> >
> > Tipping, as I understand it, used to be a voluntary thing. You left a tip if the service was exceptional. If it was only adequate, no tip. >
> > -- Dave
>
> Dave,
> I haven't read all the other replies, so what I say here may have already been said. You answered most of your own questions. Tip well for excellent service, tip 15% for good service, tip small for fair service and don't tip at all for bad service. Sometimes the service is so bad the waiter should tip the customer, but they don't.
>
> A good tip really pays off if you are a repeat customer. If you stiff the waiter, don't go back there for a while. Turnover in the food service business is often only a few months, so after that long, it might be safe. If you think tipping in restaurants is bad news, don't go on a cruise.
> Howard

I'm one of those people who don't tip at all if the service is lousy.

I'll sometimes wait a month or so to go back. I don't like doing this, but since I like to go to the same restaurant all the time, most of the wait staff think they know me by name. They will say to me "Come on back, Cecil. Your table is ready." Other times they might say "Come on back, Chester. Your table is ready." After they bring out the food, they peek out the door in a few minutes to see if I'm gone, so they can rush to collect their tip for bringing out my food.
No way am I going to leave a tip for such service!

I do agree 100% with everything Dave said in his post, and I think he is exactly right about what is wrong with food service in this country.
Something's gotta give!
Calvin