Sonic Drive-In review: carhop always asking to keep change 85

I am currently a sonic carhop in PA. I have got to disagree. Carhops who are friendly and nice to their customer get tipped very well. It is all in the attitude of the carhop. Also many customers will pay their bill and not expect to get change and commonly will say "keep it" when you try to give them change. Asking if they want their change only clarifies wether or not they are tipping without being outright rude.

The solution I found to the "carhop needs to go back inside to get change because they incorrectly assumed I had no need nor desire for it" issue is to use the swipe-it-yourself credit card system. I understand that is not an option for everyone.

However, it did get me thinking about the fact when you pay by credit card there is no option for the customer to add a tip nor does the receipt have a gratuity blank. So, I question whether Sonic (as a franchise and/or as individual franchisees) truely treats carhops as traditional tipped employees which rate the much lower Federal Minimum Wage for tipped employees ($2.13/hour last time I was in the business of keeping up with those things).

Carhops who do not earn at least the current Federal Minimum Wage (whatever is is these days) and can cite examples of how Sonic does not fully embrace the tipped-employee concept may have legitamates claims filable with their state's governing agency and/or the US Dept. of Labor (Probably the IRS, too.)

Also, as I read in only one earlier post, it is a clear and distinct violation of US Federal Law to employ a non-exempt person without paying "wages" (tips are included as a part of "wages") of at least the current Federal Minimum Wage. {Non-exempt persons are usually do piece-work like assembly of products and are paid by the "piece" or farm labor who are paid per bushel/bale/"piece" collected}.

Next time I visit Sonic, I just may ask the carhop which standard their pay is based upon. If they are paid as a tipped employee I will have to seriously consider whether that particular store is the type of business I want to patronize.

Apologies for the rambling.
And thanks for the entertaining comment thread!

Go to burger King if you don, t want to tip you cheap [censor]s. when you go someplace where you will be served, NO MATTER WHAT IS BEING SERVED TO YOU, tipping is apart of your bill. That is simple logic. I really can't stand the human race sometimes, full of self absorbed cheap [censor]s. You most likely should be running a mile instead of eating at sonic anyways.

I know your pain I too work at sonic 16 and people dont realize how hard it is to skate with 20 uneven pounds in your hand balance a tray to give change back with other orders on your tray on the inside we take orders bag orders make drinks and ice cream and then we have to deal with people who dont order what they want so once we come out to your car then you want us to go back because you forgot to ask for a condiment and I do understandd that we could carry it but we do have a full menu all day, should we carry
ketchup mustard sugar creme carmel maranaira sauce mayo straws and evey thing else all day?

all for under minimum wadge and then when your arent tipped its like wow i cant afford to eat with this low pay rate... i had a 90 hour check and made 330. pretty discouraging but i am very polite and during that same payperiod i came home with 670 in tips so please think about what we do. We do the most work for free basically because if sonic can make money charging us 50% off our food then eveything is extremely overpriced. But I do love my job dont get me wrong but the smiling face you get from me is not the way I feel after a 10hr shift...

"If you don't like it find another job"

Do you understand how hard it is for any teenager to find a decent job right now? I am trying to save up for college, thank you very much. I applied at about 15 different places and sonic was the only person to call me.

and I dont dislike it. In fact I enjoy working at sonic very much. I am just pointing out that we don't sit around doing nothing. We do work very hard.

I have no idea what any of you are talking about, ive worked as a carhop for a number of years and have always been paid minimum wage

