No, because the tips don't go toward the restaurant itself. Your tips go to the waitress/waiter for the service he is giving you.

No, you are subsidizing the server's salary with tips. Waiters and waitresses make less than minimum wage (in Florida $1.65 per hour) - so they need tips to make a decent wage. The employer taxes their "assumed" tips and takes the tax out of their small hourly wage. Usually this barely covers the taxes. So, if you don't tip, or you don't tip well, the server could actually lose money waiting on you. For good service, you should tip 15% of the entire bill, for excellent service 20% or more is nice. If the food is bad, but the service is good, don't take it out on the server, but tell management.

I come from a country where tipping is not practiced, so for me it's stressful going to restaurants when I'm in America, because it is assumed that I'll pay a tip and I don't know how much to pay. Several times the "tip"was just itemized on the bill when it was brought to me, as if I had no choice in the matter. I feel that we ARE subsidizing the restaurant industry, because we are supplementing the wages of the restaurant workers. The fact that the U.S has such a strong tipping culture implies that the workers in these areas feel underpaid by their employers. One criticism of the service industry in the U.S from people of other countries is that everyone seems to have there hand out demanding a financial tribute just for doing their job. In Japan where I live now, the level of service is probably the highest and most professional in the world, and nobody would ever dream of taking a tip for doing what they're supposed to do, even though their wages are also low. Once, when I was in Florida, I was at a restaurant having breakfast. The waitress was deliberately ignoring me when I said "Excuse me" so I just waited and waited. Finally when she did come she sort of semi-threw the dishes down on the table without a word, no smile at all, and snappy answers to our requests; in short she was attitude on legs. But, when it came time to pay, she'd written in ball point pen the amount she felt she deserved as a tip, at the bottom of the bill. When I got to the cash register and took one more look at her scowling face, I decided!! I asked her to lend me her pen-she thrust it at me, and I slowly but deliberately crossed off her little addition!! Needless to say, she wasn't impressed.

It is extra revenue for the owners, because now they don't have to pay a decent wage to the waitresses and waiters. They pass the responsibility onto the consumer. Patrons should only need to tip if they are very pleased with the service (above and beyond), but because wait staff is so poorly payed, we must compensate for this. ps. I am an avid tipper (15-20) because these people work hard and deserve the money.

No, that money goes directly to the waiter/waitress. If you're suggesting that the tip system benefits resturants by allowing them to save money by paying the servers low wages...well if servers didn't work for tips, resturants would lose money through having to pay them higher salaries and in turn would hike up the prices on meals. Either way you'd be the one paying the money except now you wouldn't have a way to show your opinion on the servers performance. The reason why you are asked to tip is because you are the one who is being served and thus your tip is a reflection on how you feel the server performed. There is nothing saying that you have to tip just like you don't have to be polite if you don't want to. If we did away with the tip system you could expect the waiter/waitress to care much less about how well you were served. If you just don't like to spend the extra bucks for a tip then stay home, cook your own food, and serve yourself.

In California, you can't legally make less than minimun wage. That's why it's the MINIMUM. However, most servers make that which is $6.75 or more. At most restaurants, the tip IS extra because you still do get paid hourly, although you have to claim however much you make in tips as well so taxes are taken out. But at some restaurants, the 7.75 or 8% is taken out of their paycheck so if you don't tip well they DO lose money. I agree that it is rediculous and stupid but for some reason it's how the law works... But I still don't think that it hsould be taken out on your waiter or waitress unless they're doing a shitty job! In which case, don't leave anything, except maybe a rude comment on the bill.

When you go to a restaurant with waiters you're going to an establishment that will provide you with food while seated on your table (as opposed to a Burger King, where it's your responsibility to deliver the food) and you're expected to pay for this meal. The payment I'm making in the end is for this package of food plus service. So I think decision to tip or not is completely my own and it should not be forced upon me. Some restaurants are now capitalizing on customers who tip by introducing a "service charge" as part of the bill. So now you're expected to pay that charge in addition the tip.

As a waitress for the past 7 years, I can tell you that tips are expected sources of revenue for the server. However, you are correct in your assumption that customers are "subsidizing" restaurants with tips. Tipping has become an "uniquely American" custom. Traveling abroad, tipping may be an insult to the server, or instead of an expected percentage of the bill, leaving a dollar or two signifies excellent service. However, dining in America does mean that your server will expect a tip, which is usually 15-20% of the meal's cost in exchange for good service. Here are two additional points: First, note that I said "Good Service". What does that mean to you? Everyone has a different idea or expectation from their server. Some are happy with receiving refills and having other basic needs met in a timely manner. Others expect to be entertained while dining. A good server should know the difference. With this, it is important to realize that a restaurant is a business, and in this crazy world of trying to make a profit, will serve more than one table at a time. To a customer, this translates to the fact that you may not get what you want immediately and a little understanding and gratitude goes a long way. Secondly, according to the Minimum Wage Act, "tipped employees" may be paid less than the mandated wage. The rationale is that these employees will earn tips and make up the difference between the two wages. This does allow the restaurant owner to cut overhead costs, but reducing employee wages. If tipping were to be replaced, menu prices will inevitably go up as owners attempt to offset the burden of higher employee wage costs. Michael Lynn, a research for Cornell University, studied customer behavior when "tips" were already factored into the cost of the food and reflected in menu prices. His findings show that customers perceive these restaurants to be more expensive (even though tipping is not required or expected) than restaurants that do not "include" tippig in their menu prices. Finally, as a server, I would not work for $7-8 an hour. Restaurant work is extremely hard, both physically and mentally. Tipping makes me feel compensated for what I do, mostly because I average more than $7-8/hour. Also, customers have the power to reward or punish servers, based on the quality of service. Taking this away would surely make the American dining experience suffer, mostly because servers would realize they are getting paid either way.

I certainly agree that if we didn't have tipping, restaurant costs would go up. My gripe is that tipping is based on a percentage of the bill. Is it fair that someone must tip more because they eat a $35 steak instead of a $12 salad? The wait staff performs the same service of bringing out a plate. If I choose to have a $300 bottle of wine instead of a $30 bottle of wine, am I expected to pay ten times the tip, $60 instead of $6, for the same service of bringing a bottle to the table, uncorking, and pouring? And what about the tax on the bill; should I tip on the tax amount? It is a flawed system, and restaurants should be required to pay at least minimum wage. Then let the customers decide whether or not to leave a tip.