I've been greatly enjoying the food at our two local food trucks (Chef Tai & Madden's). Excellent food, generous portions, good price. My husband and I end up eating at one of their trucks atleast once a week

My question is about tipping. You can pay by credit card, and the receipt always has a spot for tips. I don't usually leave a tip. But last time, as I was signing my receipt, I could see some of the other signed recipts on the table and found that a lot of people leave tips.

What is the norm for food trucks? I don't feel that they're providing a service I should tip for ... am I missing something???

It is kindof like getting a to-go order from a place like T.Jin's...there is always the question of whether to tip.

If I think I'll be a repeat customer, if I'm happy with the friendliness and promptness I usually get from the people working the truck or the take-out counter, if I want to support a local business coming out to my part of town and letting me get food I wouldn't normally be able to get so easily, then I leave a tip.

And....with that said....a couple of extra bucks to the kiddos manning the truck who are standing there in the heat inside the truck and making some rockin' food...is money well spent.

IMHO, a tip should not be required or expected since it is like going through a drive thru. However, if you are feeling generous and the service/food was especially good, then I personally would tip.

I found a couple of useful looking tipping guides:

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/10/12/basic-tips-on-tipping-how-much-and-to-whom/

http://www.itipping.com/tip-guide-restaurant.htm

I think the tipping section on receipts must be an automatic thing now a days. Heck, if I was them I'd include it too.

I personally don't tip. They don't do anything extra compared to the people at Whataburger or Mickey D's, imo. One person just takes the order, and the preparers make it and hand it through the window.

I think people feel like maybe they should leave a tip because they would leave a tip if they were to dine in at either of these places.

jmho

Where are these "food trucks" usually at? I have yet to see one, other than the typical mexican roach coaches running around construction sites.

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They don't do anything extra compared to the people at Whataburger or Mickey D's, imo

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AgDiehard--I disagree with this. I know the girls on at least one of the trucks are talented chefs in their own right. The food they are cooking doesn't come out of a bag in a freezer with a formula that says "slap on griddle for 2 minutes, slap on bun, put under heat lamp" or "put into fryer for 3 minutes".

I would have no hope of preparing the kind of food they are preparing. I could, however, man the fryer basket and the patty flipper at Mickey D's pretty easily.

Anyway, you're not required to tip, but like I said--I want to keep these trucks around as I greatly prefer them to the chain fast food joints around town, so I don't mind throwing a little extra toward the kids working at a local business that isn't part of a national chain.

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Where are these "food trucks" usually at? I have yet to see one, other than the typical mexican roach coaches running around construction sites.

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smoove--you kindof have to follow their websites, twitter feeds, or facebook postings. They don't drive around and hit job sites like the "roach coaches". They set up at particular places each lunchtime and dinnertime, and those places are usually pretty stable from week to week. They're worth driving to to check out.

Check http://www.cheftai.com/, http://twitter.com/#!/cheftai, and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chef-Tais-Mobile-Bistro/130372950317394 for Chef Tai's truck's schedule and weekly specials.

Check http://www.petermadden.co/, http://twitter.com/#!/MaddensMobile, and http://www.facebook.com/MaddensStreet for the Madden's truck.

Chef Tai seems to do a little bit better job of communicating where the truck will be and what the specials will be. Madden's seems to still be in a bit of a learning curve.

smoove, the schedules are usually posted on their websites:

http://www.cheftai.com/
http://www.petermadden.co/

I usually pick up their food for dinner when they're down in South CS.

Does anyone else feel that tipping is getting out of control? It seems that you are supposed to tip just about everyone these days.

Madden's doesn't have a table outside and you just hand your cash/card to the guy in the window who will ask you if you want a receipt. If you say no, you don't have to tip. If I remember correctly, Madden's uses an iPhone app to process payment with something like the Square app dongle.

The guy outside Chef Tai's truck usually lays down the receipts of all the people in front of the line so you can see that they all have tipped. Probably guilting you into tipping as well

But like someone above said, if you can tip and want to support these local businesses that provide this unique service, then you should.

Do you tip at Sonic?