The Tip
I am going to pick a bone, and it mostly has to do with any food establishment where I prepay for my meal and before I close the transaction, I’m asked if I want to tip. I usually tip for service and the quality of the meal, but in this case the only service I’ve had so far is the person processing my order. In addition, I have to go get my own drink and find a place to sit. So, I find it difficult to understand who exactly I’m tipping. Granted, in some cases someone will bring me my food, but I’m simply a number on a placard, it’s not usually a long walk, and sometimes the food is to go.
In the end, I think it’s a question of what am I paying for? Usually, it’s something along the lines of a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a drink, although sometimes it’s more complicated, but not often. I would hope as a matter of course that everyone would do a good job of pulling that order together, but is it worth a tip? In my book, the tip they should hope for is that I’ll come back for more because the food and service was so good and affordable. What I get instead is a posted price and the opportunity to pay more than 15 to 25 percent at checkout for the preparation and delivery of the goods. Imagine Walmart doing that.
I admit I have no idea what the margins are in the food service business, and it may be that the price plus the additional cost of the tip represents the true cost of delivering the goods and services. But if it is the case, then the food service business may be pricing itself out of a job. I bought a meal yesterday (sandwich, chips, drink, small dessert) that cost $18. Add on a tip and my quick lunch stop got pricey fast. And given that it feels as though the size of the sandwich I bought has shrunk, eating at home feels like a way better option, because it seems as though convenience is on its way to being a premium service.