What to know
- A viral TikTok sparked discussion after a Toronto woman said she doesn’t tip on takeout.
- Many locals say the amount they tip depends on service and social pressure.
- Some feel tipping expectations are getting too high, especially for takeout.
- The debate raises questions about fair wages versus tipping in the restaurant industry.
To tip, or not to tip? A Toronto resident sparked an online debate after saying she doesn’t tip for takeout, and Now Toronto hit the streets to find out if other locals agree.
The woman, under the username @myplantalbum, shared online that she does not tip on takeout.
@myplantalbum For the record, they didn’t give me a hard time about refunding me the amount. I think that there shouldn’t a prompt for tips when it’s takeout. Funny enough, when I had to pay the 2nd time, there was NO PROMPT for tips. I also think that the button I pressed must have been another 15% tip button instead of the “no tip” option — which IMO is sneaky bc it’s normally the no tip button at the bottom of the sceeen.
♬ original sound – MJ Sistem 🪴🇵🇭
Her story comes after she visited a wings restaurant, and there was a button on the point–of-sale system that led her to unwillingly add a tip to her order. Now Toronto tried to reach out to her, but she declined to comment.
However, comments sparked the debate: Do you tip on takeout? We took the question to the streets to find out.
‘I do tip’: These Torontonians disagree, saying they tip on takeout
Toronto resident Jason S. said he does tip, but the amount depends on the service.
“When I pick it up, it depends on the level of service that I get, what the restaurant is, how it’s accessed, but usually not as much as if I were to actually sit down in the restaurant,” he told Now Toronto.
Though Jason does feel pressured to tip at times.
“I have to be honest, you feel kind of obligated, but when you’re talking about 10 per cent on a single order, it’s usually not too much. It’s just a matter of service,” he said.
Toronto resident Stuart E. also believes in tipping on takeout.
“The service counts for something,” he told Now Toronto.
Though he agrees there is societal pressure when it comes to tipping, he sometimes gets taken aback by restaurants’ tipping percentages.
“I do take offence sometimes when the higher percentage is first on the list, and it drops down from there. You know, a minimum of 18 per cent or something is great, but when the first thing you see is 24 per cent or 22 per cent, that gets a bit much,” Stuart said.
Toronto resident Kabilan T. says he also tips on takeout, but less than when he gets food delivered.
“I think some of the percentages have gone kind of crazy now, but it is what it is,” he said.
Should restaurants even be asking for tips, or pay fairer wages?
Jason S. believes it’s a combination of both.
“In North America, we traditionally have this tip-oriented service, which incentivizes good service and the people that work there, but then at the same time, you kind of just wish people had livable wages,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the cost of living is expensive as it is. Businesses need to operate to some degree, so if wages go up too high and then food prices go up high and you still get less service, then it’s kind of like you know a debatable option,” Jason added.
Stuart E. agrees, saying, “It would be nice if restaurants paid their staff a good wage, but I also realize customers would probably end up paying the bill for that anyway.”
Kabilan T. disagrees with both, saying restaurants should be the ones footing the tip with fairer wages.
