Originally Posted by
DenverF9Flier
Sorry but I believe that leaving a 10% tip after getting what you described as good service at a high-end restaurant is not polite... it may not make sense to you but the tip DOES depend on how much you spend. Keep in mind that the waitstaff at a higher-end establishment will be serving fewer tables than at a cheaper place, so as to provide you with a level of service appropriate to the higher bill. If everyone tipped 10% on higher bills then a waiter at Per Se could end up taking home less pay in a night than a waiter at Applebees.
The argument is that these poor waiters are paid a pitance, perhaps the onus should be on the restaurants to pay a decent salary, also nothing worse than trying to rip off tourists by adding service and then leaving 'tip' blank. Cannot understand a country as rich as the US being the most grovelling for handouts, I always do tip 15% in restaurants, and tip bellboys and chambermaids as required but draw the line at paying what can be almost 30 - 40% of the bill, particularly when service in US in most cases is so bad.