Re: People who don't deserve tips...
Originally Posted by
LeftyTrevor 
Sorry guys, not sure how to do the blue quote thing yet but tipping an amount is not the way to go. While the two may work just as hard, the waiter/waitress is taxed on the amount of the ticket gratuity regardless if you pay a tip or not. Here in ca I believe its 8% so if its a $100 tab and you leave nothing he/she still gets taxed for $8 whether you pay or not.
The meal (the food) is always the most important. I don't care about the wine list because I know how to use a corkscrew, but a meal that's beyond my culinary skills is always more special to me.
That's why I said I tip based more on the food than the service - it's not likely you'll get great food and bad service, since it's the same people doing the hiring. I can only think of one restaurant where I became a regular based as much on the service as the food (Sorrentos in the "little Italy" section of Edmonton) but I do remember not returning to several restaurants with good food because of their terrible service (e.g. Sorrentinos - their other restaurant - near the UofA) .
Anyway, my comments on the $ amount v. a percentage are basically that when I'm at a diner, I don't limit my tip amount to a percentage like I would at a more expensive place. People need a reminder that those people working in diners and small places give good service too
In the past 20 years, I can probably count on one hand (and still have fingers left over) the number of times I haven't tipped. If the service is so poor that someone "deserves" absolutely no tip, then you should speak with the manager. Why? Often tips are shared between the server, the hostess and most importantly the kitchen staff. The rest of the tipees should be aware of why they're getting shafted - crapola service.