I just had an awesome flashback of my first date with this one guy in college, where he tipped the concession stand at the movie theater. He was a bartender, and nervous. Cute.

Well, sit down servers are supposed to bring you food, but you tip them, dontcha?

Yes, but tips are part of their wages, right? I really don't grok the whole tipping thing. It seems like there are way more people to tip than I would have considered. Seriously, what is the difference between tipping for take-out and tipping a McDonald's cashier? They ring you up and hand you your food; it just happens to be better food at one place.

Whenever I got a tip from someone coming in for takeout, I was pleased and grateful, but I never expected one.

I tip a delivery driver a buck or two, but not if the restaurant charges a delivery fee. Unless the weather is hideous. Then I am very, very grateful.

where he tipped the concession stand at the movie theater.

Aww...

I tip a delivery driver a buck or two, but not if the restaurant charges a delivery fee.

Does the driver get a part of the delivery fee? I've wondered whether you're supposed to tip on top of that. Because I know for room service there's supposed to be gratuity on top of the delivery fee.

Aww...

Right? Too bad he had another girlfriend at the time (who he later married). Oh well.

You don't have to tip for takeout, do you?

I don't tip on takeout, unless there's an exceptional job, because the food is usally made, put together and boxed up in the kitchen. The person who actually gives it to me normally just takes the money. Now, if I see them check the bag to make sure I have everything, or they make a point of confirming my order is correct, I might tip.

The places I generally get takeout, the person who hands me my food is the same person who would bring me my food if I was sitting down and probably in the owner's family. That said, my husband usually does the picking up and paying, so I'm pretty sure we tip (because the credit card receipt totals are at least rounded up) but I don't know how much.

Reese's Dark update: Walgreen's had them, and they are just about as delicious as I had hoped. I am thinking dinner will be a tube of Pringles and some more Reese's. I'll no doubt regret it tomorrow, but today it seems right.

I remember a slow night when a harried mother of three popped in to pick up a huge order of takeout. She forgot her purse in the car, and I sat down and talked to the kids and gave the crying toddler some orange juice in her sippy cup.. She tipped me $15.

I remember one time I delivered a pizza to a rural location on the very edge of the delivery area. They got it in about 20 minutes and I got a 5 cent tip. The reason I remember it is because her kid sarcastically said, "Nice tip, Mom."