Did the customer pay the price of the meal? If so, she didn't "steal" from anyone. The only one stealing from the staff are the owners of the Restaurant. The Restaurants need to either pay their staff better, even if it means jacking up the prices.
I very seldom leave tips and I very seldom eat out because I cannot stand to be held up by people who think they are owed a tip for doing their job.
Tipping is BS. The meal comes with a price, that price is supposed to represent the cost of doing business, if they need to jack up the prices to pay their staff better then they should do it. Tipping is merely the way restaurants get out of having to pay their staff what they are worth. If the owner doesn't think they are worth more than minimum wage then why should think they are worth more.
All of you people who grouse about tipping have rocks in your fickin' heads, you are being ripped off. Not tipping rips no one off, it merely saves you money.
Let me ask you a question: Do you ever eat at a McDs or Burger King or any other fast food place and if you do, do you tip? Most likely not. So explain that to me, why do you think the minimum wage waiter, bus boys etc. at some restaurants should be tipped but not the fast food staff?
Tipping: The biggest rip off in America except for Global Warming.
You are ripping off your waitress, since the IRS withholding assumes 15% tips.
Your thinking is repellent. You must deal with the world as it is. Not as you wish is were. Just do what others do as far as tipping
If you hate to tip then don’t go to places with waiter service. Matter of fact that option is becoming more popular with this recession. I see plenty of small Chinese takeouts where if you want to eat there you take your Styrofoam takeout box and sit down at one of their tables. You can grab some tea from an urn. No one waits on you
Good.
Don't you see that the tipping system is an effective incentive for your waiter to be polite and presentable, have a table ready for you that is clean and properly set, be knowledgeable about the menu/wine list, pay attention to your order (sauce on side? medium rare?), get your food to your table while it's hot, cheerfully replace a dropped fork and get the check to you in a timely but unrushed manner.
Restaurant owners could pay their waitstaff more (charging YOU more for the food) and announce that tipping isn't necessary but I guaran-damn-tee you dirty fingernails, clogged salt shakers, sticky table tops (that wobble), long waits for your cold, over-cooked steak, no ketchup/extra bread/butter when requested and then, finally, you'll be given someone else's check by mistake.
I see waiters as private, professional contractors and the good ones are gold and have my respect. I'm happy to tip them. Well.