How much do you tip?

[a3quit4s | 4,344]

2 minutes ago, Gloves said:

My vegetarian wife used to ask the servers at Subway to change their gloves before handling her sandwich to avoid meat contamination and she'd get the most annoyed looks. 

Your my boy but I got an annoyed look just reading this

Mostly cause I get it but I remember being a kid and working in food service and changing those gloves sucks haha

Edited August 17 by a3quit4s

[fcgamer | 5,006]

15 minutes ago, Gloves said:

My vegetarian wife used to ask the servers at Subway to change their gloves before handling her sandwich to avoid meat contamination and she'd get the most annoyed looks. 

I used to hate when the person in front of me at Subway ordered a sub loaded with dressing or nasty ass sauces. Then they'd take the communal knife to flatten everything and cut / close the sub, before using the same sauce-contaminated knife on my sub. 

 

[fcgamer | 5,006]

2 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

Yesterday I bought a scone at a local coffee shop. The guy took my cash (no tip), dug out my change, then used his same disgusting money filth hand to shove into the scone bag to open it up. I wonder if the two were connected.

I tried explaining AHS requires employees to change gloves between food and non-food service but he had no clue what I was talking about.

Just be glad you're in Canada is all I can say. I've seen a guy scratch his body, grab a handful of noodles barehanded and toss them into the water, take my money with the same hand, then pick a few cooked noodles off the counter and toss them into the bowl when they had missed the mark initially. One hand to rule them all, I guess

Some of the best dried fish ball noodles I've ever had though, ate there for lunch for like a year solid. And no, never tipped a dime.

Edited August 17 by fcgamer

[Mega Tank | 1,093]

1 hour ago, Code Monkey said:

Yesterday I bought a scone at a local coffee shop. The guy took my cash (no tip), dug out my change, then used his same disgusting money filth hand to shove into the scone bag to open it up. I wonder if the two were connected.

I tried explaining AHS requires employees to change gloves between food and non-food service but he had no clue what I was talking about.

Did you take the food or did you ask for another?

Do you think tipping would have helped?

[wongojack | 314]

For @Gloves and @guillavoie

I have done a lot of delivery with Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub (don't know if they exist anymore).

I prefer the transparency of the transaction with DoorDash the most.  DashPass almost always eliminates the delivery fee entirely and whenever I have a problem with the order they refund me partially or do something to fix it before I even start eating.  I think they are just a little more fair and it seems the days of exclusivity (one restaurant on one but not the other) are over.  It could be that living in a massive city helps with that last part.

Other tips for delivery

Don't do fast food - it is never worth it as the fees are too big of a % of the meal.  Just go up a level to a different burger place.  You'll probably pay a little more, but the experience is better and you're usually helping a local place.  If I want fast food, I factor in the drive.  If I can't go get it myself, I don't eat FF.

Don't order drinks - Seriously this is your grandpa's voice in your ear.  "The drinks are where they get cha."  Also, it just seems like the chances for mistakes go waaay up when a drink is included.  @guillavoie figured this one out too.

Have a regular rotation - of places you know handle things well.  Some places have the delivery biz down to a science.  Some places are slow and eff up your order or delivery like half the time.  Stick with what works and if you try a new place, be prepared for the worst.

Sort by closest first - Yes, food will be waiting longer.  Take that into account and always look for the closest places.  DoorDash makes this really easy.  Figure out what is too far and always stay closer.  For me over 5 miles is a risk and over 9 miles is (will have to heat this up).

One location only - They've all made it so you can combine your order with different places.  Guarantees your food is cold and your driver has to do 2x the work.  Bad idea.

[fcgamer | 5,006]

10 minutes ago, wongojack said:

For @Gloves and @guillavoie

I have done a lot of delivery with Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub (don't know if they exist anymore).

I prefer the transparency of the transaction with DoorDash the most.  DashPass almost always eliminates the delivery fee entirely and whenever I have a problem with the order they refund me partially or do something to fix it before I even start eating.  I think they are just a little more fair and it seems the days of exclusivity (one restaurant on one but not the other) are over.  It could be that living in a massive city helps with that last part.

Other tips for delivery

Don't do fast food - it is never worth it as the fees are too big of a % of the meal.  Just go up a level to a different burger place.  You'll probably pay a little more, but the experience is better and you're usually helping a local place.  If I want fast food, I factor in the drive.  If I can't go get it myself, I don't eat FF.

