A tip is NOT charity. A good waiter can orchestrate the whole experience. A bad one gets the timing off and everything is just not quite "right" -- always interrupting at the wrong time yet never there when you need a fresh fork or a new cocktail.
Yes, yes, yes. That is exactly it. It's ironic, because the better a waiter is at his/her job, the less likely you are to notice how this experience is being orchestrated - hence the attitude by so many here that "all they do is take your order and bring your food to the table."
Originally Posted by
jaesun
in regards to percentage tips, what do high end waiters do that other waiters don't? pour the whine? are they knowledgeable about the wine and food they serve? are they at least required to be knowledgeable?
if not, then why do they deserve a higher tip than any other server just because you are at a high end restaurant? If all they are doing is taking your order, providing your food, and taking your bill, then I would not tip them anymore than if I was at a local Outback's or other "low end" restaurant.
And when waiters do a bad job, I don't see why I should tip someone at all for their service. If the place is busy, I will understand accordingly. But if the waiter is giving me bad service for no apparent reason, I won't even tip 5%.
I am not too much of a fan of the tipping culture, but I am also not a fan of automatically paying tips if they were to put it in the price of the food (So basically I am in the middle).
In short, higher-end restaurants provide a better quality experience and the waiter, as pointed out above, helps to orchestrate that experience.