I never do. If you don't feel like anyone did anything that deserved a tip you shouldn't.

It is not the customers responsibility to ensure the operative is paid properly, it is a contractual arrangement between the employee and employer, therefore I would only tip in the very rare circumstances when exceptional service, going above and beyond normal, was provided.

Bringing the food to the table is only half the job. Therefore the servers get half the usual tip. 10 per cent. 0 if the order is fouled up which at these I-pad places seems to happen frequently.

One of the few valuable things a server brings to the equation is a knowledge of the menu: how the food is prepared, what goes with what, which allergens are in which dish etc. without that contribution there’s little point in them and they do nothing more than the McDonalds staff who bring the food to your table after you have ordered at the giant iPads. So, no tip.

The justifications people go through about not tipping is funny:rolleyes::D Your friend should just admit he is cheap and doesn't want to leave a tip.

Ok, I'll fall into the trap, why should the guy admit he's cheap? Why can't the owner/operator of the restaurant admit they're too cheap (and immoral) to pay their staff proper wages and needs to extract more money from the diner?

That's what I don't get... why not build the cost of wait-staff into the food like they should? Why mark it separately and then try to pin the guilt trip on the customers if they don't "leave enough" for the wait-staff. Tipping is really a North American (and more rampantly an American) thing. Now we're also starting to see service charges...and the people who don't read their receipts often tip on top of that.

Ugh!

What about all the time they spend helping you figure out how to use the iPad? Surely, that's worth something! :p

Coming from a culture where tipping is for going above and beyond the expected rather than routine... I'd treat an iPad restuarant here just the same as any other. Technically there is probably less opportunity for them to exceed expectations -v- if they'd taken the order themselves but that doesn't impact my decision.

If you want to consider wider than just the USA, you've also got to remember that in some places the service/tip goes straight to the owners and not the person that serves you (or the wider staff)

The few times I've been to an iPad place, I've always had a server come and take the actual order, bring plates and drinks, and check back a few times. The iPad thing was only for payment. Normally I see what the 'suggested' tip is (often 15-20%) and I adjust according to the service received. If it was of a reasonable standard, I'll leave the tip where it is. I've never had really poor service, but I've had exceptional service. So I bumped it up to 25%. And I was happy to pay it.

[Removed general discussion of tipping per moderator's note, above]

I doubt I'd go above or below 15% here, because there's very little opportunity to be provide very good or bad service.

I wouldn't tip anything $0

In my experiences, the iPad-type devices have a sliding scale for the tip, rather than allowing you to enter in your own tip. I prefer to enter my own tip, as the sliding scale is usually very sensitive.

Care to share why?

I don't tip as much at order-from-the-touch-screen eateries, maybe 10% tops. The staff are only food-runners and bus-persons. Think about it, that's less than half the care, effort, and service provided in traditional, full table service restaurants.