Don't order drinks - Seriously this is your grandpa's voice in your ear.  "The drinks are where they get cha."  Also, it just seems like the chances for mistakes go waaay up when a drink is included.  @guillavoie figured this one out too.

Have a regular rotation - of places you know handle things well.  Some places have the delivery biz down to a science.  Some places are slow and eff up your order or delivery like half the time.  Stick with what works and if you try a new place, be prepared for the worst.

Sort by closest first - Yes, food will be waiting longer.  Take that into account and always look for the closest places.  DoorDash makes this really easy.  Figure out what is too far and always stay closer.  For me over 5 miles is a risk and over 9 miles is (will have to heat this up).

One location only - They've all made it so you can combine your order with different places.  Guarantees your food is cold and your driver has to do 2x the work.  Bad idea.

This is a totally different topic, but reading through this whole thing, am I the only one on the forums who doesn't (actually I've never) used any sort of food delivery service, other than the standard pizza delivery before things like DD and Uber Eats became a thing. That food delivery stuff is big over here where I'm at too, but I just honestly never saw the need for any of it, and still don't. If you want to eat out, then eat out, or if you don't, then just cook something in and save all the delivery fees and crap. I just can't comprehend why people would waste so much money on this sort of crap.

[Gloves | 12,251]

13 minutes ago, wongojack said:

Don't order drinks - Seriously this is your grandpa's voice in your ear.  "The drinks are where they get cha."  Also, it just seems like the chances for mistakes go waaay up when a drink is included.  @guillavoie figured this one out too

Yeah, $4 for a single pop when you could buy and have a case in your fridge for literally the same price? 12x markup is absolutely heinous. I have a Drink Mate (like a Soda Stream) and I make cream soda for myself all the time for a fraction of buying at the store, and it's both tastier and has less sugar.

[wongojack | 314]

1 hour ago, fcgamer said:

This is a totally different topic, but reading through this whole thing, am I the only one on the forums who doesn't (actually I've never) used any sort of food delivery service, other than the standard pizza delivery before things like DD and Uber Eats became a thing. That food delivery stuff is big over here where I'm at too, but I just honestly never saw the need for any of it, and still don't. If you want to eat out, then eat out, or if you don't, then just cook something in and save all the delivery fees and crap. I just can't comprehend why people would waste so much money on this sort of crap.

The reasons delivery is popular are easy to guess.  People don't plan ahead, they don't enjoy cooking, sitting in a restaurant sucks, don't want to leave the house for tons of reasons . . . 

I never saw the need to talk to my phone or a "smart speaker," so there are always things that won't make sense for each person.

Personally - we are DINKs and while my wife isn't quite agoraphobic, she almost NEVER wants to leave the house.  We started during the pandemic, and now it works really well for us.  Also, breakfast delivery!

Edited August 17 by wongojack

[guillavoie | 1,227]

52 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

This is a totally different topic, but reading through this whole thing, am I the only one on the forums who doesn't (actually I've never) used any sort of food delivery service, other than the standard pizza delivery before things like DD and Uber Eats became a thing. That food delivery stuff is big over here where I'm at too, but I just honestly never saw the need for any of it, and still don't. If you want to eat out, then eat out, or if you don't, then just cook something in and save all the delivery fees and crap. I just can't comprehend why people would waste so much money on this sort of crap.

I think I can still count on my fingers the times I used these services, so it is a very uncommon thing  for me as I usually cook like 95%+ of the meals we eat at home. But, when we were in vacation (renting a Airbnb place), I found it useful to use these kind of services a couple times to eat restaurants' meals (planning time is sometimes hard on vacation schedule) while saving on drinks, sides, kid's plates, desserts AND waiter tips. Plus, there's always a bunch of promos on these apps, so you definitely can get good prices on some selected items.

This said, it is true that you can get pretty overcharged on these platforms, especially if you order stuff from big fast food franchises like gloves' Burger King example. Not worth it for a lot of stuff!

And, I think it is worth mentioning that most of the times, if you can drive yourself to pick the order on spot, it is worth doing it instead of getting a delivery.

[Gloves | 12,251]

5 minutes ago, guillavoie said:

And, I think it is worth mentioning that most of the times, if you can drive yourself to pick the order on spot, it is worth doing it instead of getting a delivery.

Unfortunately I don't drive so not an option. A service like Uber Eats expands my ability to eat different foods at home, but comes at a significant cost. 

Thankfully the grocery store near me recently bulked up it's "international" section, which has bolstered my ability to cook especially Asian and Indian at home. 

