were drivers who would deliver to certain houses and take almost 58 minutes to deliver the pizza. Then, it was just warm enough for them to collect the money for the product.

I am a firm believer that if you set a precidence for tipping well, you are going to get great service. If you don't tip, don't expect great service.

Agreed. While the US is one of the very few countries that tips, I support it most of the time. I think that businesses should charge a reasonable delivery fee, but the tip really helps with quality from the working stiff. My local Pizza Hut actually keeps track of the really good tippers. Now that I am one of them, my pizza usually arrives in 15 minutes.
When I was a bad tipper it was close to an hour. Then one of the employees let me in on the secret.

 

[MagicConch]

Originally posted by: smc13

Originally posted by: MagicConch
Isn't 15% what you are supposed to pay a table server ? If so, then it seems delivery guy should get less % IMO. I am curious -- who tips on carryout?

Carryout isn't delivery. What's your point?

I wasn't trying to make a point, it is a completely unrelated question.

 

[preslove]

If you don't tip competent delivery drivers then you are an asshole, plain and simple. 10%, especially for a chinese one, is pretty bad. You have to take into account that they go on fewer deliveries than pizza dudes, and therefore make less.

 

[brtspears2]

I noticed if you tip good and order often from a place, they get your food to you faster.

 

[Reggae4k]

Originally posted by: MagicConch

Originally posted by: smc13

Originally posted by: MagicConch
Isn't 15% what you are supposed to pay a table server ? If so, then it seems delivery guy should get less % IMO. I am curious -- who tips on carryout?

Carryout isn't delivery. What's your point?

I wasn't trying to make a point, it is a completely unrelated question.

not that im a delivery guy, but if you ever tipped me less than 15%, i would always remember the special sauce.

 

[geecee]

Funny. My wife and I always disagree on delivery tip amount. I usually tip 12-15% (min $2) depending on when I ordered, the weather, etc. She always tips like $2 max regardless ($1 on small orders). Her argument is that the restaurant is only 10 or however many blocks away, so they don't have to do much. If you use her logic, then you probably should've tipped more. If you use my logic, then you probably should've tipped more.

 

[Anubis]

we got pizza last night, 20$ delevery, the place is like 4 blocks away if that, i gave him 5$

id be pissed a you if i was him also

 

[oboeguy]

You guys sound like you order out a lot! This is like a once every month or two at most for us, which I guess is why I'm not really up on delivery tipping etiquette.

Edit: and I would think messing up somebody's order would be a nice way to get fired, no?

Edit 2: in response to geecee, I know exactly what you mean, hence my OP.

 

[rh71]

BTW, what does him being chinese have anything to do with it ?!?!?!

 

[Bryophyte]

I would've given him $30 (25 for dinner, 5 for tip) minimum. I live 10 country miles from the nearest pizza place. I give them at least ten bucks for a tip on the rare occasion I order delivery. It helps make sure I'll get them to say yes the next time I ask for delivery (they let the delivery guy decide whether he wants to go that far, it's a 30 minute round trip) and gas isn't cheap.

 

[oboeguy]

Originally posted by: rh71
BTW, what does him being chinese have anything to do with it ?!?!?!

I was talking about Chinese food, actually, but if you want to assume the driver was Chinese, that's your problem.

Edit to clarify, in NYC we often refer to "Chinese food" simply as "Chinese". Perhaps that's the origina of the confusion?

 

[kranky]

I completely understand why bigger tips = faster delivery. That's market forces at work.

But if a $5 tip on top of a $1.50 delivery charge for a pizza is what it takes to get it promptly, or risking some slackjawed driver screwing around with my food, that's when I start picking them up myself. It's less than 2 miles anyway, I'm there before it comes out of the oven.

If it was more than a 30-minute round trip, I'd probably reconsider.

 

[preslove]

Originally posted by: oboeguy
You guys sound like you order out a lot! This is like a once every month or two at most for us, which I guess is why I'm not really up on delivery tipping etiquette.

Edit: and I would think messing up somebody's order would be a nice way to get fired, no?

Edit 2: in response to geecee, I know exactly what you mean, hence my OP.

The turnover for delivery drivers is very high. It's pretty hard to get fired

<----- was a pizza driver during my first summer back from college.

 

[Jzero]

I usually tip $2-3. More if it's a gargantuan order or if there are extenuating circumstances such as a major sporting event or awful weather.

In general I don't agree with a percentage-based tip for delivery. It's the same amount of work for the driver if I order 1 pizza or 5. It's not like drivers typically tip-out to other restaurant staff as they do in a lot of sit-down joints.

 

[Phoenix86]

With more and more companies charging a dollar to delivery I think the drivers need to hit up their employeer for a raise. I am not taking that dollar out of their tip, but I'm certianly not tipping more because of it. Actualy I'm considering not tipping delivery people at all because of it (from the places that charge).

I mean as the consumer, if I'm paying extra to have it delivered it's no different than carry out. The delivery person is just handing me the food. That's not a tippable service.

 

[vood0g]

you're a cheap bastard. should have given the guy $5 to make the order an even $30.

that being said, there really isnt a requirement for "good" tipping or tipping at all, so the driver should just suck it up.

 

[xospec1alk]

which manhattan delivery place deliver by car?!

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Phoenix86
With more and more companies charging a dollar to delivery I think the drivers need to hit up their employeer for a raise. I am not taking that dollar out of their tip, but I'm certianly not tipping more because of it. Actualy I'm considering not tipping delivery people at all because of it (from the places that charge).

I mean as the consumer, if I'm paying extra to have it delivered it's no different than carry out. The delivery person is just handing me the food. That's not a tippable service.

Yea, besides the fact they make it so you don't have to get off your ass, drive down to the place through traffic, wait in line for your food, and drive back.

But yea, its the same thing as carry out :roll:

 

[BooGiMaN]

so what did he do to tip you off he was mad....did he tell you...yell at you..kick your door?

 

[maziwanka]

Originally posted by: oboeguy
I found out that one of our favorite Chinese restaurants from our old neighborhood deliver by car now, so they can come to our neighborhood (~60 blocks == 3 miles in upper Manhattan away). I tipped the guy what came to be around 10% of the delivery charge. He was pissed! Since when are delivery guys supposed to be tipped more than that?

(yes I know there have been zillions of tipping threads)

Edit: order total around $25, drive is ~10 minutes by highway with no traffic (it was like 10pm, so there was none)

10% is fine. next time don't tip him at all and order from another place.

 

[xospec1alk]

Originally posted by: oboeguy

Originally posted by: rh71
BTW, what does him being chinese have anything to do with it ?!?!?!

I was talking about Chinese food, actually, but if you want to assume the driver was Chinese, that's your problem.

Edit to clarify, in NYC we often refer to "Chinese food" simply as "Chinese". Perhaps that's the origina of the confusion?

i think you need to check your batteries...

 

[maziwanka]

Originally posted by: Nightfall
I usually tip $5 for a $12-$14 pizza order. The higher tip always pays off. Everytime I order pizza, I get awesome service. I know one of the delivery drivers there, and they do keep track of the good tippers. Those people ALWAYS get their pizza first.

For your $25 order, I would have tipped around $7.50. $2.50 was way too low.

wow. you are the biggest moron i've encountered yet. 7.50 tip on a 25 dollar order? are you fvcking serious? you fvcking douche

edit: i may be pissed but i'm coming from a NYC mentality. if you tip 7.50 for a 25 dollar bill then you are a moron. maybe its different when you live outside the city.