You're right. You're absolutely right in every way, that was the one and only point I was trying to make, and you nailed it 100% spot on. You should demand that every restaurant inform you, personally, of the wages of each server they have on staff so you can figure out how much to tip them, if at all. If they earn less than $1 over minimum wage, you should tip a minimum of $20. Even if you bought just coffee and a slice of cheesecake for $7.

And if they earn at least $1 over minimum wage, you should never ever tip them, ever.

If they earn exactly minimum wage, you should tip them exactly $10 per guest, plus an extra $20 for the table to kick over to the bus boy and hostess, even if you were a party of two and you each ordered just a cup of coffee and a donut for $5 per person.

How's that? Does that cover all the exceptions, and what-ifs, and how-abouts? Or do you want to continue?

Or the restaurant could just pay everyone a minimum wage. Why is it that Europe can do it and the USA cannot do it?

If a restaurant paid waiters 2x or 3x the minimum wage, would you still tip?

If tipping was still customary and the restaurant did not request that we did not tip then yes, I would still tip.

I have never, not once, asked a server what their hourly rate was.

I wonder how we found out? I wonder why we should care? We don't worry about how much everyone else is making. Why are waitstaff the ones that we (general public) seem to view as so grossly abused and under paid and needy that we can't help but find excuses to gift them with money. Waitstaff! America's favorite charity. How much do you tip, or would that be virtue signaling.

I’ve answered that at least once in this thread. In general, I start at 20% (easy to calculate) and adjust from there.

Two servers within local distance, in the past 6 months served food that was verified by kitchen staff prepared per specific instructions to a customer with allergies. Customers notified the server, verified again at delivery of food, server verified with kitchen twice. Customer died.

Have any idea how the server is coping, besides the constant nightmares of the person died right before their eyes, and nothing could save them.

Ever watch a person die from an allergic reaction. Death even if it’s not your fault as a bystander or customer, can linger in your mind for more time than many want to admit.

Servers witness chocking, of adult, more common children, And occasionally a death by allergic reaction.

My mom was Management for Bob Evans for 21 years. Opening new stores, staying 3+ months until next gig. Her chocking count 31, (23 children) not even as a server. Witnessing a make shift trach in a restaurant leaves lasting impressions, and knowledge that a standard pen can save a life.

Two deaths, both food allergy, unknown by the young adult.

1. Europe isn't peopled by tip addicted, competitive virtue signalers trying to show how empathetic, kind and generous they are.

2. No! Absolutely not. The restaurant is their employer, not me. The restaurant withholds their taxes, I don't. I'm the customer, not the boss of the restaurant. It's not my responsibility to cover restaurant inability to afford capable staff. They can deduct employee costs, I can't. Can you?
By tipping we enable poor restaurant business practices and improve their bottom line, to our ultimate financial detriment. Tipping doesn't show how kind we are. Tipping just shows that we are gullible and dimwitted sheep.
Don't like tipping? Oh, you're Baaaa d.🐏🐑🐑🐑🐏🐑🐏

Me too. Doesn't mean I agree with it.

What's more "easy to calculate"? 0 (ZERO)

Assuming they were paying tax on tips before, a 15% tip would now be more like 10% for me to give.

As requested before, please show how you got to that number.

My calculations show that the savings in taxes amount to less than 1% of the tipping amount (20%->19%, 15%->14%).

Why not keep the 10 or 15 % and use it for your taxes and let others think about their own taxes?

Interesting with so many variables
 

There are many variables in the restaurant tipping:

For instance, no one tips at a Mac Donald’s or fast food establishment. Few tip for take out pizza. Tipping primarily is done in the sit down atmosphere of a restaurant (minus fast food restaurants). When a waiter or waitress is involved we tip.

I just wonder why a waitress who works her rear off for a couple bucks at the diner for a tip is less deserving than a waitress at say the BoneFish Grill or Brazil Steakhouse who picks up at least 10-20 dollars from every table when applying half the effort? The tipping system we have is unjust.

In conclusion for certainty, no all restaurant servers are traditionally tipped. The tipping system isn’t fair or impartial. The higher the price of a meal, the more the wait staff is tipped. No wonder the rest of the world doesn’t follow suit.

Wonder no more! The answe is, she's not! And, more accurately the wait person at the big bucks place isn't any more deserving than the person at the diner. They are doing the same work. That is one aspect of the tip scam. Another is you are expected to tip a % of your bill. Order a glass of water = no tip. Order a $20 double good scotch ($40) = (20%) $8.00 for less work, smaller glas and no ice or lemon. Yeah, that's fair!

I guess the thinking might be, if you can afford a more expensive meal (or drink) you can afford a more expensive tip. Tipping then, is not really for service.

Were these caused by mistakes by the waiter?