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My wife and girlfriends just dined at the Olive Garden in St. George, UT. During the chit-chat, the younf server mentioned that he gets $2.19 an hour as the company figures he’ll make out on tips.

I would have thought that was a ploy to generate a good tip but one of my daughters-in-law waitressed for a while and reported the same abysmal wages. On top of the $2.19, the guy said that the company held out $2.00 an hour for “withholding on tips”. If true, it’s a major screw job (waiting for the Free Enterprise crowd to appear).

I start the tip at 15%. The server gets extra if:
1) They ask if I’d like a slice of lemon with my water (yeah I heard about lemon-handling)
2) They refill my glass of water without asking.
3) They ask if I’d like my coffee with the meal or after (that’s a tip off that they’re a professional)
4) If it’s a female and they touch my shoulder (if it’s a male I yell MOMMEEE! :-) )
5) If they add a hand-written “Thank You” etc. to the back of the bill.
There’s probably more, but these come to mind now.

If they do any of the above, I tell the manager they have a good one and because of that, I’ll be back. I have done that even at all-you-can-eat buffets where the interaction is minimal.

If I’m a first-timer and plan to be back, I’ll tip the gold-colored presidential dollars instead of paper on small tips. You tend to be remembered. (Works like a champ with the casino cocktail waitresses).

AS others have posted, if I have a coupon, I tip on the original price. I’ve had acquaintances who did not and I made a point to unobtrusively go back to the table and sweeten the tip.

I’m not that well off but if I am eating out, that means I have a few bucks to spare and I will pass some of it around if the server is even halfway decent as I figure they’re getting a crap wage - especially if they’re older (you know they’re stuck in that job).