Retail Outlets in Restaurants

[xcanuck]

Some restaurants also have a retail aspect. Think of fresh seafood at Blacksalt, or the butcher counter at Les Halles (in NYC). Some places will use the same POS system for the restaurant and retail aspects, which means there is often a place to enter an amount for a tip. The question is - should you tip? I can see arguments for and against.

[giant shrimp]

Some restaurants also have a retail aspect. Think of fresh seafood at Blacksalt, or the butcher counter at Les Halles (in NYC). Some places will use the same POS system for the restaurant and retail aspects, which means there is often a place to enter an amount for a tip. The question is - should you tip? I can see arguments for and against.

why would you tip to buy seafood at blacksalt?

[zoramargolis]

Some restaurants also have a retail aspect. Think of fresh seafood at Blacksalt, or the butcher counter at Les Halles (in NYC). Some places will use the same POS system for the restaurant and retail aspects, which means there is often a place to enter an amount for a tip. The question is - should you tip? I can see arguments for and against.

Having worked in the fish market at BlackSalt, I can tell you that no one who works behind the fish counter expects that line to get filled in on the credit card slip. I can recall one time when there was a customer with a complicated take-out order that was filled in the market, involving hot food from the restaurant, shucked oysters, shrimp etc. that involved a lot of attention from whoever had caught the order, and a tip was appreciated in that case. But as a rule, I say don't bother, because the tip might never even get to the person it was intended for in that situation.

[leleboo]

Some restaurants also have a retail aspect. Think of fresh seafood at Blacksalt, or the butcher counter at Les Halles (in NYC). Some places will use the same POS system for the restaurant and retail aspects, which means there is often a place to enter an amount for a tip. The question is - should you tip? I can see arguments for and against.

Having worked in the fish market at BlackSalt, I can tell you that no one who works behind the fish counter expects that line to get filled in on the credit card slip. I can recall one time when there was a customer with a complicated take-out order that was filled in the market, involving hot food from the restaurant, shucked oysters, shrimp etc. that involved a lot of attention from whoever had caught the order, and a tip was appreciated in that case. But as a rule, I say don't bother, because the tip might never even get to the person it was intended for in that situation.

And there's this:

I liked the wine so much that I ordered a bottle "to go," and the carryout price is $19.99 - since I had dinner there, I got a 5% discount on that. When the check arrived, everything (including the carryout wine) was included in the line before the tip - I couldn't bring myself to tip on the carryout bottle, but did leave 20% on the rest.

Zora's point about an order requiring extra effort meriting a tip seems valid, although, how much effort is "extra" and how much is just providing the service expected? i.e. is having oysters shucked by the fishmonger asking him to go above and beyond?

xcanuck, what were your pros and cons?

(I don't know why I'm so interested in this, but I am...)

[xcanuck]

xcanuck, what were your pros and cons?

(I don't know why I'm so interested in this, but I am...)

When you tip on a meal, there is an understanding that not all of it is for the service in bringing it to your table. The tips are shared with the folks in the back. So I guess the reason why I would tip is that someone still had to do the work to bring even the uncooked food to me (e.g. prepping the meat/seafood, wrapping it up, etc). Plus ]I always feel like such a schmuck when I draw a line through the area for a tip. I feel like I'm being such a cheapskate.

[cjsadler]

why would you tip to buy seafood at blacksalt?

I always tip the person helping me at BlackSalt (in cash). The service is great is there, and I figure they aren't exactly pulling a huge salary. I guess this leads to a general question of why tip anywhere? I used to bartend and was tipped most times for basically turning around (to grab a beer and hand it to someone). Why tip a bartender on a bottle of beer or say, the barista at a coffee shop and not the fish person*? Yet when I think about it, I don't tip a salesperson at Macy's who is helping me (nor does anyone tip in many other retail situations where you're being provided service).

*Edit to add: There's the salary issue with a bartender, so maybe the better example would be the people working at Starbucks. Why tip them and not the fish guy?

[giant shrimp]

I always tip the person helping me at BlackSalt (in cash). The service is great is there, and I figure they aren't exactly pulling a huge salary. I guess this leads to a general question of why tip anywhere? I used to bartend and was tipped most times for basically turning around (to grab a beer and hand it to someone). Why tip a bartender on a bottle of beer or say, the barista at a coffee shop and not the fish person*? Yet when I think about it, I don't tip a salesperson at Macy's who is helping me (nor does anyone tip in many other retail situations where you're being provided service).

*Edit to add: There's the salary issue with a bartender, so maybe the better example would be the people working at Starbucks. Why tip them and not the fish guy?

i have nothing against tipping anyone you feel like tipping.

however, i would feel awkward tipping a butcher, for example, or an employee at a fish counter, who isn't really serving me except to provide a product so that it can be sold. even the person behind the counter at starbucks is in a somewhat ambigous situation regarding tips, which is reflected by the informality of the tip jar. sometimes i buy the new york times at starbucks, which is just about the only thing i buy a starbucks, and i don't tip.

someone left a coat at a hotel after a raucous bat mitzvah party, and didn't do anything about it for several weeks. after it was established that the coat was still there, being held by security, i was asked if i could pick it up, since i work in the vicinity. the head of security brought me the coat. i know you tip just about everyone working in a hotel, but somehow it just didn't feel like it would have been the right thing to do.

i know not to tip pharmacists because they're well paid, but i don't tip someone for selling me a cake, putting it in a box and then in a bag. i don't assume someone who sells bakery goods is necessarily well paid, but still i don't tip them, so there is ambiguity and discretion here that's not necessarily related to how much a worker is paid.