[a3quit4s | 4,344]

43 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Unfortunately I don't drive so not an option. A service like Uber Eats expands my ability to eat different foods at home, but comes at a significant cost. 

Thankfully the grocery store near me recently bulked up it's "international" section, which has bolstered my ability to cook especially Asian and Indian at home. 

Not driving is a wild concept to me. I don’t think I’ve ever had food delivered. You don’t have a choice so it’s not a knock on you, but I’ve always thought of it as if I’m too lazy to go get it I really don’t want it lol

[guitarzombie | 935]

Some people on this forum have some really odd hangups.  But what do you expect for us weirdos collecting these old pieces of plastic.

[wongojack | 314]

1 minute ago, a3quit4s said:

Not driving is a wild concept to me. I don’t think I’ve ever had food delivered. You don’t have a choice so it’s not a knock on you, but I’ve always thought of it as if I’m too lazy to go get it I really don’t want it lol

I'm too lazy for a lot of things . . . but sometimes I just want to do something else with the time it takes to order and drive to a restaurant.  The ordering time and process is significantly different too.  I have to know the method that XYZ restaurant takes an order.  Could be phone, or online.  If it is phone, I have to find the menu and share it ahead of the call with whoever I'm ordering with - adds complication.

The delivery service streamlines all of that so that the time it takes to order and receive the meal is predictable and fairly constant.  This matters when you want the process of getting dinner to happen automatically after work while you are walking the dog or watering the grass, or you want to finish making coffee while someone delivers your donuts.

[Gloves | 12,251]

5 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

Not driving is a wild concept to me. I don’t think I’ve ever had food delivered. You don’t have a choice so it’s not a knock on you, but I’ve always thought of it as if I’m too lazy to go get it I really don’t want it lol

I did the math and taking a cab or Uber is far more financially efficient for how infrequently I travel outside of the 10 minute walk radius of my house. Car purchase and maintenance, occasional repairs, gas prices (or even electricity costs for charging an EV), insurance, it all adds up to WAY more. I spend like $50-100 per month on travel. Compare that to the average cost of owning a car in Canada being $1400 and I'm making out like a bandit. 

[fcgamer | 5,006]

3 hours ago, wongojack said:

I'm too lazy for a lot of things . . . but sometimes I just want to do something else with the time it takes to order and drive to a restaurant.  The ordering time and process is significantly different too.  I have to know the method that XYZ restaurant takes an order.  Could be phone, or online.  If it is phone, I have to find the menu and share it ahead of the call with whoever I'm ordering with - adds complication.

The delivery service streamlines all of that so that the time it takes to order and receive the meal is predictable and fairly constant.  This matters when you want the process of getting dinner to happen automatically after work while you are walking the dog or watering the grass, or you want to finish making coffee while someone delivers your donuts.

Is the food any good though, from the time it's made to the time it's delivered? I guess that is a huge part of the equation for me, as well.

I can't imagine that food tossed into any sort of takeout container, that has then been driven around for a bit, is going to be nearly as good as if you were eating it at the restaurant itself. I've seen pictures, and a lot of times it just doesn't look pretty imo. 

[fcgamer | 5,006]

3 hours ago, Gloves said:

I did the math and taking a cab or Uber is far more financially efficient for how infrequently I travel outside of the 10 minute walk radius of my house. Car purchase and maintenance, occasional repairs, gas prices (or even electricity costs for charging an EV), insurance, it all adds up to WAY more. I spend like $50-100 per month on travel. Compare that to the average cost of owning a car in Canada being $1400 and I'm making out like a bandit. 

I don't know your area, but would cycling be a viable option for you? 

[Gloves | 12,251]

4 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

I don't know your area, but would cycling be a viable option for you? 

Ehhhh, it's incredibly hilly, and the distance to most places would have me exhausted by the time I get back with the food. I've considered picking back up the bike for going places like the ocean beaches and occasional shopping trips, but I also need to sell my current bike and get a less "city bike"; it's a folding bike which was great for Toronto, but the tires are tiny and uphill cycling is basically a no-go, plus it's super easy to break into pieces to steal parts while it's locked up and I'm away from it (I used to just fold it and carry it around when I was off it).

[Tulpa | 3,704]

22 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Is the food any good though, from the time it's made to the time it's delivered? I guess that is a huge part of the equation for me, as well.

It's no different than if you do takeout yourself and drive it home. You just have someone else do it while you're free to do whatever until it arrives. That's why people do it.

