Curious Gouge

It seems diners are tired of being taken to the cleaners when they order takeout. In an increasing trend across the Valley, tip jars are showing up on the counters of fast-food places, take-away pizza stores and self-service restaurants. And if the letters I've received lately are any indication, the practice is hardly popular with customers.

What's a diner to do, one gentle reader wonders?

"What are the rules for tipping where you order at a counter, carry your food to your table and clean up when finished?" she writes. "I recently picked up a carryout order at a very popular barbecue restaurant on Central Avenue. They have large tip jars on the counter with dollar bills folded over the rims of the jars as a subtle reminder. In my view this is ludicrous."

Another ruffled reader doesn't appreciate the "tipping suggestions" printed at the bottom of many credit card receipts these days. The idea that he's encouraged to add 15 or 20 percent to the cost of his teriyaki chicken bowl leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

The solution is simple. If it offends, ignore it. Counter service is in a different salary category from traditional, full-service restaurant staff. Fast-food employees typically are paid more to compensate for the lack of tips. According to Hourly Wages for Foodservice Occupations from the National Restaurant Association, metro Phoenix's minimum wage for non-tipped employees is $5.15 an hour, versus $2.13 for workers who earn tips. Furthermore, the average pay for fast-food servers in the Valley is above minimum wage, coming in at $6.35 an hour, says Toni Graham of the Arizona Restaurant Association.

As for that tipping suggestion printed on the bottom of the credit card slip, just say no, if you like. Rather than a strong-arm tactic, it's more likely the proprietor is using a standard receipt system that automatically prints that information.

A little more than six bucks an hour won't make anyone rich, so more power to the employees who can get customers to shell out a little extra here and there, I guess. One owner of a local counter-service Japanese franchise says that from his perspective, he would like to see tipping become more prevalent in fast food, because it might help shops attract higher-quality employees.

At least the places with prominent tip jars are aboveboard about their mooching. That's better than one soul food restaurant in Chandler that props a small sign to the side of the counter, informing diners that all takeout orders will be charged an automatic 10 percent gratuity. Now that's distasteful.