tipping for take out, counter service and all that was never mandatory and rarely expected.

however that's all changed post-covid and there are no standardized rules for any of it.

there are also new non-optional fees many places charge in additional to tips. they do this rather than increase menu prices. so on many restaurnts in my city you pay menu cost, tax, fees, then are expected to tip 25%.

the expectation of what a 'normal tip' is has also almost doubled in my 20 years as an adult. when I was 20 a 'good tip' was 15%, now it's considered an insult if you tip anything less than 20%, and a good tip is more like 30%

when you stack all that on top of the fact most restaurant prices have nearly doubled since covid, it's insane.

a drip coffee and a bagel is like 10 bucks now, and you want me to tip 2-3 bucks on top of that? for.. what exactly? pouring coffee for 5 seconds and throwing a bagel in a toaster?

either way I do still go out, but I refuse to tip for counter service unless my order was annoying.