Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1526217)

Since we're quoting;

"What comes around goes around."

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 1526225)

This.

And I applaud anyone who wants to, or must, deal with the public in his or her job.

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa (Post 1525336)

I have a different view, based in part on having eaten in some of the finest and most expensive restaurants in New Orleans' French Quarter, and in Cajun BBQ shacks out in the Bayous.

In the restaurants in the Quarter, you have real silverware and crystal on white tablecloths with subdued lighting and candles on the tables. You are attended by multiple service staff attending to everything from keeping your water glass filled to using an electrostatic comb to clean up the flakes of French Bread that fall on the tablecloth when you break the bread. The service staff is impeccably attired, varying according to their duties, and they speak softly and politely. There is a quite, peaceful ambiance.

The meal comes in courses, which are spaced out to provide a comfortable pace for eating, and you are never rushed into ending one course to begin the next. This encourages relaxed conversation among the diners and a general feeling of contentment. By the time you finish your after dinner coffee or drink, you may find that two hours have passed.

In contrast, at the Cajun BBQ shack you are seated at large wooden outdoor-style picnic tables, your order is taken, and the entire order comes to your table at once. You tend to eat quickly, and if you linger too long, your server will start clearing away your plates, bring your check, and stand at your elbow waiting for you to pay. You are expected to finish up in 30 to 40 minutes.

NOW, if you occupy a table at the expensive restaurant for an extended period of time, you are depriving the server(s) of an opportunity to get another diner at that table, and another tip. How terribly thoughtless of you!

The solution is not to "gobble and get" as you would in the Cajun shack, but rather to pay a larger tip for the extended use of the table. Think of it as a fee that you are paying for the additional amenities that enhance the ambiance of the dinner.

Originally Posted by asianthree (Post 1526271)

Originally Posted by Gerald (Post 1526303)

Tips based on service. Not tips based on salary. Tips are getting ridicules in amount. You pay for the food. Food comes out poor quality. Less and less on the plate , then you are expected to pay 20% tip. Lol. food in the villages has and still is going down in quality. I eat out many times each week and find that it is much better quality food and service outside the villages. Once the snowbirds leave the restaurant says poor me no one wants to eat my poor quality food and pay for overpriced food. People get smart expect to get what you pay for and pay correctly including tip for what you get. Don’t get that eat at another place.

Originally Posted by justjim (Post 1525138)

Servers in many restaurants also serve as “Bus boys”. I also have observed that in some cases a server will have more tables during busy times than he/she can adequately serve. Sometimes employees call in sick and this causes stress on the Servers that are there. It goes without saying that the restaurant business is a “tough” business. Something would have to go very badly for me not to tip 20%.

Originally Posted by npwalters (Post 1526256)

Well you have made quite a few assumptions here including about me. You don't know me and if I am thoughtless or not.

BTW, the ambience of the restaurant (décor, tables, etc)should influence the cost of the meal - not the amount paid for service in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa (Post 1526557)

Well, no; I did not single you out. ANYONE who occupies a table in an ultra-expensive restaurant for one or two hours, and who does not realize that such occupation deprives the server of having another customer at the table, and who does not tip accordingly is thoughtless.

And, of course the ambiance of the restaurant does affect the cost of the meal. (It pays the overhead.) It is because of the excessive time you occupy the table that the tip should be increased significantly, not because of the price of the food.

Now, if you gobble and get out as one does at McDonalds, you might justify a smaller tip. But you don't. No one does. The pace of the service of the food courses prevents this, and adds to the pleasure of the dining experience.