Yep, very true. Some places are even asking for a tip when I just order for pickup which doesn’t make sense, it’s just a voluntary service charge at that point? As a result I and many others are just going out less. This means less income for those in the service industry, so they might need to charge a bigger tip from those who do choose to dine in. Not a great feedback loop
I'm also very unclear on who gets the tip for a pickup order. In my state, it's illegal to share the tips with back-of-house staff (ie. the people cooking the food). Am I just tipping the person who hands me the food? The online system took my order, took my payment, and printed the ticket. The food preparation staff made my food. I walk in, give my name to the person at the counter, and they hand me the bag. That person is the only one who serves customers directly in that system so they're the only one eligible for tips in my state.
Part of the "tip for pickup" is that many restaurants ran on "pooled tips" where the tips would support/subsidize not only the waitresses, but also the bus boy, cooks, etc.
When they went full-online during covid with only pickup, they wanted to keep those people, and so suggested that you tip even on pickup.
I'd much rather just see increased prices where tips are no longer "needed" but I don't know how we'll get there.
