[2BNTV]

You can count me in, as the bleedding heart person, who feels for the server, and realizes they need to make a living. In general most place don't pay them very well, and they rely on tips, to make a decent living.

My son works in hotel management and doesn't get tipped, but he sees what servers go through, and some people are very rough on the service industry.

I don't expect better service when I tip someone but I don't expect to be treated worse. It varies from server to server. Some servers do their job well. They remember you and your order and make an effort to give you better service. My mother, never wanted to tip anyone, as she owned a lunchonette at a time when people did not have the funds to even leave a tip. I generally give 20% of the bill, without the taxes being included. If we are at a restaurant partying and get exceptional service, the tip will be much greater but that's me.

Some server feel they deserve a tip, even if the service rendered was lousy.

Almost like my saying, People don't care about you, until they know, you care about them", (paraphrased).

More than likely, if you show your server you are friendly, they will usually respond in kind. A very general statement, as they are exceptions to every rule. Its the bad one's, who drag down the good one's. IMHO

[bonrich]

We met a couple from Australia awhile back, who sat down with us during lunch. They talked about us Americans tipping, not really understanding it. They said in Australia there is no tipping because the waitstaff is paid a good wage, something like $10 to $11 per hour. They said they would probably give your tip money back to you. Could not understand why the owners do not pay their employees a good wage so the customer wouldn't have to tip to bolster their income. As I explained the tip money was to reward them for good service, which of course they said, Aren't they supposed to give you good service?"
Could go on forever..........