I am a carhop at a Sonic Drive in. I know alot of carhops at other Sonics get paid around $3.00 and hour, but my manager is pretty nice, and he realizes that we don't get tipped as much as waitresses do, so he pays us $5.00 an hour. Still thats a good bit less than minimum wage is in my state. I am saving up so I can go to college, and every single one of my paychecks go into savings and I don't touch them. However I need money to live on. I rely on tips for that. A lot of people don't realize that they should tip at sonic, but keep in mind, we aren't like other fast food restaurants. We make all our orders after they are placed, we don't give out pre-made sandwiches. Also the carhops are responsible for mixing all drinks and ice cream (a blast can take up to 5 minuets to make). It is extremly rushed, and the fact that we are doing everything we do IN SKATES definatly adds a challenge to that. You try skating with 20lbs of food in your hands, and not dropping it.
And when we ask if you want to keep that change...I don't think that qualifies as "begging for tips". A lot of customers will just expect you to keep it, and a lot want it back. It really is 50/50. So we have to ask, because majority of the people who want us to keep it don't really tell us.
However, I don't think you should blame Sonic for the unfriendly carhops. Yes that is unacceptable, but every business has rude employees. They Sonic I work at, and all the ones I have visited, have extremly friendly employees. And if they are being rude to you, then it might be because you were rude to them. Since the carhops are the ones who take the orders, if you are rude to you then, they WILL remember.

ok first off JazznJett you better pray that I never find out who you are. As a corp employee I am responsible for reporting such behavior. We expect our employees (Business partners, managers, and employees) to act in a professional manner. You are speaking on behalf of the company right now.

I work at Sonic in Guntersville Alabama and I make minimum wage. Its really a wonderful job. You do make tips as well, you have some nights when the tips arent good at all but then you have alot of nights when your making bank. Im 16 and im still in school my boyfriend and i both work there and we love it!

Not sure if anyone knows, but if you're not tipped enough to equal min. wage. They have to compensate for that. It's the law.

ya thats what i thought too when i first started but if you dont start making minimum wage equivalent in tips in 2 weeks my sonic fires you without explanation and they dont need one just another kid how hard will it be to find another one. we arent people to sonic just things to be bought and sold just like the food we make and deliver to your car. thanks

Whether or not the car hops work for tips, I think it is ridiculous to EXPECT me to tip you for carrying a drink (or a burger) 10 feet.

If you want a tip for that, I suggest you do something pretty spectacular to earn it. (Please note that if it's raining or really cold and they can still greet me with a smile, then I tip.)

A waitress has to take an order, fill it timely and correctly and service your table for 30 minutes to more than an hour. They earn it.

I once had a car hop just take an extra dollar because my ticket was a little over $4 and I had a $5 bill plus the change and gave her that to make it easier to give me change. She just took the money and turned around and walked off.

i work at sonic and just wanted to say we dont just take out your food to you we have 3.5 mins to get all your drinks made including all icecream sometimes if the cooks are too busy we are also helping prepare the food we have to bag it tag it scan it off put a mint on each cup grab all the condiments we think you may need and get out to your car before the number on your ticket starts to flash red on our screens or we get yelled at by corporate not to mention all our daily chores restocking duties and rude customers we have to deal with we get 3.13 an hour i work 8 hour shifts on skates and in that 8 hours ive had nights where i was lucky to make 2$ the entire night it isnt always fair we dont always like it but its hard to find a job times are tough and teenagers quite contrary to belief have bills to pay too those of us who have a job at all when the economy is so bad probably only do so because it makes us sick to think our parents would have to buy us everything. thank you for your time

Of course they ask you if you want change. Most people don't know to tip their carhops, and Sonic corporate took their carhops down from minimum wage. I worked there back when we made $4.75 an hour and SOMETIMES got tips. Sonic corporate assumes that all their carhops get tips, when this just is not true. I ALWAYS tip 20%. If you can't afford to have your food served to you without tipping at least 15%, then you are poor trash that should be making sandwiches at home.

I have to tell everyone. You may think that we "Just carry the food ten feet" totally not true. We are very lucky if that is all we do. You may not know and it may not be the same in every store, but at mine... We are NOT allowed to ask for change. Under penalty of being fired. I rollerblade (my whole shift), half the time it is the same girl (me) who takes your order, makes your drinks, yells at the cook to hurry or make the food my self, make the ice cream, clean the lot, clean the bathrooms, take the trash, bring out your order with a smile go back in get you more napkins with a smile then again with a smile for a extra spoon, go around every ten mins with the smile tray. To have people ignore me all day or YELL at me because I didn't give tham enough salt... Just wanted give give a little picture from my side. No I don't make minimum wage but this is my job so I try and make the best of it. So please everyone if you see a girl on rollerblades trying really hard, if you can afford it tip a couple bucks, makes my day. Thank you.

ive been offered a job at sonic in grandview, mo is it true they make under minimum wage.

