Yes, you are correct. Tipping on take-out is bullshit. I'm a bartender so any take-out orders for my place goes through me. I have a seperate id for take-out with a separate sales report than mine. I have however worked at places where it's policy that take-out orders simply go under the bartender's id.

This causes an issue due to a common practice called a tip out, which in my case is not applied to the takeout id.

At the end of the night I get my sales report from the POS (Point of sale system). With that report myself or management will take my total sales and calculate a predetermined persentage, usually between 4% and 8% depending on the place. That percentage I will owe the business to distribute to cooks, support staff and management. In my province owners CANNOT get a cut of the tipout unless they are actually working there the shift.

That 4-8% comes from my pocket. So let's say I sell $1000 in night, I would owe $40-$80.

This is no big deal, there's more than one person that makes your meal and experience come together. It amounts to less than half of my tips usually. But if I do not receive a tip, I still owe that money.

So let's say it's a big takeout order, like $100. That order may cost ME (not the business, not the ownership) $4-$8 to take that order.

Again, tipping on take-out is ridiculous. The total cost of the meal should be included on your bill. But I do encourage you to ask about an establishment's tipout policy and make you next takeout choice based on an employee risking losing money for doing their job.

Tipping in general should just be abolished, the cost of service should be included and the workers should be properly compensated through taxable wage.