March 14, 2019
Q&A: Tipping at fast-casual restaurants
Each week, we answer your questions about food and drink in Charlotte
At Sweet Lew’s Barbecue in the Belmont neighborhood, the average tip is 8 percent. Photo by Peter Taylor
Q: What’s the standard for tipping at a fast-casual place? Do you even need to?
UP: We reached out to Shai Fargian of Yafo Kitchen and Lewis Donald of Sweet Lew’s on this one. At Yafo, the standard tip ranges from 10 to 15 percent, slightly higher than at Sweet Lew’s, where the average is around 8 percent. Why the difference? The service is a bit more involved at Yafo, where the staff is quickly crafting your bowl to order. But yes, you should leave a tip based on your experience, though not as much as you would at a full-service restaurant. The staff still needs to know the menu and help guide your experience, even though they’re not refilling your water glass.
Q: Do you have an update on the opening for Community Matters Café?
UP: Sure do! The opening date for the restaurant and cafe is now set at April 9th. If you haven’t already, get the details in our earlier story here.
Q: Since Bruce Moffett’s cookbook just came out, I’m curious: which of his restaurants is the best?
UP: Oh, this is a hard one! Each of the restaurants is such a different concept, and each does a great job carrying out that concept. We eat at Stagioni the most, but part of that is likely because it’s closest to us and takes reservations, unlike Good Food. And I’ve been really impressed with what chef Eric Ferguson is doing over at Stagioni, so I guess that’s my pick, but barely.
Have a question for us? Send it in and we’ll answer it next week!
