Okay everyone. I could really use some help here. I don't eat at Sonic very often. But, when I do, the queswtion always comes up......should I leave a tip? What do you guys think? From most people I've talked to, they usually leave a little something but never a full 15-20% tip.

If they accept tips, then I guess if the service is acceptable, I would say yes.

To me, tips are earned. Not expected.

T.I.P.S.: To insure PROPER service.

What's confusing about Sonic is that they don't actually serve you your meal and wait on you, and it is a fast food restaurant. I read on another website from a Sonic manager that they don't expect tips but appreciate them. Anyways, just curious what everyone else does at Sonic regarding this issue.

I always give a tip at Sonic and even leave a dollar at the buffet places. I guess this comes from four years of working for minimum wage and tips in NV. I am more likely NOT to leave a tip for bad waiters and waitresses at regular restaurants than I am at Sonic and buffets. I have never had a Sonic or buffet "waitperson" be rude to me. Maybe if they were not polite I wouldn't give them a tip but I have never had that happen at these places

Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, I dislike when people don't give tips at buffets like Golden Corral....you get your own food, but they still bring out plates, drinks, etc. I don't leave them the tip I would at a full service restaurant, but I do leave something. Most of the time at Sonic I just go through the drive thru to avoid the confusion. But if I ever have a car hop come to my car I will leave her something.

A lot of the new Sonics have replaced drive thrus with "hop thru deliveries." That's made things even more confusing.

I usually patronize at least twice, maybe three times a week. The one on SW.59, just east of Blackwelder sells their Route 44 drinks for 99 cents all the time, plus Tuesday from 5-close, The #1 and #2 hamburgers are 99 cents.

Anyway, usually if I get a meal, and say it costs 4.35, then I just give the carhop a $5 bill and don't ask for my change back. I usually try to tip everytime I get something because the carhops have always been nice, and they always have a :) when they serve me.

Hmmmm......what if the total is $4.89???

You got a calculator? They get an 11 cent tip.LOL

11 cent tip. Probably more than I would give. I have not tipped Sonic.

Why don't you ask for a penny back?? LOL! That way it makes it even!

Yes, I tip at the Sonic. Former waiters are good tipers. Its been 30 years ago, but I still remember waitering was one of the busiest, hard jobs that I have ever had, & I've done a lot of things.

I won't leave a tip for a bad experience, but I like to tip just because it is a nice surprize for the kids who work there. They don't expect it as a matter of course, so they are appreciative when it happens. I don't see it as a reward for proper behaviour of the underlings. Its surprizingly hard work for minimum wage.

A little cash bump now & then makes it easier to get through the day. I can afford it & it adds up for the people who must do menial jobs.

Sometimes I tip at Sonic. Actually, cant remember the last time I have been to sonic.

I've noticed a few car hops at the Sonic near NW Expressway and May wear roller skates! I always make sure to tip them good for extra effort!

Yeah, and O have seen some really good skaters at Sonic. I have been really impressed. They used to do that at the Sonic at NW.23 & Penn, but I don't think they do it anymore. I give them credit, though. I can hardly walk correctly, so you can imagine what I would do on skates.LOL

Throw the kid a buck.... wont hurt ya and helps insure that the job stays filled. I'd hate to hafta hop my own car, can't skate.

I'm with Keith.....I just leave the change. However....if they would actually "HOP" to my car and then refill my empty cup, I would leave more.

Okay everyone. I could really use some help here. I don't eat at Sonic very often. But, when I do, the queswtion always comes up......should I leave a tip? What do you guys think? From most people I've talked to, they usually leave a little something but never a full 15-20% tip.
Dear Patrick, I worked at Sonic when I was just a child, and I still eat there occasionally, and this is my feeling- 1 dollar is very good, less than 50 cents they will think you are poor, unless u r driving a new car, then they'll just think you're stingy. (and I wouldn't blame them) but just the same, any tip at all is greeted with a smile! (For the most part anyway). Have a great day! POLARIS

My daughter works at the NewCastle Sonic and she enjoys when she gets to car hop because of tips. She makes decent money with her check and the tips. Enough to pay her gas and go to the mall now and then.

