Pay before you eat

[Pigskin]

Would you be okay with paying before you receive your food in a place like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Boston Pizza, etc.   

[theaardvark]

Would you be okay with paying before you receive your food in a place like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Boston Pizza, etc.   

Interesting question, you do with every pickup or fast food place. 

Not sure great servers would like it, they'd get screwed out of tips.  It will inspire crappy servers, I'd guess.

[Pigskin]

Interesting question, you do with every pickup or fast food place. 

Not sure great servers would like it, they'd get screwed out of tips.  It will inspire crappy servers, I'd guess.

You would tip after your meal.

[theaardvark]

You would tip after your meal.

Why would you tip after you've paid?  2 transactions? I guess for people who tip cash (I always do), this might continue.  But people who pay by card, can you imagine the audacity of a server showing up with a card reader after the meal, expecting a tip? 

I guess the restaurant can include an automatic gratuity, like they do on parties over 6, or in some AYCE places. But I just can't see a server approaching a table for a second card transaction, solely for their tip.

[Pigskin]

Why would you tip after you've paid?  2 transactions? I guess for people who tip cash (I always do), this might continue.  But people who pay by card, can you imagine the audacity of a server showing up with a card reader after the meal, expecting a tip? 

I guess the restaurant can include an automatic gratuity, like they do on parties over 6, or in some AYCE places. But I just can't see a server approaching a table for a second card transaction, solely for their tip.

I tip on service. If the service is average 15%, if the service is good 20%, if it's great 25%. I also would have problems using my card twice. I also never carry cash.

I bring this up because of the high number of dine and dash in places like a I mentioned.

[Jesse]

I wouldn't care either way. I remember that's how Royal Fork Buffet would operate.

I think you'd get a lot of push back from people who don't want to pay beforehand due to that fact they don't yet know how the food service an quality will be before you receive it. And I think most would complain over 2 separate transactions for bill and tip.

The food industry already deals with nutso people every day and this would just add more to the servers plates, pun intended.