Not sure if anyone knows, but if you're not tipped enough to equal min. wage. They have to compensate for that. It's the law.

Have you seen that Sonic, Inc. is in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings? I don't know if it has to do with the Sonic drivein that just closed in my area, or the same company, but SONIC JUST FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. Damn, that sucks.

This has gotten personal.
Don't go to Sonic. Or Starbucks. Or a casual diner. Or anyplace that serves complete meals. They are totally unhealthy, pay terrible to the waitstaff, and not needed.
Stay home. Cook a quick easy meal with real food. Save some bucks. Then places like Sonic will not exist. No argument about tips, meal deals or anything. And the people that work there will get better jobs.
Simple.

I also work as a carhop in round rock tx. I find that it is alot easier to give the guest their bill change first, then if they want their change, let them know the amount and tell them you will get it for them. That way, if they want it you can give it to them and if not they will tell you to keep it. That way you can walk away from the guest and know that everybody is happy. I hope my advice helps y'all!

KDE,
You are the most ignorant piece of bovine fecal matter I have ever come across in my life. The Hop ASKED if they wanted the change, not walked off with it. Use that foul excuse of a brain for a few seconds of your pitiful life before making accusations that make you look ridiculous.

Wow, dezi wezi, if you worked in Ks your bosses would be breaking the law by making you work so many hours. You can't work like that here. I have only had two jobs in the last 12 years & I only get to stand & walk for the 8 hrs or more I work each day...that isn't fun, my feet hurt soo much when I finally get off of them. I also would like to tell you that I appreciate your telling your side of how it goes without cussing up a storm like jassnjett did earlier. I might actually leave the change for the carhops now, I only hope that you don't work for the guy that says he owns 3 Sonics, I would feel real sorry for you if you did.

i work at sonic,
i am 16
& it is my first job.

yeah i could've gotten a job as a waitress & gotten tips, without having to ask, but as a high school student, who just turned 16, & has never had a job before, it was pretty difficult to find a job.

sometimes i do ask people if they want there change back, but i alwayssss do it with a smile.
& sometimes people give me $3 tips without me asking.

some people do not know that carhops get tips
& some people do.

i love working at sonic, its really fast paced, & fun.
but it all comes with a price.

at the sonic i work at, (i'm not sure if its like this everywhere) when we get busy we are expected to carry 3 orders at a time
& run back when we've deleivered the orders & after standing for about 8 - 9 hours, running doesn't feel so great on your feet.

(i'm not complaining because i've chosen to work here)

but beleive it or not its a hard job.
especially when you live in san antonio, tx and tempetures can reach up to the 100s

it may not look hard or difficult but not until you work there & actually go through what we go through, you'd understand.

i've only been working at sonic for about 3 1/2 weeks and in those weeks i've sprained my wrist, twisted my ankle, & have developed a serious heat rash. (wearing polyester & black dickies is nottt fun) but i get up an go to work everyday & put up with really rude customers, (but kept my smile & apology) & tried to satisfy them every way i could.

lately i've been working 50+ hours a week, with only one day off, but even on those days off, i get called in.

i'm not trying to get the sympathy vote, i'm really not, i love my job, my fellow employees are great.

but all i ask is to give us a break (carhoppers)
we put up with a lot for $3 an hour

cut us some slack.

(sorry if i offended any one)
just my opinion as a carhop

Good Lord jassnjett! What is your problem? What I typed is the total truth. Here where I live WE DO NOT HAVE SONICS THAT YOU CAN GO INTO & ORDER! I would not have typed that if it were not true. What's with all the cursing? No one else is doing that. It's a good thing your stores aren't here because I would not go to them. You own 3 Sonics? Well, good for you! I hope that you teach your employees better than they are taught here. See there? I gave my opinion to you without having to cuss at you OR call you a name. If you told me "to get an education you uneducated ###" just for your information I have a Ph.D, thank you very much. We are all on here to give our opinions & impressions of how we are treated at Sonic Restaurants. If you don't like it then maybe you can change our outlook on the business considering you own 3. Why not?

