Servers Hate When You Do This With Takeout Orders

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Whether it's at the table or ordering takeout, there's such a thing as dining etiquette. Certainly, the former tends to be more well-known, with rules that teach us about bad manners, like eating with elbows on the table. However, it's the protocol for takeout orders that some may not be aware of. One of the biggest no-nos concerns changing from taking food out to eating in the restaurant. Though this may seem harmless, that last-minute switch has implications not only to the restaurant's overall function, but also other aspects like the server's wage, since a separate staff member often tends to takeout orders.

According to Reddit, there are time and money-saving reasons stated by users who claim to have done or experienced this. Some believe that it saves time, since it'll be ready upon arrival instead of waiting for their meals once seated, while others claim to have done it for online-only promotions. This also makes sense as a financial hack in various states where some food orders are tax-exempt depending on where it's consumed, and how it's prepared or purchased. Most notably, takeout orders in Ohio aren't taxed, whereas that same order would be if consumed at the restaurant.  

As tempting and inconsequential as this may sound, it's ill-advised. Restaurants depend on turnover to survive, with tables considered valuable real estate. Seating a takeout order at a table potentially disrupts the revenue process of your favorite establishment, while also blocking in-house diners from their meals. This loss is additional to restaurants also paying a commission if they team with third-party apps like Uber Eats for those takeout orders.

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Compared to the operational stance, the viewpoint of restaurant servers isn't much different, as the switch from takeout to dining in could affect them as well. Redditors who claim to work in the service industry believe that those who do this may be trying to avoid tipping. Regardless of its accuracy, this doesn't come without reason. Tipping on takeout and delivery orders is already a debated subject, as well as one of the potential mistakes you can make on those orders. Further, takeout orders are paid for by customers prior to receiving their food and are typically prepared by the host or a dedicated team. Presumably, any tip on the order rightly went to whoever tended to the order. Unless something else is ordered, the server assigned to the takeout patron's table could lose out on any potential tips there may have been otherwise. 

Those who find themselves needing to switch from takeout to dining in should ask whether the restaurant can accommodate. Once seated, per the advice of supposed restaurant staff on Reddit, one of the easiest ways to soften the impact of this is to at least clean up after yourself.  Additionally, an alleged retired restaurant operations director on Quora suggests eating your meal quickly and tipping the server, provided there are many empty tables. Everything considered, this would likely make the biggest impact on the inconvenience for those waiting on you. Though ordering at least an appetizer or cocktail wouldn't hurt, either.