As far as I am concerned, it is customer service.
I won’t stiff someone on a tip unless they were actually outright rude. If that happens, I am not only not giving a tip, I am writing a letter.
And I will give a 10-15% tip depending on the level of “mediocre” service. I try and give them a break if the service isn’t great and remember that people have off days, and write it off to that.
But if I get great service, I will leave anywhere from a 20-50% tip, in addition to telling the waitstaff they gave great service, and the manager as well.
I go to a Chinese restaurant once every week or two, and those people know me by name. They don’t even offer me a menu, because they know what I want, and they get it right. They are observant, fill my drink without asking me, are courteous, check often to make sure everything is okay, and the food is one of a kind good for me.
My meal there comes out to $16 on average, and I always give them a $7 tip on that, because they work at it.
In my opinion, if you are waiting on tables, it is contingent on YOU to provide superlative, personal service, not on the customer to give you a tip. If you do your job the way it should be done, it pays off overall.
If you get stiffed by a customer, well...grow a pair, write it off, and next time they come in, you give them even better service.
You are defined by how well you do your job, not how well your customer tips you. I understand there are some places you just aren’t going to get great tips. That goes with your job, and you either get to somewhere that has more generous clientele, or learn to live with it.
You can be resentful. It is up to you. But if you are, you aren’t going to provide better service, and your tips sure as hell won’t increase. If you have resentment, suck it up and hide it under a mantle of utter professionalism. You are there to serve.
ditto
i think you sum it up well.