I say that if don't make min wage & are paid like a waiter(tress) & do indeed need tips then have a subtle sign somewhere that simply says "tips appreciated". Then maybe if your friendly enough when you get to the car, read off entire order to make sure its correct & don't ask how much change your supposed to give the customer back, then I would prolly tip the carhop. Yes, the Sonics here where I live actually do these things. They aren't friendly when they come to the car, don't read off the order, don't tell me the total & some actually ask ME how much change I'M supposed to give them! So, Sonic carhops, get some skills & then we will talk.

That's your JOB. If you don't like the pay - OR the tips, quit. But this teenage angst is just annoying more than anything.
And people are stingy? Because you did your job and weren't reimbursed to make up a minimum wage amount in tips? lol - go ask your parents for some allowance already!

I work at a Sonic Drive inn for 8 hour shifts for 2.50 an hour and thats because were supposed to get the rest of our earnings by tips but some people are stingy why dont they walk out in 104 degrees hot and take their own order at the register get your own condiments and your own drinks plus throw ur own trash yes thats why we get tipped so you wont have to walk in the sun and enjoy staying in your A/C car while you burn my face with all that hotness coming out of your turned on car I do work hard especially when sonic is ripping us off by making the customers pay our paychecks what a rip off sonic have you ever heard of teen labor thats why I prefer working at walmart in the A/C not having to have my feet ache or my back all day running around and plus have you ever heard of ### rash when you walk alot in heat and your but rubs that burns for days so quit while you can Sonic Sucks so please call District manager and stop slaving people and ripping them off Sonic !

My room mate works at sonic, today was her first day. I can't understand how they keep any employees. In my opinion sonic is stealing from them! They get away with paying their employees ### by calling it a so called tipping restaurant. It's bull ###. How can anyone live off of that. My room mate would make more money begging for change on the corner!

Oh and for this:
"Get a better paying job...thief! Don't keep my pennies. You agreed to that wage when you started...It is not up to me to pay your bills... again, THIEF!"

I'm glad it so ###ing easy for you to find a job, because around here it's damn near impossible.

You all know what? If a Sonic employee ever had the balls to ask me for my change I would demand a manager & ask for a refund & return my order. How dare you all beg for the change...if you want tips go be a waiter/waitress @ a restaurant where you will get a tip without having to beg. The service at Sonic is crappy enough without having the added pressure from carhops to tip them too. I did work in a restaurant & you can make good money waiting tables & not have to beg for them!

I've noticed that too whenever I eat out at fast food places. I'm always smiling when I see someone. They don't like their job and they frown. There's a saying that my mother said to me, "When you smile, the world smiles with you. When you cry, you cry alone."

Waitresses make less than min. wage. It's a fact, whether they wait tables in a restaurant or at a cheap drive-in. Tips are always welcomed and I give tips, however, I do not like them to assume I'm giving them my change. I'm not.

As for the 80 yr old woman on a limited income, to keep a tip of $18 and change is theft by the employee, who should be fired.

Tell your 16 yr old son to work at McDonalds or Wendy's or even BK. They pay minimum wage and he doesn't get tips. Maybe he should be a checker at a store? No tips there either.

"And Jason, not to be rude but if the customer was living paycheck to paycheck they should not be eating at sonic drive in anyways"

Who died and left you with that idea? Are you saying people on limited incomes shouldn't eat out at all? A Sonic burger for $1 and water costs $1 plus tax, a lot cheaper than a package of ground beef, buns, onions and ketchup. Grow up. Some day you will be in that position and the way it's going now, you won't be able to eat at all.

Get a better paying job...thief! Don't keep my pennies. You agreed to that wage when you started...It is not up to me to pay your bills... again, THIEF!

I work for Sonic Drive-in and the reason behind it is they only make 3.15 an hour. A few pennies out of your pocket won't hurt for a tip. You owe it to them for bringing your food to you, you don't even have to get up. Another reason they ask is because a lot of customers don't want their change, they leave it as tip as explained above. So they save the time and ask ahead of time.