 

[fcgamer | 5,006]

21 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

It's no different than if you do takeout yourself and drive it home. You just have someone else do it while you're free to do whatever until it arrives. That's why people do it.

 

That's sort of my point though, the quality is taking a hit so unless its something like FF, pizza or Chinese, why bother? Then again, if the extra charges are high, then there's no point in ordering FF either. It's just a very strange thing, pay more money and receive worse quality.

[Mega Tank | 1,093]

4 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

That's sort of my point though, the quality is taking a hit so unless its something like FF, pizza or Chinese, why bother? Then again, if the extra charges are high, then there's no point in ordering FF either. It's just a very strange thing, pay more money and receive worse quality.

It's like you ignored what he said. It frees up your time. Parents may sometimes order food like that out of convenience. They may not have time to go out of the way to pick up food kids want or prepare something when they get home. 

It's also used more in bigger cities to avoid the hassle of parking etc.

There's deals to be had and you can always choose to do pick up. You don't get these deals in the restaurants.

[wongojack | 314]

3 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

That's sort of my point though, the quality is taking a hit so unless its something like FF, pizza or Chinese, why bother? Then again, if the extra charges are high, then there's no point in ordering FF either. It's just a very strange thing, pay more money and receive worse quality.

I don't have a problem paying money to save time.

Sometimes the food is cold, fries are limp etc. but usually it is the same as any other option to have a restaurant meal at home.  It's not THAT much different.  On DoorDash, I can report that an item was not what I expected, and they almost always send me a partial credit instantly.  I don't abuse that, but it gives me some security that if something is just completely ruined then I can do something about it.

You've got to comprehend that some people just like to be in their own home - right?  Besides, ya know, they don't like strangers (which is powerful).  There could be something on the TV or "I only have a small window of time before I have to" ____ put the kid to bed, ____ start my next meeting, ____ yell at my landlord - fill in the blank.  Or goodness - a video game needs to be played.  We do that around here right?

Also - I am able to discover tons of restaurants that I would never visit otherwise.  They're everywhere, and I can sort through them quickly and efficiently on the site/app.

[Code Monkey | 2,129]

7 hours ago, Mega Tank said:

Did you take the food or did you ask for another?

Do you think tipping would have helped?

I asked for another after he changed his gloves but after those 2 they were out. He ended up refunding my money.

[Tulpa | 3,704]

37 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

That's sort of my point though, the quality is taking a hit so unless its something like FF, pizza or Chinese, why bother? Then again, if the extra charges are high, then there's no point in ordering FF either. It's just a very strange thing, pay more money and receive worse quality.

It doesn't take that much of a hit unless you're ordering from a Michelin starred restaurant or something (which aren't usually on food delivery apps anyway.)

I mean, unless you have no life that you can constantly eat out out or constantly cook, I don't see the big deal on having food delivered from time to time.

[fcgamer | 5,006]

43 minutes ago, wongojack said:

You've got to comprehend that some people just like to be in their own home - right?  Besides, ya know, they don't like strangers (which is powerful).  There could be something on the TV or "I only have a small window of time before I have to" ____ put the kid to bed, ____ start my next meeting, ____ yell at my landlord - fill in the blank.  Or goodness - a video game needs to be played.  We do that around here right?

Part of having a restaurant meal is going out. As mentioned before, getting it in takes a hit on quality, as the food rolls around in the takeout containers getting cold, smooshed, and mixed. Some of the stuff I've seen looks like it came directly out of a hospital, the remains of some botched surgery.

I get the time issue (which is why I eat out nearly every day, besides eating out is cheaper in my situation); however, with time management and planning, it's really not that time consuming to throw some bits into a crock pot and have a nice meal ready when one comes home.

From a social aspect, I get that as well, I like strangers as much as anyone else here, which is probably not much at all. That being said, if we want to go full conspiracy, I'd reckon this is all part of the objective of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic/plandemic, as i imagine that's when ordering in really took off.

[fcgamer | 5,006]

26 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

I mean, unless you have no life that you can constantly eat out out or constantly cook, I don't see the big deal on having food delivered from time to time.

Wow, that's being quite presumptuous isn't it? Have no life that you can constantly eat out or constantly cook...

How about I throw it back at you, unless you have no life that you just eat to function, in which case perhaps it's time for a chicken/rice/broccoli diet. If your life is that busy that you can't use the food preparation time as quality time spent with your family, or eating out as time spent with the family / friends / colleagues, then imo it's a pretty bleak existence. 

Not trying to knock on anyone here, but food is best enjoyed socially.