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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsHoly shit! A Chili's app snuck a 20% tip for a pick-up order!
I went to pick up my order and I was told that I had to pay through the phone scanner. I was very confused because, well, I'm old, so I just followed the kid's instructions. Scanned the barcode with my camera phone and up comes a busy screen. Before I had time to read everything, the kid asks how I plan to pay. I said credit card. So he tells me to scroll down to the bottom where I found the option for credit card. I hit that option and up comes the recognizable form for name, credit cared number, etc.
I told him, "I can take it from here." No need for him to stick around when he could attend the other customers.
I entered the information expecting to have a second chance to review the charges and add a tip of my choice. But the next screen was a thank you for your payment, or something to that effect.
I was really worried that I had cheated the kid and I was ready to give him a tip by cash. So when he gave me my order I mentioned the tip and he responded, "Don't worry. You gave me a tip."
I asked, "Are you sure?" and he said, "Oh, yeah. Six dollars. Is that okay?" I said that's fine. But when I came home the amount was $6.97. 20% if you add purchase and tax.
That's the second weird experience I've had with take-out in a week. My conclusion: Restaurants are really struggling through Covid and are doing some very unorthodox things to hold onto their business.
samnsara
(17,570 posts)Shermann
(7,355 posts)It's the 2021 version of take-out
Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)msongs
(67,193 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)But, given the circumstances, it's more like charity, not greed.
MichMan
(11,781 posts)Bev54
(9,957 posts)If they did, then the patrons can decide what tip to give if any on a pickup order. If I am picking up a takeout order, I always pay at the restaurant not through any app.
Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)So I went along with it. It made sense given Covid precautions.
I'll be more aware next time. I usually pay 15% for pickup.
Bev54
(9,957 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)the parking lot. But, this is also only the second time we have purchased Chilis since Covid began.
Beartracks
(12,761 posts)Tip should be a percent of the pre-tax total, even if it is being sneakily increased.
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Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)TomSlick
(11,032 posts)The "struggle" that restaurants have is keeping food service workers while paying them peanuts. If customers do not provide a reasonable tip (for me that's at least 20%), the food service workers do not make anything like a reasonable income. It's not fair but that is how the system currently works.
Yes, I worked in food service when I was a kid.
Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)We usually do 20% for inside service, and I pay 15% for pick-up. But I do it on the food and drink costs. Not tax.
TomSlick
(11,032 posts)A larger part of the job for food service workers is pickup. Food service worker's cost of living has not gone down.
Restaurateurs have succeeded in shifting personnel costs by having customers pay part of the necessary income in tips. The margin for food service workers has always been thin. Irrespective of whether there is more inside dining or pickup, food service workers depend on tips to live. If food service workers can't live on their wages and tips, they cannot do the job. If they cannot do the job, there will be no pickup service.
Again, it isn't fair but that's how the system currently works. The question now is whether we are really all in this together or not.
Baitball Blogger
(46,572 posts)If we were, we would all be vaccinated. But, because of our current situation, we need to save money, just in case we find ourselves in a medical emergency that is non-Covid related, that puts us down in the triage list.