Since I've been in the Chinese restaurant business since I was young I can say a few things.

1. Chinese restaurants in Chicago(at least Chinatown's and my uncle's) waiters pool their tips, with a portion going to the busboys if they have them. If a waiter is sucky while another is excellent, they both get the same tip. It's a crappy system but otherwise others will not pitch in on other tables when it gets busy. (My poor mom got shafted all the time, but that's how the dice rolled)

2. If you tip ridiculously well, waiters remember and will give you extra things.

3. As a waiter/food packer, I really prefer you to order take out if you going to eat the food at the restaurant. If you take out, all I have to do is pack your food. If you dine in, I have to wipe your table, bring your food to you, bring your drinks(make your drinks), fill your water, bring you extra napkins and other things, sweep the food after your messy children, wash your dishes(yes, I wash your dishes since it is ridiculously small), and do the place settings all over again.

What do I have to do when your order takeout? Pack your food. I mean if all I had to do was really just bring the food to your table, and then wipe it fine, don't give me a tip. I would be cool with that, and some people do get take out then I move all the place settings and they just sit down. Sometimes I'll still give them water. Although then I have to clean up after them and they're pretty much always messy. But I'm fine with them not giving me a tip for that or at them for doing that.

Since I get the same salary for doing less work, for those that do not tip, please order take out?

4. There is no tipping service in China. Unless you are a VIP (like really I mean VIP and not those cards they give out like candy sometimes), good luck trying to find someone to take your order, find out where your order is and rush the kitchen, get napkins, extra tea or whatever, add dishes to your order, get someone to clear the table.... added to the fact there are TONS of people just standing around. But they wont' help you if it's not in their job description. In fact, crappy service is really the norm here.

Yes, Japan has excellent service. But that's something in their culture, not as a result of NOT tipping or paying servers well. Also food is not that cheap
>.<;
Hong Kong has good service when people expect it, so when it is not a hotel or 4 star restaurants... it is average. Sometimes they are even rude and condescending. Of course, if it's a top tier restaurant, service must be good because otherwise with so much competition they would go to another high class restaurant.


That's my take on it. I'm on a poor budget but I still tip 15-18%. At least give something. It doesn't have to be 15%. Just nothing less than a dollar because that's kind of insulting. at that point keep it.