My tips are not based on the amount of the bill. The lack of tip from someone who doesn't tip is not based on the amount of the bill. The tip from someone who only tips pretty girls is not based on the amount of the bill. The tip from someone who just made a big win in a nearby casino is not based on the amount of the bill. The tip from someone who fell for your [hypothetical] sob story is not based on the amount of the bill. People tip based on factors that have nothing to do with the amount of the bill often enough that attempting to just dismiss them from consideration is myopic. I addressed this point in my original post.
I do tip for services. I tip waiters in the same way that I tip bellboys and masseurs and tour guides and cab drivers. If the waiter gets my order right, bigger tip. If they make constructive suggestions about my order, bigger tip. If they are willing to rearrange tables for my party, bigger tip. If they forget to bring me my food, much smaller tip. If they leave my drink empty, smaller tip. Most people I know practice this sort of tip adjustment, to some degree. I just practice it in full.
The $20 increase was the hypothetical cost of the larger "mandatory" tip for a more experienced waiter. That was only part of a particular chain of hypotheticals, not relevant to the discussion outside that chain. I was not referring to the ability of a good waiter to upsell.
I really don't see how any of your insight into the industry has any bearing on the topic at hand here. You can elaborate in as much detail and to any degree of accuracy you wish on what sort of tips they want, expect, or even need. I am concerned with the practical effects of poorly thought out tipping practices from the point of view of the consumer. The restaurant wants all of their waiters to sell more food (duh) and get bigger tips. I don't care what the restaurant wants[1]. I want good waiters to get bigger tips and bad waiters to get shit tips so that the employment version of natural selection will produce a higher ratio of good servers (who keep their high-paying jobs) to bad servers (who seek another line of work because their tips suck).
[1] google "best buy demon customers" for a great example of consumer interest running counter to corporate interest in a way that influences consumer behavior.
no subject
I do tip for services. I tip waiters in the same way that I tip bellboys and masseurs and tour guides and cab drivers. If the waiter gets my order right, bigger tip. If they make constructive suggestions about my order, bigger tip. If they are willing to rearrange tables for my party, bigger tip. If they forget to bring me my food, much smaller tip. If they leave my drink empty, smaller tip. Most people I know practice this sort of tip adjustment, to some degree. I just practice it in full.
The $20 increase was the hypothetical cost of the larger "mandatory" tip for a more experienced waiter. That was only part of a particular chain of hypotheticals, not relevant to the discussion outside that chain. I was not referring to the ability of a good waiter to upsell.
I really don't see how any of your insight into the industry has any bearing on the topic at hand here. You can elaborate in as much detail and to any degree of accuracy you wish on what sort of tips they want, expect, or even need. I am concerned with the practical effects of poorly thought out tipping practices from the point of view of the consumer. The restaurant wants all of their waiters to sell more food (duh) and get bigger tips. I don't care what the restaurant wants[1]. I want good waiters to get bigger tips and bad waiters to get shit tips so that the employment version of natural selection will produce a higher ratio of good servers (who keep their high-paying jobs) to bad servers (who seek another line of work because their tips suck).
[1] google "best buy demon customers" for a great example of consumer interest running counter to corporate interest in a way that influences consumer behavior.