Reply #99: I think most waitstaff [View All]

[Pithlet]

see it not as a bribe, but as their living. Most jobs I've worked, I always got paid. Imagine being at the mercy of the general public to receive your paycheck every day. It's arbitrary. You may get people like me who are glad to just be out of the house, or you may get the kind of person who sees it as a bribe to hold over the waitperson's head. I think the whole system stinks, but as long as I eat out, I have to participate, so I always tip.

I look at it this way. The amount of money I would have withheld isn't much to me, but the waitperson depends on it. If the service is so bad that I'd consider withholding it, then I'd probably talk to the manager. If the service is excellent, then I show my appreciation for it by tipping even more.