Originally Posted by
roberino
Last time I went through EWR a colleague and I ate at one of those new restaurants where you order food and drink off an iPad at the table so now the waiter/waitress is reduced to simply bringing stuff from the kitchen or bar. My colleague put $0 in the tip payment when he checked out (also automated on the iPad) and when I asked him why he said that he hadn't been "served" so he wasn't going to tip. He waitered at university and said he earned his tips for the human part of his job and not just for carrying stuff to the table. I feel like he kind of has a point but I still wouldn't leave a zero tip. Maybe 10% or something. Thoughts?
I think the waiter/waitress is also "reduced" to making sure your order is correct, returning the food and making things right if there's an error with the order, hopefully bringing a smile to your table, and so on. Ok, maybe no "and so ons." I'd expect to leave no less than 10% for minimum, but some, polite service. There's also most of the country where these folks are on sub-minimum wage. I know. "Not my problem." But I do have at least half a heart. Just the hassle of taking a service job at an airport - parking way off site, security, lots of customers "not at their best..."