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The chief problem is that in the US, waitstaff have been excluded from Minimum Wage protection, and now rely upon tips to earn a living. The US government even taxes tips that the waitstaff receive!
The restaurant owners in the US complain that if they were to have to pay waitstaff minimum wage salaries, they would have to triple the prices on the menu. Sounds valid in theory but it does NOT explain how the whole rest of the world manages to pay decent wages to their employees without charging exorbitant prices for their meals.
I have no qualms about giving a sizable gratuity if the service I'm shown merits it. The key word is 'merit.' If a waiter takes my order, brings my order, then brings my bill, that is NOT meritorious service. That is their job. I'm not grateful that they are doing their job. That's what they are there for. However, if they take extra time and effort to see that all my needs are met, and do so with friendly yet professional courtesy, making sure my water glass is filled, making sure that when I want to order something else they don't have their eyes buried in a text message on their phones, but recognize my intention without my having to throw something at them... to me, that's worth it to me to show my appreciation.
The young girl who serves me lunch every day is appreciative of the fact that I recognize that she goes the extra mile to see to my lunch-time needs. And she's appreciative of the few cents that I leave each day. She's not upset that I'm not leaving a few dollars each day. In Asia, people really do understand 'it's the thought that counts.' She continues to show me this extra service every day.
Imagine the service I'd get in a US restaurant the day after I left a 10 cent tip...
Stitchawl
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