Jesus, every time an article like this comes up, all the cheap asses come out. Also the “not my fault the restaurant doesn’t pay” blah blah blah. First, common sense:
You are paying a person to ask you what you want to eat, what you want to drink, bring that to your table, keep your drink full, make recommendations, keep your table clear of dirty plates, and generally make your life nicer during the time span of your meal. If you don’t feel like that service is worthy of paying extra for, go to a fast food restaurant or some other place that does not offer table service.Want better food than that? Learn to cook, or expect to tip. Now the math:
Restaurants, especially privately owned (ie not corporate chains) do NOT make a lot of money. After they pay overhead, and chef/cook/manager salaries and food cost, the profit margin on their product is very very slim. Now, they could set up a restaurant where some angry cook yells WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT when you come in and COME GET YOUR FOOD when it’s ready, but you probably wouldn’t go to that restaurant more than once. So they hire someone to get your order and deliver it and make sure you’re happy. If they had to pay a commensurate rate for that job (which is more than minimum wage for dealing with your picky ass), they would likely just increase the cost of everything you eat and drink by 20%. Instead, they give you the opportunity to evaluate the servers hospitality, and pay appropriately, starting at 20%. If this isn’t your cup of tea, learn to cook.