Basically same here - $5-6; the buck a drink think is for at the bar (IMO) or when the drinks are cheap enough that 15-20% is under a buck a drink. $5 is more than 20% on $25 if that latter includes tax; 15-20% on the pretax is what I do as a rule - most often "twice the sales tax and round up a little " which is 8.25% to 8.75% depending on the county around here.

Given the circumstances, an extra couple of bucks seems both nice and pretty reasonably - so $5 or $6, sure... but $14 on $25 post-tax? That's ridiculous. If they didn't want "just drinks" customers in at lunch, it's their business to say so.

Someone else higher up suggested $2/drink, and that seems like a good maximum beyond which it's getting silly. But hey, it was her money, so *shrug*

As a separate note, I do sympathize with the OP about splitting the bill when other folks are ordering liquor and one isn't drinking; I'm not much of a drinker, and have on occasion had to be assertive about not getting stuck with my "share" of the alcohol bill from a meal when all I had was coke or water.

Yeah that would be better, but...

When they're at home, sure. When they're here, if they don't tip like the locals they are just being their own version of an "ugly American." The system here sucks, but it's how things work, and it really is NOT fair to service workers who live on tips if you use their service.

Why should US citizens pay for OTHER FOLKS taxes when abroad? You'll pay tax on restaurant meals etc in pretty much every country that has VAT or similar (which may or may not be figured into the menu price.) Why are those not refunded for foreigners?

Often there are mandatory service charges as well, rather than having that figured into the menu price. It's all sub-optimal from a customer's point of view, and a matter of very stupid pricing games, whether here or there. Here one just has the freedom to stiff the waiter if one is a jerk (good ettiquette rule: if service is bad enough that the tip is going to be < 10%, it's bad enough the manager should know about it.)

The menu price is going to go up, yes. The total price people pay will stay roughly similar.

The same would be true if all prices were posted inclusive of sales tax, rather than having taxes added later.

What's an "expediter"?

Despite the lack of tips, it seems like going between professions which both get a lot of abuse from customers.

Depends on the service. If it's $1.50 for a single, non-refilled drink at the counter or to go, I'd probably tip the change on $2. If it's table service, I'd tip $1 minimum.

Beyond that, if there are free refills, and they keep my glass full, the tip goes up.

It wouldn't occur to me to tip based on the amount of time I'm sitting at a booth/table. Indeed, a lot of the time, that corresponds to service being slow, and thus the tip being lower.

If I'm hanging around not ordering anything, I'm not getting any service either. If I'm going to tip above par, it's because I'm using/getting more service than typical (frequent drink refills, special orders, inlaws along and being a pain in the ...) or because the quality of the service in some way impressed me.

We ought to. The problem is how to get from here to there: any individual restaurant that does is going to be perceived as "more expensive" unless all restaurants do it at the same time.

I rather like getting the check promptly, and in most cases when you get the check has very little to do with how long "that table is yours" -- I've only rarely felt pressure to pay up and leave once getting the check.

Meanwhile, many places will continue with drink refills, etc. after dropping it off... and if anything, my experience is here in the states many places are too slow to get me the check (or have a waiter reachable at all) when I'm done with my entree.

It's tough in those cases to try to figure out whether the fault was with the waitress or the kitchen; in general, I try not to penalize waitstaff for things that are obviously kitchen screwups as long as the restaurant fixes the problem, but in cases where it's a general failure of service or of pacing the meal, you might well be fully justified. The waitress is, after all, the main responsible customer-facing person, and it was a problem which you DID take up with the manager.

Now, if you'd NOT complained to the manager, comp or not, and then just stiffed the waitress, that would (IMO) have been poor form.

-

As a separate question, what's the general opinion on tipping on promotions/coupons when a restaurant runs them consistently? Does it matter if you would not otherwise eat at that restaurant?

In general, I do tip on what I normally would have paid on comps or coupons, but I'm of mixed opinion on whether to do that at places which run coupons so consistently that the discount is really the "regular price."