[RobRoy]

>>A waiter on the other hand can make your dining experience significantly better.<<

How, exactly? That is, beyond what the owner is paying them to do.

[absolootezer0]

That is, beyond what the owner is paying them to do.

my *job* is to bring you a drink, bring your food, bring your check and not screw up. period. like mcdonalds, but i actually carry it out to your table.
the reason you tip me is for coming back to check and see if you need some extra dressing on your salad. if you need a refill/ another beverage. make sure your steak was cooked to the right temp- and fix it NOW if its not. to see if you want desert. to bring out little extras for your kids, and clean up your mess when you leave. and most importantly, to KNOW the menu.
if you have a question about an ingredient- say you're allegic to MSG- i can answer that off the top of my head. you want to know what's in our house dressings? i can tell you. i know what we're out of, what's on special, i'll make suggestions on better ways to order you meal to save you a couple bucks.
i'll be your best friend and bend over backwards to give you a good experience- not just "here's you food."
there's a reason why i have people come in asking for me to wait on them. why there are people who know my schedule and won't come in when i'm not working. why i have non-smokers that come sit in the smoking section just to have me wait on them.
and for all that extra. yeah. i make really good on tips.

[gogeo]

How, exactly? That is, beyond what the owner is paying them to do...

Something else I've wondered...if you get spectacularly bad service (the kind that makes you leave comments on the company web site) should you then be able to deduct from the bill?