I have always tipped a dollar or two plus the coins at Sonic. I have never worked in the food industry but know that tips are important.

I know the places I am about to mention are not Sonic, however, the point is the same. Bad service, no tip.

These occured on the same trip. I was in New Haven, Ct (never could spell the state) and went to Denny's for dinner since I could not find a good buffet. The waitress had a name tag on that said "Snow White." Could have been her real name, I did not ask her. She was VERY friendly, came around often and refreshed my coffee, and even gave me double portions of food, plus talked a bit. I was so gracious of the service, I tipped her five bucks.

In Camp Springs, Maryland, another Denny's. This one, just for the record, is on the final approach for Andrews AFB (Air Force one). I had to wait what seemed longer than the flight later that day back to Chicago. The food was half cooked, the home fries I ordered never showed, and the waitress never stopped by except to give me my check. I started wondering if it was because I was the only white person in the place. The hostess asked if I wanted to leave a tip. I told her she had a lot of nerve asking me because the serviced was the worst I had ever had. I said "here's your tip. Fire that waitress and hire someone cares." I walked out. When I wrote the company to complain, I never heard a word.

Actually there is a third. Different trip. Shoney's in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. I found an "o" ring in my food and causaly mentioned it. I did not expect anything accept an appology. I got a free meal. I told the hostess to add a ten dollar tip (the price of the meal) for the kind way they handled a situation that was just a friendly note. I will return to that same Shoney's next time I am in that area.

Point is. Be friendly. Work the room. Make sure the food is prepared to order. Make sure the customer is seated quickly. If not, you do not deserve a tip.

Again. T.I.P.S. To insure PROPER service. Not these people are so greedy they only pay me a couple bucks an hour, so fork it over, pal.

A man on the radio named Dave Ramsey calls waitpersons on commision. Not a bad way of looking at it. Think of it as the old Smith-Barney ads. "We make money the old fashoined way... We ea-a-a-a-arn it."

Thanks for all of the advice in regards to tips at Sonic and tips in general. I actually did tip $1 and change at the Bricktown Sonic the other day. It's not a sit down restaurant where they check on you, but they still make the effort to pack your fod up and bring it out to you.

Even though I get discounts many times when I visit Sonics, I still tip at least a couple of dollars.

Hey 1adam12, what kind of discounts do you get at Sonic?

It all depends on which one I go to. I usually go south or downtown.

As I used to wait myself, I am always a good tipper in full service restaurants. But keep in mind that full service restaurants pay their waitstaff like $3/hour. Sonic employees are paid a regular wage. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but the carhops at sonic don't do anything a cashier at McDonalds or Taco Bell don't. Do you tip them as well? I don't tip at sonic.

However, if you ARE going to tip--leave a real tip. Leaving tips under a dollar or just saying "keep the change" when the change is 11 cents is RUDE. It is more insulting to receive a small tip than no tip at all. Leaving no tip just tells the person you don't tip. Leaving someone 11 cents is an over slap in the face. Think about that...

Yeah, that makes sense......I usually try to leave at least $1 at Sonic, or nothing at all.....if I'm just ordering some cheese sticks for $3.50, I usually don't tip.

As I used to wait myself, I am always a good tipper in full service restaurants. But keep in mind that full service restaurants pay their waitstaff like $3/hour. Sonic employees are paid a regular wage. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but the carhops at sonic don't do anything a cashier at McDonalds or Taco Bell don't. Do you tip them as well? I don't tip at sonic.

However, if you ARE going to tip--leave a real tip. Leaving tips under a dollar or just saying "keep the change" when the change is 11 cents is RUDE. It is more insulting to receive a small tip than no tip at all. Leaving no tip just tells the person you don't tip. Leaving someone 11 cents is an over slap in the face. Think about that...

