I always tip, but I get excellent service 99.99% of the time. In fact, I have rarely ever gotten bad service--probably 3-5 times total, in my whole life. I have only not tipped once, and that is because things were really, really bad. I generally leave about 25-30%, which is the most I can afford on my budget. My strategy is this: I am super-polite to my servers, no matter what. I don't make unreasonable requests for swapping sauces and things (though sometimes I prefer subbing sides), and I treat them like human beings. If there is a crowd, or I am dining at peak hours, I cut them slack for being swamped. If there isn't a crowd and things are still slow, I enjoy the company I am with or read my book. My reasoning for tipping is this: These people are doing something I don't want to do for myself. Sometimes, they may have bad days at work. Sometimes that may affect how they perform on the job. I try to give them benefit of the doubt, especially if I plan on eating a restaurant again. Besides that, it never hurts to be nice to someone, even if they don't deserve it. Be kind to those who serve and prepare your food.

94, i worked with servers for 3 years, doing a harder job for longer hours. i got minimum wage, they got half of that. but they ALWAYS walked out with triple what i got in a night. it angers me when my manager doesnt get to serve because he is kind of ugly and a guy, and he pulls in maybe 10 dollars an hour to support a family of 4 and put himself through college, when 16 year old ***** are raking in mad cash for being attractive and bringing someone the food that he worked hard to cook. there are many positions that aren't tipped, and while servers should get some tip, im just saying it should not be an automatic gift for doing their job to the minimum level. i tip most of the time, not always great, but always a dollar or something (i dont eat at expensive restaurants cuz im in college) but if 4 people tip 1 dollar each, and stay for 59 minutes, than the server has made over minimum wage, assuming it is lower than 8 dollars. And while people like to say "oh you can't expect them to live on minimum wage" think about all of the other employees in that restaurant who are doing that. Are janitors tipped? Are school bus drivers tipped? Are garbage men tipped? NO. society deems serving as the only tippable job short of stripping or prostitution. i would much rather be a server in a restaurant than a chef or busboy, because being friendly and having a smile on your face gets you bank, and thats bullshit.

excuse me, how do you "waitering"?

I am a waiter. I will go so far as to agree with the people who say they will not tip for poor service... However, if you feel you're justified to break social convention by not tipping, you have to do it properly. -If service was poor, let your server know. The one justification I see brought up over and over again is "this will teach them a lesson." Wrong. If you want your message to get across, merely leaving a $0 credit slip isn't going to do it. There are throngs of people in this world who don't tip BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP AND/OR LACK COMPASSION. They simply don't tip REGARDLESS of the level of service. If you're not careful, you'll be categorized with them. However, pulling your server over and casually explaining "I was unhappy with my service tonight for Reason X, Y, and Z..." will help them understand the problem was on their end, not yours. The idea of confronting them might be intimidating, but I can't imagine any server (who wanted to keep their jobs) arguing with you about it. Then, leaving no tip is understandable. -You can also always alert a manager. It'll have a similar effect, and you'll likely get a discount on your meal or a gift certificate for next time. And they'll definitely let the server know a change in behavior is expected. The point is, though, is that your current methods are not only unproductive, but most likely COUNTER-productive. Your server, and all their server-friends, will (mistakenly) assume you won't tip regardless of service, because that's how a lot of people are. You will then continue to receive bad service. As this becomes your norm, you come into a restaurant EXPECTING to receive bad service, and the self-fulfilling prophecy continues. Whereas if a server knows that you're WILLING to give a good tip, under the right circumstances, they will attempt to rise to the occasion. It's when they consider the situation hopeless that they lose morale.

#34, I often tip 20% when i eat out. So 25% is entirely possible. Don't assume that everyone is a cheap skate

109 - i don't get paid hourly, its a contracted summer job. i normally end up working 60-70 hours a week and get 2500 for the summer which in canada is perfectly legal. and no i have no trouble with the internet seeing as i live with my parents who have decent pay checks. but so do most waiters who feel they are allowed to yell at me for tipping them.

I don't know why anyone is paying attention to this one. It didn't happen. Everyone that is/has been a waiter knows that the job title is "Server" and what you do is "serving" not ******* waitering. The guy who wrote this is a cousin-******* retard. Chops busted.

102, Where do you live that you only make about $2.50/hour - that rules out all of the US and Canada as being the location you work in. As employers of servers in both those countries are required to make up the difference between serving base wage and minimum wage when tips don't. You must be in some third world country without employee protection....yet you have no trouble with internet access. So $2.50 must be far more than the $2.50/hour it equates to if you were working as a server in the US. So why not tell us what country you are in, and we can translate your paycheck into real wages in your area. Are you in Africa? Asia? South America? Depending on what third world country you are in, and you must be in a third world country to get such a low wage, as first and second tier countries have protections against such things (unless you are an illegal alien working under the tables), $2.50/hour may very well be the equivalent of $15 US/hour

wow. i work at a small resteraunt for 2.50 an hour. I am not only the waitress, i am the hostess, the bussboy, and i make the soups and salads. So after i seat ppl, take their order, help make their order, refill their drinks, make sure they got everything, and then they dont tip me cuz i dont do anything its ridiculous! This job is alot harder than it looks and if you think you make less than me then dont come in... eat somewhere else!

I am tired of wait staff expecting a tip irregardless of their service. This is a fine example of a wait staff showinf their stripes and expecting something for nothing. Nothing since you obviously expected a tip without giving your best service happily. Did he give you the tip after you called him an asshole? I would have, because you would never have forgotten it.