I am not a big an of the system, primarily because it makes providing a decent wage to the waitstaff a voluntary payment. We all know that if the waitstaff were paid a decent wage, and tipping became passe, the menu price would reflect the extra cost of that wage.
What the low-ball tippers don't want to recognize is that in the restaurant business there are plenty of down times when the place is empty. These times are not always predictable. Waitstaff has to be on hand to serve, and that is a cost borne by the restaurant even when nobody is dining. The low-wage + tip system mitigates that risk to the business somewhat.
Unfortunately for the waitstaff, they sit there with nothing to do, making less than minimum wage, and earning no tips because they are not serving any customers.
Then when things get busy, everyone is hustling like crazy trying to take care of their diners, and every diner there expects to treated as if they were the only table in the place.
The dead times and the rush times get rolled up into one big ball. When you dine, and you tip, you are participating in the system as it exists, not as you think it should be. When you tip, you are pulling your weight, recognizing that your tip helps smooth out the up and down times. When you don't tip, or you find some reason why you shouldn't tip to the customary %, you are letting someone else pay your bill for you.
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