Do Restaurants Expect You To Tip When Picking Up Takeout?

Unlike other countries, it's customary in America to leave a tip. For instance, this American restaurant etiquette is considered rude in Japan. But since the current landscape has shifted — with around 75% of customers preferring takeout, per the National Restaurant Association — is the tipping culture seeing similar changes too? Chowhound exclusively spoke with two experts to find out whether restaurants expect you to tip when picking up takeout, and the short answer is no, but it does come with its caveats. 

Brandon Dorsky, owner of Yeastie Boys Bagels and a food consultant, tells us, "Depending on the restaurant employee's experience, and where the employee lives and the type of restaurant the employee works in, the employee may have an expectation that customers tip on takeout orders." Dr. Sheree Bryant Sekou — a certified business etiquette trainer licensed by The Emily Post Institute (since 2012) and principal consultant at Sheree Sekou Consulting — adds this to the discussion: "In my experience, while many restaurant employees do not expect customers to tip when picking up takeout orders, many are pleasantly surprised to receive one."

So, while it's not mandatory, tips are much appreciated — but how much? Compared to dining in, where a 15% to 20% tip is more conventional, Dr. Sekou mentions that a 10% tip is recommended for services such as curbside delivery and larger orders. She also highlights that it's not a written rule to tip, but again, it never hurts to extend some extra bucks.

If you're someone who orders food online, you might've come across one or two prompts suggesting that you tip, which admittedly puts pressure on the customer. If you feel the same, you're not alone. According to a Tillster report on customer tipping behavior, 40% of customers quit ordering overall because they feel obligated to give gratuity. Meanwhile, 62% of diners prefer ordering from somewhere else or simply end up leaving a smaller tip. Take the generation that tips the worst out of the equation, and you'll see that the reluctance to give a tip might be more of a systemic thing.

But if you're wondering about the whys of it, the answer is simple. Just because you don't see the work being done for your takeout orders, that doesn't mean no effort is put into it. "The extra time spent packaging the food as a to-go order (including construction of to-go boxes), the addition of utensils and condiments, the re-checking of the orders' contents, and the precautions taken when the customer has identified allergies are all additional layers of work and time that a customer does not witness," says Brandon Dorsky. Meanwhile, if you opt out of deliveries and show up in person to get your order yourself, a tip to the person who prepared it still goes a long way. Whether you're giving a tip in cash or by card, it's a nice way to say thank you to your server.