you may only talk to the waiter anywhere you go, but there are many more people involved in fine dining establishments and they all get a piece of the tipping pie.
my point is, if you can't afford to tip 15-20% of any restaurant you walk into, don't go there. lord knows i only go to upscale NYC steakhouses on very special occasions.
Again, how is it not true? It is the same physical act of work performed in 2 different places. Outside of the food, which is prepared by someone other than the waiter, there is no difference.
If I do patronize a high end restaurant I will leave a decent tip, but I won't be fooled into thinking that more work was done to deserve such a tip than would have been done in a low end restaurant.