Off-topic here but you guys can probably answer a question I've long had: Are you supposed to tip the girls that bring out the food to your car at Sonic? About a hundred people have told me "NO, its part of the service" and another hundred have said "YES, it is common courtesy to tip". What is the answer to the age old question here? Over the past few years, I have been tossing a few Washington's to the ones that are hot 18-year-old types and stiffing the fat bitch types. I hand the high school girls the $1's folded lengthwise in the hopes they'll take a hint...
Make sure they are 18 before you go shoving dollars on them. I believe tipping is normal someone told me those girls (and also they have boys) get paid half minimum wage like waitresses do.
Rule of thumb is if you pay up front no tip, however if you pay after your meal you tip. Unfortunately too many chain restaurants are pushing the issue, like the places that pick up your plates, even though you can't reuse them, in that case a dollar per plate is enough. I have noticed convience stores have tip jars on the counter now, pay for high priced gas you pump yourself, but a newspaper and a half gallon of milk and tip someone just to stare at you and make change.
The local Sonic has a drive through. I just go through there to order and then park and eat in my car.
I did just do a google search and found this article:
"NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--New carhops at hundreds of Sonic Drive-Ins may find themselves earning half that of existing employees as the company shifts to tip-wage rates to cut costs.
Sonic Corp. (SONC) has started paying newly hired carhops at a tip-wage rate, rather than the minimum wage, at its majority-owned locations in a move to reduce labor costs and to attempt to improve service.
Newly hired carhops, which deliver and pick up trays of food to cars parked at the drive-in fast-food chain, are being paid an hourly tip wage of $3.13 or higher depending on minimum wage laws for the local market.
With about 100% annual turnover among carhops, Sonic should see the full cost savings from the lower wages next year, blunting the impact of next year's minimum wage increase that applies to other workers including cooks.
"
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Sonic-Payin…
deogol says:
You got to tip everyone in low wage jobs these days because the rich have taken their incomes.
Fuck that! I hate that way of thinking. Oh look, someone's got more than someone else, they should force the one with more to give to the one with less. Perhaps the rich one has EARNED so much because they came up with the system that gives the poor ones a chance to even earn a living in the first place. Perhaps if we give more to the low wage earner, then we'll have to fire others or charge more for the product that others then could not afford. This is a free country, if you don't make enough wages then you better find a way to earn more. Invent the better mouse trap or get a better job. It's NOBODY else's responsibility to help out the low wage earner.
You always tip unless it's fastfood. McDonalds is fastfood. Sonic is quickservice food. The difference is that it's deliverd to you and supposedly prepared custom for you, that is, in a single batch.
Now if it were a buffet, say, a Golden Corral, and you serve yourself, but a waitress keeps coming to your table to clear the empty plates time after time....you tip her too, right? I do, but as a lesser rate because you actually go to get your own food.
Im gonna agree with spandexman. If you pay up front, just like Mcdonalds, then no you don't tip. People that work at McDonalds actually make good money. I've never been to sonic, but I understand that it's kindda both ways, a fast food place and a drive-in, where you park and eat like an A & W. If you are in the drive in, when you continually get served, then you tip. Meaning, in the drive-in like they are a waitress and check up on you, make sure your ok and need anything else, then you tip them. They are being of service. Otherwise, a pay up front and a quick good bye, then no.
I tip them when they bring me my food. They make dismal minimum wage if that much and it always helps to get in good favor with a waitress. Some of the hot ones you have to wonder if they would put out for $. You know many of them grow up to be strippers or providers. Of course I am not one to try to proposition them sitting there in my car with the license number plain as day LOL especially if they are under age.
I'm not against tipping. Hell, I tip better than most. My problem is with anyone telling me that I SHOULD tip because of blah blah blah. I'll make my own decisions about what to do with the money I earned.
As for heading towards a third world country, you'll find that its those that try to control their markets that are in worse shape...just look around.
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Man, I love Sonic, but nearest one is 2 1/2 hours away. So when I travel and find a Sonic, I always hit it up for at least one meal.
I did just do a google search and found this article:
"NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--New carhops at hundreds of Sonic Drive-Ins may find themselves earning half that of existing employees as the company shifts to tip-wage rates to cut costs.
Sonic Corp. (SONC) has started paying newly hired carhops at a tip-wage rate, rather than the minimum wage, at its majority-owned locations in a move to reduce labor costs and to attempt to improve service.
Newly hired carhops, which deliver and pick up trays of food to cars parked at the drive-in fast-food chain, are being paid an hourly tip wage of $3.13 or higher depending on minimum wage laws for the local market.
With about 100% annual turnover among carhops, Sonic should see the full cost savings from the lower wages next year, blunting the impact of next year's minimum wage increase that applies to other workers including cooks.
"
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Sonic-Payin…
You got to tip everyone in low wage jobs these days because the rich have taken their incomes.
Fuck that! I hate that way of thinking. Oh look, someone's got more than someone else, they should force the one with more to give to the one with less. Perhaps the rich one has EARNED so much because they came up with the system that gives the poor ones a chance to even earn a living in the first place. Perhaps if we give more to the low wage earner, then we'll have to fire others or charge more for the product that others then could not afford. This is a free country, if you don't make enough wages then you better find a way to earn more. Invent the better mouse trap or get a better job. It's NOBODY else's responsibility to help out the low wage earner.
Now if it were a buffet, say, a Golden Corral, and you serve yourself, but a waitress keeps coming to your table to clear the empty plates time after time....you tip her too, right? I do, but as a lesser rate because you actually go to get your own food.
DATY, you tip, but at a higher rate.
As for heading towards a third world country, you'll find that its those that try to control their markets that are in worse shape...just look around.