Uhm....you all suck ^.^ Lets all just drink coffee and hate spelling. Some toast should be lovely as well.

I think tip's encourage bad behavior, say for example there is a regular at starbucks and they never leave a tip, some perticularly mischevious employee might get the idea to do something gross to his coffee or food...not at all unheard of, and as for fast food employee's well i can tell you from personal exspierience (i used to work at wendys) that people who work there dont look like they rolled out of bed or crawled in off the streets when they first come in during the day, but you try standing on your feet several hours a day and not sitting once, on top of that to be standing under sweltering heat lamps or in front of a masive grill, not to mention the fryers and pressure cookers, and theres constantly being sprayed with water while cleaning up or doing dishes and haveing every condiment known to man dripped splashed and dropped on you and tell me what you would look like... you have work fast especially in my case as i worked in a mall where there were lines upon lines of people, you dont exactly have time to pretty yourself up for the customers. or to sit down and take a break for that matter ... i worked from 7am till 2pm and i had 1- 1/2 hour break a day.

Hmm, that's funny: I was in the one in Glen Oaks on Union Tpke (That's the darkest reaches of Queens for you "Manhatan-or-Die" Crowd... ;) ) Sunday and They have a Big A__ Tip bucket. Dunkin Dounuts is a francise (I *think*!) so maybe each store has it's own rules.

BrianVan, just a note re: #1 - The Dunkin Donuts nearest my house actually has a sign that says employees cannot accept tips right next to one of those "help the children" charity boxes. The sign is definitely a standard-issue DD-looking sign, not handwritten by a manager, so I wonder if it's company policy and the store you've seen just ignores it?

LOL!

Must...Have...Cofeeeeeeeeeeeeee.....

;)

1. Dunkin Donuts outlets have tip cups. A lot of coffee and upscale fast-food places do.

2. Didn't know about Burger King's and McDonald's corporate policy. If either of them changed to allow tip cups, it's unlikely that Burger King would get my tips. Just from past experience. McDonald's, maybe - they kinda hustle there, and they don't scowl. There's better corporate quality control over service and food quality with them.

3. Of course I'd like people at some of the cheaper fast food places to look like they didn't just roll out of bed. But what can I say? They often don't live up to comfortable expectations. I'd be aghast if I felt any pressure to leave them a tip. But I understand, it's a miserable industry - very much hit-or-miss on service quality. I usually get my order, check to see if they got it right, and get the hell out of there. I don't really feel like that at, for example, Panera Bread.

4. Tips are about rewarding good service. Starbucks doesn't give GRAND service, but I'm not going to miss 10 cents change off of a $1.90 cup of coffee, either.

5. From what I know, they take the change out of tip cups pretty often. Especially the bills. Why? So someone doesn't dig in and make a profit when no one's looking.

6. *grin* If the tip cups at Starbucks are really pissing you off, it's a bad idea to be there in the first place. Calm down. Back. Away. From. The. Coffee.

"There are some areas of the city where there are literally Starbucks every way we spit"

Jen, please don't spit in public. That's just gross.

my favorite place for coffee in the city is at either the mudd truck or the mudd spot.

Starbucks is already fanning out (oozing, multiplying or any other negative spreading connotations) here in Paris...very unsettling, though i admit to popping in for a "cafe latte moyen du lait écremé" (tall skim latte) now and again.

I work at 51st and Lex, and there are, count 'em, 4 Starbucks within one block of me...

Starbucks is way overpriced. Delivery seems to negate the point of going to a coffeeshop - to sit in comfort and rub elbows, albeit with plenty of personal space, with fellow humans in a non-office, non-home, non-bar environment. I discovered that we're lucky that we have places to sit in our coffeeshops here. I had a damn hard time finding comfy coffeeshops in London - and they charged you extra for staying in, always. The cost of expensive real estate, I suppose. Hope that doesn't happen here!

"you're tipping them because they look clean and they talk like human beings."?

Wow. I had no idea there is an 'ettiquete' for Tipping at a Coffee place. I'm hardly offended, but following that Logic, wouldn't you want the people making Hamburgers and French Fries to Look Clean and Talk Like Human beings?

Also, I never even implied I had a problem with anyone tipping them or argued about Generosity, I simply just don't get tipping at a coffee place and NOT at a Burger King. If people want to giva a tip, More Power to them. In My limited experience, places use 'Tips' as an excuse to pay the bare Minimum. Also, I've seen Workers load up the tip cup with singles to help inspire others to be Generous. so IMO, One shouldn't assume that that people are being generous on how loaded the Tip cup is.

Me, I like Duncan Dounuts Coffe as the Best with certain Deli Coffee as a close 2nd.

Um, Brian, your opinion is certainly interesting and you might have some insight into the different reasons for tipping, but you fail to take into consideration that company policy prohibits counters at McDonald's and Burger King to have tip jars. I'd imagine this is company policy in other large chains where you don't see the jars, otherwise they'd probably be there since what employee wouldn't want to supplement his hourly wage with loose change? Starbucks company policy allows the tip jars. So, you might apologize for offending, but that's the real reason there's a tip jar at Starbucks and not Burger King.

I'm not going mince words - you're tipping them because they look clean and they talk like human beings. Sorry if that offends, it's absolutely freaking true. That's why there's a tip jar at Starbucks and not at Burger King.

And unlike other service industries, there is no standard tip or percentage at Starbucks - any dropping of spare change is appreciated, and you're not a pariah for leaving nothing. So what's the problem if there's a box out there? Apparently enough people feel it to be a good deed to use it, as they are often full. Why argue with them about their generosity? That's the Mr. Pink thing to do.

They need to bring back maple scones. Fast. Or else.

Well, As someone who worked fast food to pay my way thru college, I'd have loved a Tip!

;)

There's also a Starbucks in the Barnes & Noble at Astor Place.

I never understood the tip jar either. It's not a sub-minimum wage job (like waiting tables), so it's not like you're compensating that. I always figured they just had the ball to put the jars there to see if people *would* tip.

Starbucks is a Cult that's spreading to take over the World!

Do you think it's a Coincedence that there is a Picture of a Mermaid as the Logo!?!?!

Yet Another Example of the Pagan Counter Culture In Action!!!!!

(ahem)

Just kidding. IMO, It's waaaaaaaaay over priced and delivery is Yet another fine example of how lazy people can be...

Also, what's with the Big A__ Tip Cup? Not to be Mean: Do people tip the people at Burger King or McDonalds?

Why is a Coffee place different?

VOMIT