Tipping at fast food "restaurants?"

Am I the only person who finds "Tip Jars" at fast food counters to be odd? They take prepackaged food out from under the warmer, put it in a bag and hand it to you. Is this worthy of tipping?

I have only seen that in a few places and never thought anyones else noticed it.

I've found it worth while to tip before you get served...people who make paultry wages appreciate it, and it's my hope they will get me food that has not been dropped.

In a related topic, The waiters/staff on Cruise Ships make like 50.00 a month. It's worth while to give out a several 20's to them saying you appreicate thier hard work and you enjoy good service. (That's a secret code for "Don't charge me a corkage fee, keep my ice bucket full, get rid of my suggled empties, and bring my wife two lobsters"

It is wierd tho...tipping. I have heard that Americans are especially desirable customers elsewhere in restaurants because the rest of the world do not tip.

I always feel guilty when I get takeout and charge the amount; the credit card receipt has a space for "tip" and I always leave it blank. I guess I can avoid the awkwardness and just pay cash, but I don't...

I need my quarters so I can buy a newspaper on the weekends, otherwise I used to just throw my change in the tip jar at coffeehouses and stuff: that's just good karma.

In agree about the staff aboard cruise ships. Their schedules are usually 7-days a week with no day off for 6+ months.

I only tip delivery people ('cause I know they don't make that much and depend heavily on their tips to survive) and servers in a sit-down restaurant situation. I give extra points for attentive staff that cater to my special needs (without charge) and are quick to replenish my beverage.

I was in Europe recently and it seemed tips were already figured into the bill.

There's an excellent burger joint down here in Imperial Beach. No waiters. I always tip the guy at the cash register a buck.

If I get less than a dollar in change at a place like Starbucks, I dump it in the tip jar.

I tip pretty heavily in bars, as this ensures a generous pour later on. And also, a bartender told me never to tip with change. Bills only. Don't know why.

Cabs. I only use a cab when I'm on an expense account, and I tip heavily. Why not? For a $12 ride I'll give him a twenty and tell him to keep it. Everyone needs a friggin' break at least once in a blue moon.

On 2005-10-08 11:07, Gigantalope wrote:
In a related topic, The waiters/staff on Cruise Ships make like 50.00 a month. It's worth while to give out a several 20's to them saying you appreicate thier hard work and you enjoy good service.

Definitely. However, tipping is prohibited on Holland America. I wonder what their staff earns?

I went on a business trip to Sasabo,Japan a few years ago and was told tipping was not only unexpected and uncustomary but frowned upon. This is a city where everybody speaks nothing but Japanese. There are no American fast food restaurants and every sign is in Japanese. I felt bad dragging my waitress outside to the front window and pointing to a plastic model of what I wanted to eat and not even tipping her.