The reimbursement for this shop is $5.80 and it pays $5.00. You are required to order an entree, side and drink. The only way to fall into that reimbursement fee is to get a hot dog. I did NOT want a hot dog today, so I ordered a regular cheeseburger combo. My total was $7.44 after tax. Also, those crew-members survive on tips, so if you don't tip them - well, that's pretty crappy. This job is just not worth it. Especially because you can't make any changes to your order and I HATE onions and tomatoes on my burger. I cleared a little over $2 for a meal I didn't even enjoy (and yes, I scraped off the offending ingredients). I'm done. They really should expand the menu options and the reimbursement. I don't mind working for only reimbursements if the item is something I really want, but this is just silly.

Off the subject, I know, but I'm curious. There's been so much talk of tipping at Sonic, with references to the low wages, that it makes me curious about whether they survive on tips. A friend's daughter works at a Sonic as a carhop. She previously worked the cash register for Taco Bell and later for McDonald's before moving to Sonic. She makes a higher hourly wage working at Sonic than she did at either Taco Bell or McDonald's. Yet service people at McD and Taco Bell are never tipped. Are Sonic wages lower in other parts of the country?

AM,
What servers make per hour in wages varies by state and local law. In some jusisdictions this can be a fraction of the state/local minimum wage, on the assumption that this will be made up in tips. It often is not, but the jurisdictions tend to take the employer's word for this. Most people are not at all aware that a few occupations were exempt from the original federal minimum wage laws (and remain so) and depend on local and state laws, regulations, and willingness to enforce those.

I agree that the reimbursement needs to be higher. I did a drive-thru one and did not tip since it was the drive-thru.

@MelNel525, your cholesterol just dropped a few points.

When an employee has a "reduced" hourly rate due to being considered a "tipped" employee, and the tips plus hourly rate fall below the statutory minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference.

So if McDonald's employees get $8 minimum wage and no tips and a Sonic employee gets $5 per hour plus tips, and only averages $2 an hour in tips, the employer has to kick in the other $1, so they both get at least minimum wage, and the Sonic worker might end up with more if people tip well. And in some states, the employer has to pay minimum wage, period, so the tips are extra and the employee gets to keep them (and declare them and pay taxes on them).

So the belief that they need their tips to live is not really based on facts, unless they need more than minimum wage. Since most of them are teens still living at home, minimum wage is probably enough to put gas in their car and cheeseburgers and fries in their bellies, and buy some Itunes now and then -- and dinner and a movie on date night.

I always get the chili cheese dog -- can't eat mayo or onions. yuck. They used to have the Jr Double Cheeseburger which did not contain those items, but they took it off our allowed list.

I don't do Sonics for $5; I get $15 for the local one. So if I want to change it up (and scrape off the junk) I can go a buck over reimbursement and still come out okay.

I believe that (and based on some quick Internet research) that Sonic employees make the regular minimum wage ($7 something per hour - $7.93 in FL). If you don't tip the people at McDonald's, there is no reason to feel obligated to tip at Sonic.

As both a PhD labor economist and a former waitress who, for both reasons, keeps up with labor standards cases, the recent testimony in several jurisdictions concerning employers failing to make up the difference is quite compelling, although I do nopt have citations handy. A search on the issue will show that this has been quite a hot topic in local and state deliberations over those jurisdictions minimum wage coverage of tipped employees as each looks at raising their general minimum wage. Very few that have raised the general MW have also finally included servers in the general MW.


Where tips more than make up the difference, that still may not be a living wage, of course,

Nobody who works fast food expects (or should expect) a "living wage." These are jobs for teenagers, not career choices. And I well know that many struggling adults have to take these jobs, either as a primary or second job. But that's not what the fast food industry business model is. Cheap food, and cheap labor. If they had to pay a living wage, the price of a Happy Meal would have to double and people wouldn't be able to buy them.

Which would probably be a good thing, given the obesity rate in this country, but the flip side is stores would shut down and then all those people who at least had a minimum wage job would be on unemployment.