Question to former waitpersons. Do you tip for bad service? If so, why?

i usually give them the change... but never more than 50 cents. The way i see it. They signed up for that job and its only walking 30 steps at best to my truck. But... Im also 18 and have no money!

I used to work at one of the Sonic Drive-Ins in Oklahoma City when I lived there (the one at NW 122nd Street & MacArthur Blvd). Now I live in Missouri and am one of the managers at a Sonic here.

My carhops are expected to give excellent, quality service with a smile, as any other server would in a typical dine-in restaurant. If they provide this type of courteous service to you, then a tip would certainly be in order. The bottom answer is YES, they CAN accept tips, if earned.

Hey larrys66cafe, just curious, do they receive full salaries? Or do they operate on a waiter/Waitress salary?

I cannot say if it's the sameat ALL Sonic franchisees, but our Sonic pays them minimum wage.

Oh, okay...that's what I had heard, I just wanted to verify. So, do the servers pretty much expect a tip? What do they consider a good tip? What should you tip on a drink for $1.99?

And what about the "hop thru delivery". I see that as more of a drive-thru, since your food isn't being delivered out at one of the parking places.

I think the Drive Thru is a cop-out. I don't like them, even though we have one. To me, that is against the concept of Sonic [hence, the name] Drive-In. And people think they'll get their food faster in the Drive Thru than parking in a stall?!?! HA!! Psychological! There's no time difference -- NONE!!

And, yes, some carhops think they earn -- and EXPECT -- tips. So do some waiters and waitresses. The amount of tip you wish to leave a hop is totally discretionary.

I tip carhops the same amount I tip other waitpersons: twenty percent, more if justified.

Unfortunately, I don't feel a car hop is justified the same tip as a waiter or waitress at a full service restaurant. The server at the full service restaurant is having to continuosly wait on you for half and hour, or however long you're there. In contrast, the car hop at Sonic isn't doing much more than the cashier at McDonalds....simply putting your food on a tray and giving it to you. I guess servers at Sonic take a few more steps than cashiers at McDonalds, but the concept is the same. Unless they're checking on my drink, refilling my beverages, continuously coming out and refilling my breadsticks/chips, continuously checking to see if I need anything, etc., I don't think the two jobs (car hop vs. waiter/waitress) can even be compared. Sure, I tip some at Sonic, but nowhere near what I would at a full service restaurant. I think the reason is fully explained.

I wouldn't tip at the Drive-thru at Sonic. Why? Well, would you tip at the drive thru at McDonald's? My point exactly!

Patrick, I agree with you 100%. Carhops should not be tipped as much as the server in a full-service restaurant. I must add that [I cannot speak for ALL Sonic Drive-Ins] at my Sonic, carhops are to provide check-backs every 10 minutes on the curb to see if patrons need anything else like ketchup, mustard, napkins, etc. That is the best one can hope for in the way of curb service, in contrast to dining room service.

Tipping at the drive-thru? PLEASE!!!! It won't happen! I won't even do it! I've left only pennies on occasions in which I don't want to mess with the change!

yes i tip the car hops at Sonic.. only a few bucks though and thats only if they are nice.
Granted Sonic doesnt have a walk up counter or anything.. but the way i see it, if you are too lazy to get out of your car then you deserve to tip them... even alittle.
I work at a Pizza hut. Drivers make atleast minimum wage, but it is still nice to tip them.. We do carry-out as well.. so pretty much people are to lazy to come get thier orders, they want someone to put miles on thier vehicles (gas, tires, oil changes, general wear) and yet dont tip. Granted again it depends on service. After you subtract the price to keep thier vehicle maintained they certainly make close to server/waitress pay...on average my drivers put 100miles a day on their vehicle, just at work.

I agree prerunner1982....I always do carry out for pizza, but if someone does do delivery, I think a tip is warranted. Afterall, it is pesonal dlivery to your house, as you mention.

Here's a tip...Don't eat wooden nickels 'cause they'll leave splinters in your tounge...And that'll hurt if you kiss someone....