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Why don't all restaurants offer takeout?

tokie

tokie

Golden Member
Some places act like serving takeout customers is a huge pain in the ass.

I would think a place could make more money on takeout people. No tables to clean, no waiting on people, and no using space.

Am I wrong on this? Does serving takeout cost more or something?
 
Lost of revenue/tip for the waiter/owner.

Maybe they aren't prep for takeout. Like boxes and etc.

But I'm with u on, places should offer takeout.

AFAIK most high end places don't do it and they are doing very well. So its not a bad .
 
They don't get the chance to make money on drinks either. Wait staff generally hate takeout orders. No chance for upsales and usually little to no tips.

KT
 
if you call and ask, a lot will do it anyways even if they don't officially offer it as an option, especially if you're a regular.

in general, they probably just don't want their brand to become synonymous with a takeout joint.
 
Take out is it's own niche. As has been stated, many places will make something to go if you call ahead. The biggest reason take out is a pain for many restaurants who don't normally offer it, is cost. All those foam and paper products are obscenely expensive. Want to put your logo on them? Double or triple the cost of those already expensive products. 90% of fastfood marketing budgets is the cost of paper products.
 
Why don't all restaurants offer Chinese food? Or hamburgers? Because they don't want to.


Seriously though, drinks are such a huge profit maker for places. A bag of syrup costs around $45 and makes 30 gallons of soda. Everyone would have to drink 1.5 gallons per $2 drink purchase to even break even.
 
T2urtle said:
Lost of revenue/tip for the waiter/owner.

Maybe they aren't prep for takeout. Like boxes and etc.

But I'm with u on, places should offer takeout.

AFAIK most high end places don't do it and they are doing very well. So its not a bad .
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i've never seen a restaurant that doesn't have doggy bag "boxes" along with accompanying bags to put it in, so i doubt that is it.

most places offer takeout, you just have to ask for it. while many nice restaurants don't offer it, i've never seen some place say they won't let you do it.

it is better than having you come in and sit at a table ordering nothing while the food cooks, then immediately asking for them to put it in a box, then taking it home.
 
Some places do it, but don't advertise it. I like when places make it easy. Chili's may not be the greatest place in the world, but their takeout is really easy. Just order online, walk in the side door, and pick it up. I've gotten takeout from some other sit down restaurants, and I feel like a damn sideshow freak when I go in to pick it up.
 
Most places do offer takeout. Sometimes you have to ask for it. But some places will charge more for takeout than dine-in. I can understand why.
 
purbeast0 said:
i've never seen a restaurant that doesn't have doggy bag "boxes" along with accompanying bags to put it in, so i doubt that is it.

most places offer takeout, you just have to ask for it. while many nice restaurants don't offer it, i've never seen some place say they won't let you do it.

it is better than having you come in and sit at a table ordering nothing while the food cooks, then immediately asking for them to put it in a box, then taking it home.
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Well, I hope you leave a tip for taking up a table.
 
ponyo said:
Most places do offer takeout. Sometimes you have to ask for it. But some places will charge more for takeout than dine-in. I can understand why.
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I think a large part is going to a restaurant isn't just about the food. The experience has to also be appealing. Why would they advertise take out when they are also selling the experience? That doesn't come with the doggy bag at the door.
 
I didn't think about the drinks, that may be it.

Tips don't matter because we don't tip in Europe.

In either case, it seems like 20-30% of places I call won't do takeout.
 
What the others have said, but also, many kitchens can just deal with the order flow from the tables on a busy night. On a slow weeknight takeout might be a godsend because it generates extra revenue, but it might become a nightmare on the weekend.
 
Why don't all restaurants offer it? I'm having a hard time seeing how high-end places like the French Laundry would do it. Or niche chains like Melting Pot. Really, once you get to "upscale" it's fairly rare, and for a reason.
 
T2urtle said:
Lost of revenue/tip for the waiter/owner.

Maybe they aren't prep for takeout. Like boxes and etc.

But I'm with u on, places should offer takeout.

AFAIK most high end places don't do it and they are doing very well. So its not a bad .
Click to expand...
Odd since high end hotels offer room service
 
High-end places don't to maintain their brand's sophistication, as well as to preserve the quality of the food. If you order a $50 steak that gets cold on the way home, what's the point?

Lower/mid-range places usually offer it in my experience.
 
torpid said:
Why don't all restaurants offer it? I'm having a hard time seeing how high-end places like the French Laundry would do it. Or niche chains like Melting Pot. Really, once you get to "upscale" it's fairly rare, and for a reason.
Click to expand...

What the "upscale" offers is the atmosphere and the setting.
 
Markbnj said:
What the others have said, but also, many kitchens can just deal with the order flow from the tables on a busy night. On a slow weeknight takeout might be a godsend because it generates extra revenue, but it might become a nightmare on the weekend.
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100% True.

My dad is part owner in a place in OC Maryland, and while they do take-out orders, during the summer and especially at night, they just refuse it because the place is 100% packed and they're struggling to get orders out in a timely manner so take-out orders would just be a nightmare as you said. If they offered take-out, it would take about 2 hours to fulfill your order.
 
JM Aggie08 said:
Why don't you write Gordon Ramsay a strongly worded letter addressing this issue. See how that pans out.
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I just don't understand why people think this guy is scary. Perhaps my time in the military and playing team sports has hardened me to yelling. This guy isn't even remotely good at it. I'd laugh in his face!
 
Where I used to live there was a small diner that did take out, it as awesome if I wanted something they had but didn't want to eat it there.
 
smackababy said:
Take out is great if you are by yourself too. Who wants to eat a restaurant alone? That is weird.
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that's how I ended up getting my favorite local restaurant to do take-out for me even though they don't advertise it as an option.

when I moved into where I'm living now, I had no kitchen for the first month or so.

first few days -- walk to the restaurant for lunch/dinner, eat by myself and feel awkward

end of the first week -- just asking the waitress if I could get my order in a doggie bag

second week -- "hey, would it be OK if I just called ahead since I'm getting my order to-go anyways?"

I still tip for take-out, though (not as much as if I was eating there, but at least a couple extra bucks)
 
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