I am full of "wow" moments this week. Here in Ohio (at least in my area), MANY adults work in the fast food industry for their careers. In my opinion, they should expect and in many cases deserve a "living wage".

I always tip the carhop. I order a hotdog, fries and a coke. Comes to $5.04 (about that) and I give the carhop a dollar. I've been doing this for a few years now. I know what it's like to work for peanuts. It doesn't bother me that I spend a quarter for my meal.

Good point, Canuck.

The reimbursement limit's been like this since at least 2013...

It's okay though. I'm okay to take on the shop because I like the tea, tator tots and I don't mind a Chicago dog for a quick snack.

Like the other fast food shops this MSC offers, the Sonic's assignments are simple and are even better when it's the drive-thru shop.

The reimbursement has been the same for a lot longer than that, try 2008 or earlier.

My rule of thumb is that I don't tip anyone who never leaves from behind the counter. Wiping down the dining room don't count. If I have to stand in line to order. Then wait and pick my meal up at the counter and fill my own drink and dump my tray, I have not been served and will not tip. I saw a tip jar at a Five Guys and it was shift change. A gray shirt emptied out the jar on the counter and divvied up the tips evenly to all the red shirts that were working. No record was mad of the tips. It went right into pockets. I reported the tip jar, yet I have not been back to that location. I don't normally see a tip jar at Five Guys anywhere else.

I was at Jersey Mike's Sub shop and they did nothing for me other than hand me an empty cup and a sandwich after I stood in line and paid. I even had to get my own chips. The POS system actually insults me with a suggested tip amount and you have to click NO to get to the CC payment screen.

There are no servers and are not offering any service in the dining room other than a clean table if your lucky. This insults me that they are putting this in your face like that. I didn't put that in my report to the MSC. Obviously, this is a corporate decision to ask for tips if the POS system is forcing you to hit a button to say no instead of the big 15% button.

If It is a buffet and there is a server that is somewhat refreshing drinks and removing plates, I'll pay 10%. If I see them being stiffed left and right, or they are really keeping up with plate removal and refills, I can go up to 20% as I know they are not getting minimum wage.

Getting back to the original post on this thread. WAIT! The MSC starts out at $5 then slowly raises it as the month drags on. I get the auto-generated e-mails from Samantha sometimes offering me $30 for those same shops near the end of the month. Admittedly I am in a rural area and don't have 500 other newbie mystery shoppers ready to seize on a Sonic job as soon as they are posted.

Another reason to wait: At the start of the month they have all of those restrictive time periods. Usually by the 10th they jettison all of that and Sonics can be shopped from 11am - 8pm.

Patience really does pay off with this client & MSC.

@scanman1 wrote:

I was at Jersey Mike's Sub shop and they did nothing for me other than hand me an empty cup and a sandwich after I stood in line and paid. I even had to get my own chips. The POS system actually insults me with a suggested tip amount and you have to click NO to get to the CC payment screen.

That just takes nerve.

And the restaurant is required by law to make up the difference if tips plus hourly rate don't at least come up to the minimum wage rate.

Agreed, the tip jar is a joke and in poor taste. However, the carhops are bringing you your food and should be tipped regardless. Frankly the reimbursement should be much higher, tip not included. To make $4.75 off a shop is ridiculous. It is a newbie mentality and you are saying your time is worth nothing-especially since the food is not that good! I won't do Sonic unless there is a bonus that aleast covers the cost/reimbursement and time to input the report.

I did a couple of these shops. When I realized the comp wouldn't cover a meal, I stopped doing them. I need to make money, not spend it on a meal I don't need. At least at another fast food company, they pay for all the food and pay me a fee.

dspeakes,
You and I agree that the law requires that the employer make up the difference if tips do not. The important point is that many are ignoring the law and getting away with it due to lax enforcement. Employee complaints about this abounded at recent hearings on state and local minimum wages. The employees feared retaliation in a very tough job market if they pushed the point.

