Bathroom Fixtures and Fairy Cakes
"And don't overcook the cake or Daddy won't love you anymore."
Curse you Amateur Gourmet! You made me spit Late Harvest Riesling on my computer keyboard!
I'm so glad you keep writing!
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Bathroom Fixtures and Fairy Cakes
Hello readers, thanks for the praise! A certified playwright is someone, like me, who spent two years in grad school studying playwriting. I think the reference, though, is a bit oblique so my bio will be clearer next week!
ALl the best, Adam
Bathroom Fixtures and Fairy Cakes
Thank you, Adam! I didn't know it, but what I really need right now is a perfect little fairy cake. Ahh, I love Nigella.
I also second the "certified playwright." What IS that? :-P
Bathroom Fixtures and Fairy Cakes
Great read, especially the part about your Dad and you as a Dad some years down the road.
I have to wonder though, why, on such a delicate cake as a fairy cake (or anything but holiday cookies,) did you use the horrible (yet edible, barely) concrete of royal icing? I know you must have a reason and I'm dying to know it.
BTW, ITRW we would be great buddies.
Bathroom Fixtures and Fairy Cakes
Adam you are one hilarious fella. Kudos to you for getting the shelf on without a drill nor a bubble gauge thingee. Your dad should be so proud! And now we all know you use the "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman" deodorant, hahaha.
Bathroom Fixtures and Fairy Cakes
i'll second tuliptoe's comment, but sub pomegranate tea for the riesling.
hilarious - can't wait for the book.
How much do you tip the person who delivers your food?
I suppose it would be helpful if I mentioned that these rules of thumb are specific to New York City, where deliveries are made by foot or bicycle.
How much do you tip the person who delivers your food?
Fascinating thread. I know it's caused me to re-evaluate how I'll be calculating my delivery tips.
I think that perhaps a hybrid approach to tipping may work well. Strictly tipping based on the total bill doesn't take into account things like distance, weather, or promptness. Tipping a flat fee doesn't take into account the bulk, weight, or complexity of the order. How about:
10% of the total bill
+$1 for every one long block or three city blocks
+$2 if it's raining or snowing
+$2 if it's raining or snowing hard
-$5 if they're absurdly late, and it's not raining or snowing hard
-$2 if common areas have been littered with menus in the past
I won't deduct from the tip if items are missing, but I will make them go back for it, even if it's just a soda.
How much do you tip the person who delivers your food?
I think 20% is a good baseline. My father worked on a case involving a pay dispute with Chinese takeout workers, and their pay is incredibly bad. Many of them get no base pay, and any returned orders (because it is wrong/broken, etc) are taken out of their money. Also, they have to pay the restaurant what the restaurant is owed out of what you give them (if you watch in NY -- you can see the delivery people paying the cashier before they take the orders), and even if you assume each order takes 15 minutes to and from, then that's only 4 orders/hour. If each person gave $3, that would be $12/hour, before the problems of people who can't find the right change, who try to send the food back etc. There's also no overtime, and in other cities (SF etc) where deliveries are made by car parking tickets are the responsibility of the server, which can often be hudnreds of dollars.
I don't feel liberal guilt. I don't think that I'm priviliged etc etc to get food delivery--to me, a job is a job. And you get paid to do your job. And honestly, often, I can't afford the tip, so I eat my canned soup or I go walk the three blocks to pick up my $4.50 stir-fry. But often you are their only paycheck, and so you should pay up.
I also think that restaurants should state a delivery charge. But they should also provide insurance, so good luck with that.
How much do you tip the person who delivers your food?
For those who do not live in NYC or in a major city, we don't do major tipping. I know what your thinking but why? Ok I will tell you. I live in Bumbleep egypt. Drivers for the 3 places that deliver here make a min of &10.00 an hour plus tips. During the gas insanity earlier this year the local yocal pizza joint was also paying for one tank of gas per shift. The guy who owns it drives a Humvee and has a heart of gold. My fav pizza place doesn't deliver. It is five mins away so we make the trip.
How much do I tip? 2.00 for orders under 20.00 and 3.00 for orders over 20.00. Again I remind you we have 3 delivery places in 10 miles (Local Pizza Emporium, Dominos and Old Standby always open local pizza joint) and they usually bundle deliveries for the driver. When you call hey say 45-60 mins. This means they are taking all the orders for my area and consolidating them.
I am pea green with envy about the quality and assortment of take out those in NYC can have at the ready by just picking up a phone. So maybe you should tip bigger. But here in God's country we have very little assortment, the drivers get paid well and are happy for the 2.00.
This topic is all about location. Our chinese joint doesn't even make eggplant. When I asked for it they said no one eats that here. I had never been to a chinese restaurant that did not make some kind of eggplant. We are talking out in the woods.
How much do you tip the person who delivers your food?
I tend to use 20% as a baseline. Sure, the person isn't delivering plates to my table, but really, the person's delivering plates to my house. They're not refilling my glasses, but they're making sure everything gets there together and that it's the right temperature. I figure I'm paying for the convenience of someone else going to get the food for me, and if I don't want to pay for it, then I go and do pick-up, not delivery. Of course, the 20% is also variable based on quality of service and difficulty of conditions. Interestingly, I've been at a couple large parties where we ordered so much food I found I did have an upper limit -- about $50.
Also, megnut's got a good point. I've not worked in the restaurant industry, but I grew up in Vegas, and you learn a thing or two about minimum wage and living off tips there.
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