Generally, I would rather be given as few bills as possible since I carry my wallet in my back pocket, despite all the advice to the contrary. (For the same reason, I would be quite happy if ATMs spit out $50's or $100's instead of $20's.) I am quite capable of asking for change if needed. In extreme cases (such as a $5 drink, pay with a $20, get back 1 $5 and 10 $1) I will make a point to ask the waiter to change at least 5 of the singles and all 10 if I have another single.

In the OP's example, I think it would have been fine for the waiter to provide the change as 1 $20, 1 $10, 2 $5, and 3 $1. However, IMHO there was nothing wrong with the denominations of change received and should not have impacted the gratuity.

...is a reflection of bad service. Making you wait at the end of the mea for something that should have been so obvious, makes him/her deserving of getting stiffed. Short of an explanation "sorry we didnt have any small bills in the till" I think you did the right thing. However I wouldnt go back to eat there for a while

im a waiter and bartender at a bar and grill. i always give "proper" change. i would have given you the 20's and 1's. i think that giving you a breakdown of change is rude. it would seem like i am giving you some fives and tens just so you can tip me. i would prefer the customer to ask, can i get a ten and two fives for this 20.

I think the OP's point is that he/she shouldn't have to make a second request for the "correct" change by breaking a twenty. My guess is that the OP realizes that a 5% tip is probably grossly inadequate, but if the waiter/waitress can't think through the fact that bringing back two twenties and three singles is just begging the question "will you please break a $20?", then maybe 5% is appropriate.

I have to say, this is one of my dining pet peeves. The "correct" change was one twenty, two tens, and three ones. In fact, as TRRed said, I think that the two tens should really be one ten and two fives, just to cover all the bases.

wouldnt you see this as the waitperson expecting a tip? is it not like they hold out there hand just that half beat extra waiting for you to put more money in their palm?

Could have been worse. I had paid for dinner that was about $30, paid with a $100 bill, and got mostly ones back

Depending on the restaurant, it may not have been the waitperson that made the change. It could have been given to the restaurant cashier who made the change.

maybe you should have asked for the change you wanted...the waiter could have been busy, didn't have the proper change or that's what the bartender gave him when he asked to cash out...if you got good service than $3 is a bad tip regardless....have a heart waitng tables is hard work

Well said! Not only does a waiter have to perform their service, but apparently needs to be able to read minds as well. Some people will find any excuse to justify being cheap. Since credit cards have become the primary method of payment, cash isn't always abundant, especially when everyone has 20's dispensed by ATM machines. If the service is good tip accordingly. I prefer when the gratuity is included, in fact I usually leave a little extra, expecially on small bills.

Not on a $57 check. I'd say the waitperson was expecting the appropriate tip. Giving me back two twenties and three singles is just begging for trouble, in my opinion. Assuming that the $57 did not include taxes and that the service was good, I would have been prepared to tip around $11, so the change received by the OP would have been useless to me, again, assuming that I didn't have other denominations (besides $100s) in my pocket. I wouldn't want the waitperson to assume that. Bring me the change that will make it easiest to give you the "right" tip. Even if I was planning to tip 10% or 15% for crappy service, I'd still need something besides two $20s and three $1s.

So you would have been all set for the "adult" clubs! Just kidding, of course. I hate getting a wad of singles, too. Worse is getting more than a dollar's worth of change.

I think it's the restaurant's responsibility to have an appropriate mix of cash on hand at all times. The customer is always right, and a good waitperson will help him/herself by giving a guest the change that ensures him/herself the best chance for getting a decent tip. Making guests ask to break 20s isn't the way to win a good tip.

Restaurants aren't banks, there was probably a legitimate reason why the change came back that way. It's obvious that a wait person would try to enhance the opportunity of getting a decent tip, not purposely give change back that makes it more difficult.

More often than not, the customer has smaller bills and is saving them for something else.

The three greatest lies:

1) I love You

2) The check is in the mail

3) The customer is always right.

I agree that that a customer should not have to ask for correct change. I think waiters who don't do this probably aren't such good waiters. Really good waitstaff knows what to do. That said, I still don't think that a $3 tip on a $57 meal is appropriate unless everything else about the meal was horrible.

Why? It is truly inconvenient to the customer when waiters don't do this.

You act like there is something wrong with that. They are waiters. Their money is made on tips and hence they are incented to give the best service they can in order to get a decent gratuity.