I totally agree with the first sentence and totally disagree with the second. If we are at an establishment where a tip is the norm it should not only be included in the reimbursement it should be sufficient to cover an appropriate gratuity. A few years ago the MSC with Papa John's only covered a ridiculous $1 tip on a delivery.

@Robroy wrote:

However, the carhops are bringing you your food and should be tipped regardless. Frankly the reimbursement should be much higher, tip not included.

@LisaSTL wrote:

I totally agree with the first sentence and totally disagree with the second. If we are at an establishment where a tip is the norm it should not only be included in the reimbursement it should be sufficient to cover an appropriate gratuity. A few years ago the MSC with Papa John's only covered a ridiculous $1 tip on a delivery.

In my area, they still only cover a $1 tip. I always give more and have to come out of pocket unless the job is bonused (which is usually only $5). I comment on this every time in the field where we can give feedback to the MSC only.

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

Silver Certified

I look at it this way:

You are hungry. You have a busy day ahead. You need to eat something for lunch. You stop at Sonic. You get your food. At the end of the day, you are getting your money back (or most of it) and a small fee to park your butt in your car and eat your lunch

I was banned from Sonic about 1 year ago and have not missed it at all. I would always get the american dog, small tots and a small drink and it was under reimbursement but I got really tired of their food. Guess they got tired of me also!

@teriraia wrote:

I was banned from Sonic about 1 year ago and have not missed it at all. I would always get the american dog, small tots and a small drink and it was under reimbursement but I got really tired of their food. Guess they got tired of me also!

Do you know why you got banned?

I do not do Sonic shops until the price goes above $16, which has only ever happened a few times in my region. I don't like the food. However, at $16 or higher, it becomes worth my time, and I get the cheapest items, minimally taste test it, and treat my dog when I get home. He eats it with joy. He eats moths too, though. To each their own.
I tip the car hop. It's just part of the cost of the shop for me, and I've factored that already into the decision to wait for my minimum price to be met.
These are exceptionally easy shops, and lots of people must love their food because the company seems to be doing pretty well. Enough of these Sonic-foodies must be shoppers since within 100 miles of me, about 90% of these get picked up at base price.
Good for them.
Good for me, too, since while they're enjoying their junk food I'm getting another GS or two done at five to ten times the pay.

@elcarev68 wrote:

I do not do Sonic shops until the price goes above $16, which has only ever happened a few times in my region. I don't like the food. However, at $16 or higher, it becomes worth my time, and I get the cheapest items, minimally taste test it, and treat my dog when I get home. He eats it with joy. He eats moths too, though. To each their own.
I tip the car hop. It's just part of the cost of the shop for me, and I've factored that already into the decision to wait for my minimum price to be met.
These are exceptionally easy shops, and lots of people must love their food because the company seems to be doing pretty well. Enough of these Sonic-foodies must be shoppers since within 100 miles of me, about 90% of these get picked up at base price.
Good for them.
Good for me, too, since while they're enjoying their junk food I'm getting another GS or two done at five to ten times the pay.

Thanks for the dog eating moth comment. I needed a good laugh tonight and you came to my rescue! LOL

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

I look at it this way:

You are hungry. You have a busy day ahead. You need to eat something for lunch. You stop at Sonic. You get your food. At the end of the day, you are getting your money back (or most of it) and a small fee to park your butt in your car and eat your lunch

That was the okay part of doing them. I hated when they cut the menu choices down a couple of years ago(?), but I always got tons of nicely bonused shops. The only ones I did for the base amount were breakfast shops and they did go quickly, too.

I really liked it when I got sent back for second and third go-rounds at a store when I'd get laughable times (like, 7-9 minute wait times) as if they would get markedly better. I guess they caught on and tell the MSC to reject them now to save cost and bad scores. :/

I love tomatoes they are my fav I eat them like apples. You could have saved them for me! Just saying yum :-)

A carhop should be tipped. That's a fact. It's got nothing to do with whether the reimbursement covers the tip.